Grateful Dead Music Forum

im up in U Albanhy right now, i've had a tough enough time in college but today was the day that did me in. My 450 dollar Alvarez was stolen right outta my room cause my roomate was too stupid to lock the door, my best friend was just kicked out but he's still here beligerently drunk and not helpin anything. i don't know what to do, all i know is i lost the only thing keeping my sane here, my guitar, and now i simply don't want to deal with this pressure, i want to go home so bad but i dont want to dissapoint my family. i know this is all my problem and i shouldnt be putting it on anyone else right now but i need advice. i simply want some advice, i know alot of you are older and have already been through this, i'm probrobly rambling right now because to be honest im really drunk and depressed because this morning the most important thing in my life was taken from my, my guitar, and its making things so much harder, what do i do?

1. Get a police report in case it's found.
2. Find your receipt or the serial # you hopefully wrote down.
3. Post some notices around the area.
4. Check the local pawn shops and music stores
5. Check the Flea Market
6. Check Craigslist and the Internet

The asshole who stole it will probably sell it for dope.

deadguise gives some excellent practical advice.

Since you're pretty drunk right now you're probably feeling it a little harder than you might while you're sober. It's definitely a screwed up thing to have to go through and I don't mean to diminish what your ax means to you but if you're thinking about leaving school I'm guessin this might've just been the last straw (other stuff goin on) or you're so ticked (and drunk) that you're overreacting somewhat.

If the former you'll need to get in touch with someone close to you or someone you trust who can help talk you through this and whatever other issues may be going on. If the latter, it's not a good reason to leave school...though it may seem that way right now.

It's not easy (especially at your age) but to use a couple of cliches you gotta keep your eye on the prize and follow through to the big picture...your education.

Like I said, if there's other stuff going on you'll have to sort through that.

Hang in there.

This may seem odd coming from someone who left rounds 1 & 2 of college to follow the circus.

But, take a deep breath and move S L O W L Y. Dead guise is right. fill out a report, check the pawn shops and the local "buy/Sell" music stores. Theres a good chance the item can be recovered w/some diligence.

Even though most of us dreamed of the day when we would get out from under our parents wings, it is sad and tough when the day comes. Loosing your guitar only makes it more difficult.

Being a 18-19yo kid away for the first time is tough, add n school pressures, social pressures etc.. college is a tough time. But, I'm sure you'll be ok, just take it slow.

NOW...

I'm going to put on my responsible parent cap for a moment...... For an annual premium of less than $150.00 and a deductible of $25 you can get 5,000 worth of "dorm" insurance. MUCH better than adding a rider to a parents existing home owners policy that prolly has a 500-1000 deductible. Also the likelihood of a claim is high and would stay on a parent's insurance for years.

Posting heres a good idea. It's funny most of us come from differing and StRaNge pasts but the older members are a good caring lot, who'll lead you straight..err.. I mean forward.

Joe

OK, Saturday 1:24 am and you were drunk and upset about your guitar being stolen. First comment: I'm not surprised that you felt the way you did then. When I was in college, I had to take a summer to graduate on time and someone broke into our house and stole a bunch of stuff. Some of it I was rather attached to, and I was pretty pissed. Got drunk that night which didn't really help any, but it seemed like the thing to do at the time.

Anyway, the important thing is how you feel about it now. Hopefully you are over the hangover and are starting to think clearly again. No one should make life changing decisions when they are drunk. The one exception might be if you realize that you are drunk all the time and it might be the right time to stop drinking, but that is the only exception I can think of at the moment.

All the advice above is good, except that if you have a good relationship with the guys on your hall, I might start asking them if someone "borrowed" the guitar as someone may be jacking with you or playing some kind of joke. Make sure you express that you will have to call the cops if you can't find the guitar within the next hour or two. Other than that, the filing of a report and looking for it yourself sounds like good ideas to me.

Good luck!

Post your story on Craigslist and ask for a donation.
Ask for a beater.You might get lucky and some guy with a bunch of gits will donate to yer cause.
I bet yer guitar is somewhere on campus.
Good luck.

So, I'll admit a fact that I'm not normally cool with around other deadheads....


I was an RA at college. (I was cool, I promise)

That being said, and that I don't know anything about U of Albany (city or country/college town)..

1) Call the police and file a report, they can cover a lot more ground than you can.

2) Let your resident assistant (or resident director)know that your guitar was stolen and ask if they can let the other staff know. They might spot it on rounds or something.

3) Do you guys have student security (or 'rent a cops') that watch the door at night and take id's/log guests in? Check with them (or their supervisor) to see if they have seen anything strange.

4) Consider: Do you have any enemies or people who are pissed at you? Or people you owe money to for gambling/dope? (Not trying to be accusing, just wondering if anyone was looking to get even)

Along the lines of #4, did your roommate leave the door unlocked, but closed, or unlocked and open, swinging in the breeze? if it was unlocked but closed, odds are its someone that that knows there was a guitar there, or one of your friends busting on you as a 'joke'

I know it sucks going to authority and shit, but thats what their around for.

And the buddhist in me says: maybe this is a good time to asses the hold the material world has on you.


The guitarist in me says: Sorry bro, hope it finds its way home.