Trumpet & Music Talk

So, while on our West Coast tour almost a month ago, our bus was broken into while we were having dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory in downtown Portland, Oregon. The thieves got about $20,000 in stuff including about 5 or 6 laptops, passports, wallets with ID and cash, an oboe, and three trumpets … my three trumpets! Yes! I had my Bb, C, and Eb/D with the D sildes on, in my Triple Trumpet Gig Bag (now I get this whole “all your eggs in one basket” thing). I’m still pretty hurt about it, I might have to drop out of school because of this … ok, I am being a bit dramatic here. Fortunately for me, I was able to borrow a trumpet from a fellow jazz band member to keep my chops up, and to continue to prepare for another school year.

Anyway, the point of this is, I didn’t have my instruments’ serial numbers recorded. I thought I might have done so on my laptop (which was one of the laptops stolen), but, after searching my back-up external hard drive, I’ve had no luck finding them. However, I’ve managed to retrieve the serial number from a photo I took of my Eb/D Trumpet. So, here is my messages to you; if you’ve got anything with serial numbers that are of value to you, whether they’re musical instruments, laptops, portable gaming devices, etc; RECORD THEM SOMEWHERE!!! ANYWHERE!!!! AH! JUST RECORD THEM EVERYWHERE!!!!

Now, this does not guarantee you’ll get your instruments (or whatever it is) back, but it sure will increase the chances of it turning up at some point in time. I know a musician whose oboe was stolen some years ago. Someone snatched it from her vehicle, while she off loaded groceries from her vehicle to her house. About 2 years later, someone else visits a yard sale being held at a school, in a town about a 45 minute highway drive away, and sees an oboe there to be sold. She bought it for $40.00. She then takes it home and while checking it out, sees the serial number and calls the manufacturer to find out the value of this instrument. When she tells the manufacturer the number, they informed her that it’s an extremely valuable  oboe, and it was stolen from this musician a couple years before, who this person happens to know, but didn’t know she had lost her instrument. Two years after, this musician is able to have her instrument back in her hands, because she had the serial number recorded.

So, I’ll say it again: RECORD THEM SOMEWHERE … ANYWAY … EVERYWHERE!!!

Hello all, I’m currently on tour with the orchestra I perform with. We arrived in Portland, Oregon this afternoon and within hours of arriving, our bus was broken into and three of my trumpets were stolen, along with 4 mouthpieces, mutes, my laptop, wallet and passport. Here is a list of what was stolen:

PROTEC three trumpet gig bag
Bach Stradivarius Model 37 with gold valve caps, spit valve and stems
Yamaha C Trumpet
Yamaha Eb/D Trumpet
GR 66.5 mouthpiece
Yamaha 16C4GP mouthpiece
Yamaha 18C4GP mouthpiece
Bach 1C Megatone mouthpiece
Dr Beat BOSS Metronome

Another person also had their Yamaha Oboe stolen.

5 laptops were also stolen: my Dell Inspiron1720 17” blue laptop
3 Apple MacBook Pro
A Compaq

If at all possible, please keep of look our for posts on Craigslist, eBay or any other sales sites for these items and notify me if possible. Once I return home I will try to find a way to post pictures of these.

Thanks in advance for you help.