How best to safeguard a guitar? *Security Question*

[JimBeed]

Wasnt sure how to word the title hence the  * * bit and well basically im taking my purple z warmoth bass off to uni with me from september, along with the peavey hardcase i bought for it where it fits snug as a bug in a plush rug  :icon_thumright:
But im just wondering  what you guys consider the best ways to safe guard the guitar from theft, Stafford isnt such a bad place, but its an expensive piece of kit, aswell as a tribute axe.
I live in england case theres different ways to in america and other such countries , but i wasnt quite sure of the right procedures, i mean one thing i was thinking was to write on it wiht a proper uv marker pen somewhere like the back panel for the control rout,or even inside there? possibly front of pickup even maybe.
After what happened to Uberschall and how much that sucks id hate to have that happen to mine too, As im not sure how secure student house is too, i know i can trust my house mates though

 

[pabloman]

Put a chip in it.

 

[JimBeed]

Know any good places and how much would they set me back? and like are they tracked by satellite or something? not sure how they work :/

 

[Death by Uberschall]

Sleep with it in one hand, a 9mm in the other hand, and the biggest Rottweiler you can find standing guard while you sleep.

 

[AutoBat]

put this logo on it:

 

[JimBeed]

Sleep with it in one hand, a 9mm in the other hand, and the biggest Rottweiler you can find standing guard while you sleep.

Hmmmmm me thinks ill rig up my guitar stand with a tripwire which fires countless arrows at said fiend, and just remmeber to take it off when i get the bass  :cool01:

As for the logo not bad idea, think i will put something on the case along the lines of some crappy bass company, any more suggestions? hehe

 

[AutoBat]

the maestro line is the 19" scale length guitars that they sell at grocery stores & best buy for $100-150 new

 

[elfro89]

in the UK, the absolute best thing you could do besides taking the obvious measures is join the Musicians Unionhttp://www.musiciansunion.org.uk/site/cms/contentChapterView.asp?chapter=1

If you join you pay a yearly subscription that entitles you to intrument insurance, 10 million in liability insurance, plus free legal advice. Its the best thing any musician could do for themselves.

 

[lafromla1]

I'd probably bring a less expensive one to screw around with and leave the good one at home. At least until you get the lay of the land.  Also, put an added lock on a closet door and lock it up when youre in class or out.  A new door lock for a closet should only be about $12US.

 

[mayfly]

I would keep it hidden.  They can't take it if they don't know it's there.

Another option is to chain the case to your bed.  But keep the case out of sight.  A casual thief would likely not bother once they found it was locked up.

Also liking the chip idea, but that only gets it back after it's gone.

 

[Superlizard]

More guns, more ammo.  :icon_biggrin:

 

[SustainerPlayer]

Israeli commandos.

 

[Cagey]

lafromla1's advice is the best: don't take it into harm's way. You're asking for trouble taking a fine piece into the sandbox. Pony up $120 for something like this and call it a love story.

• Solid Alder body
• Truss rod adjustable Maple neck with Rosewood fretboard and dot inlays
• Scale length is 34"
• Width of the neck at the nut: 1 5/8" at the 12th fret: 2 1/4" Thickness of the neck at the first fret: 7/8" at the 12th fret 15/16" Radius is 14"
• Actual Weight is only 9 lbs

Those are surprisingly nice instruments, and if you lose it or gimp it up, it won't break your heart. You can practically go out and collect empties to pay for it. Don't even bother with a hardshell case, just get a $20 gig bag to keep the dust off and prevent scratches. Then you'll be able to play all you want without worrying.

 

[JimBeed]

Hmmm yeah, at the moment the two basses i have are a Fender american built p bass, pre 2009 (s1 switching system  ccasion14 and my warmoth, so either way i would be taking a guitar into harms way,
My thunderbird is on loan to a friend for recording purposes for long as he needs it,
But i think i will search around for a cheap one to take with me, cause the thunderbird isnt that easy to play and pretty heavy.
Me thinks i might even do a frankenstein and just get fitting parts off ebay hehe.
Though giving myself something i would probz go with a trabern or a andromeda, which has a nifty dragon pattern on it.
I will search around for a cheap one that i can then sell on later, or even get a cheap soapbox one, which i then improve, and possibly take parts of for a second warmoth later.
and heres me not wanting to spend a great deal of teh money i have in one go, oh well  :dontknow:

 

[rapfohl09]

lafromla1's advice is the best: don't take it into harm's way. You're asking for trouble taking a fine piece into the sandbox. Pony up $120 for something like this and call it a love story.

• Solid Alder body
• Truss rod adjustable Maple neck with Rosewood fretboard and dot inlays
• Scale length is 34"
• Width of the neck at the nut: 1 5/8" at the 12th fret: 2 1/4" Thickness of the neck at the first fret: 7/8" at the 12th fret 15/16" Radius is 14"
• Actual Weight is only 9 lbs

Those are surprisingly nice instruments, and if you lose it or gimp it up, it won't break your heart. You can practically go out and collect empties to pay for it. Don't even bother with a hardshell case, just get a $20 gig bag to keep the dust off and prevent scratches. Then you'll be able to play all you want without worrying.

+1

I have nicer guitars that I could take to school, but I couldnt bear if anything happened to them. Only getting to play them on christmas and summer break is worth the peace of mind.

 

[JimBeed]

Well just searched the web, and some guy from england has stripped a tanglewood rebel bass, and selling the body and neck for 25 each, the body still has all the wiring done in it, and selling the tuners for 12 quid, and the bridge for 12ish to 25, so all in all the bass is supposidly 300, but if i bought the parts from him i could snag it for just above 100 p+p included, bargain me thinks? just depends if itll be on there when mum and sister are away, though i might tell them im going to get a cheap one thats easier to play than my thunderbird for university this year anyways,
Apart from that there is a 130 build your own kit i might get the jazz bass version of, and hope that when there away theres decent weather and attempt my own paint job?

 

[big bob]

Well just searched the web, and some guy from england has stripped a tanglewood rebel bass, and selling the body and neck for 25 each, the body still has all the wiring done in it, and selling the tuners for 12 quid, and the bridge for 12ish to 25, so all in all the bass is supposidly 300, but if i bought the parts from him i could snag it for just above 100 p+p included, bargain me thinks? just depends if itll be on there when mum and sister are away, though i might tell them im going to get a cheap one thats easier to play than my thunderbird for university this year anyways,
Apart from that there is a 130 build your own kit i might get the jazz bass version of, and hope that when there away theres decent weather and attempt my own paint job?

I'm afraid you gentlemen are thinking about this entirely in the wrong way.. You need to purchase several vintage 1962-1966 fender basses. that way you can leave them at home and take your warmoth with you.. Of course then you will worry the whole time you are away that something bad is happening at home, but at least you will have a nice guitar to play while you are worrying.

 

[Cagey]

Did you notice the one I pointed out is only $120? That's only 77 pounds to you. Already built, nothing to do, no finishing or anything - it's ready to go straight out of the box. It is only a 4 string, though, so if that's an issue I can imagine you'd want to pass on that one. Still...

Don't get me wrong - I don't have a horse in this race so it doesn't matter what you buy, but that seems like a helluva deal.

 

[JimBeed]

Oh yeah cagey that looks awesome, the only thing about a five string i would miss is a good perch when not using the fifth string, but that can be remedied with a thumb rest.
Ill have to think bout this, well likely just take extra precautions with my warmoth, stafford aint a bad place really, and the university is fairly tight built so if someone saw a purple bass like mine the news would get back to me somehow if anything happened.

 

[AprioriMark]

Does your University not have a music department?  Look into renting a storage locker.  Also, as pabloman mentioned, get a chip for it and stick it in a cavity somewhere (on the bass, sickos).  I don't know how the UK is, but I registered my bass with my parents' home owners insurance when I was in school.

-Mark