Stolen were:

ESP LTD LEC1000VB  Serial W09090414
Fender American Special Stratocaster HSS Serial Z9532180
Schechter Hellraiser Floyd Rose Black Cherry Serial H081201439

Suspect was a single white male, 5’10″ baseball cap, Dickies jacket, shaved head. He jumped into a black Mustang with a white racing stripe, Plate 4XdX649.

Keep an eye out.

Please follow us at twitter.com/gearsecure, myspace.com/gearsecure or facebook for updates.

This equipment has been reported stolen. If you see these items, think of your safety first. We advise you not to purchase the item from anyone claiming to be the owner. If you feel safe with pursuing it further, contact your local law enforcement, referencing the above case number.

Fender Relic 1956 Stratocaster Desert Burst Custom Shop Serial Number B48273

If you see this instrument, please call your local law enforcement and refer to Pasadena case number T10000068 (Temporary number).

Keep an eye out.

Please follow us at twitter.com/gearsecure, myspace.com/gearsecure or facebook for updates.

This equipment has been reported stolen. If you see these items, think of your safety first. We advise you not to purchase the item from anyone claiming to be the owner. If you feel safe with pursuing it further, contact your local law enforcement, referencing the above case number.

2009 Gibson J45 (The tag inside says DLX Songwriter) – Serial Number 01393001
2004 Taylor 414CE – Serial Number 20040825006
1983 American Telecaster – No serial number given – pickguard is a vinyl record
1989 Fender Strat with Lace Sensor pickups Serial Number E947311
2005 Fender John Mayer Strat w/ dowel block on trem Serial Number SE03001
2006 Ibanez AGS83 – missing pickguard – Serial Number S06070126
2005 Squier Strat Cherry Burst – No serial number given
Fender Blues Jr – NOS – No serial number given

Police Report # 164017709-C
Houston Police (713) 308-0900

Keep an eye out.

Please follow us at twitter.com/gearsecure, myspace.com/gearsecure or facebook for updates.

This equipment has been reported stolen. If you see these items, think of your safety first. We advise you not to purchase the item from anyone claiming to be the owner. If you feel safe with pursuing it further, contact your local law enforcement, referencing the above case number.

Our goal at Gearsecure.net has always been to have a web site that serves both community and business, and gives greater functionality and exposure to our core purpose of loss prevention and recovery. The site as it exists now has been successful at developing community and awareness, but it is now time to take the next step and build our planned web application. We need your help in funding this, and our exposure in the industry. We’re asking for a small donation of only $5 towards our goal of $5,000. Click the “Donate” button to give via paypal.

Fender has had several serial number schemes over the years. On top of that, the schemes are different depending on where the instrument was made.

Fender serial numbers are not strictly sequential. The only definitive way to date a Fender is to look at the dates on the neck, body, and pots.

1950-1964

For Esquires, Broadcasters, and Telecasters, a unique numbering scheme was used until 1954, when Fender switched to a universal numbering system. The number is shown on the bridge plate.

For Precision Basses, a different system was used until 1955, overlapping some with the universal system. These numbers also appeared on the bridge plate.

In 1954, Fender adopted a universal serial number system. These serial numbers appear on the neck plate of the instrument. In 1957/1958 some serial numbers started with a minus sign (“-”), or had a “0″ prefix before the number. Also in 1959/1960 some serial numbers were at the bottom of the neck plate instead of the usual top. Double stamped serial number plates were also produced (number on both front and back of the neck plate) in late 1957 to early 1959.

In late 1962 – late 1965, Fender produced instruments with an “L” prefix. These numbers were found on the neck plate.

In late 1965 the scheme changed yet again. The serial number was still located on the neck plate and a large script “F” could be found below the serial number.

In mid-1976, Fender moved the location of the serial number to the headstock.

1977-Present

Finally, in mid-1977, Fender decided on a serial number scheme that carries on to today. The serial number can be found on the headstock. The decade can generally be determined by the serial number prefix. “S” means 1970′s, “E” means 1980′s, “N” means 1990′s, and “Z” means 2000. Note that Japanese Fenders can also carry the “N” and “E” prefixes, but their country of origin should be clearly marked on the headstock.

Since 1990, the serial numbers have generally been kept consistent. There is the decade prefix, followed by the last number in the year. For example, 2004 would be Z4; 1998 would be N8. The American Deluxe series adds a “D” before the year prefix, so the previous examples would come out as DZ4 and DN8, respectively.

The Fender American Vintage Series forgoes the year prefix altogether and just has “V” plus five or six digits.

Additionally, some instruments made in 1990 were (presumably by mistake) given N9XXXXX serial numbers.

Mexican-Made Fenders

The first Mexican Fenders were made in 1990. They follow the same number scheme as American-made Fenders, except that they are prefixed with an “M”.

Japanese-Made Fenders

The first Japanese Fenders were made in 1982. All Fenders made in Japan are marked on the headstock as “Made in Japan” or (since 1997) “Created in Japan”.

Sometime during 1997, all Japanese-made Fenders say “Crafted in Japan” on the headstock instead of “Made in Japan.” There is some overlap between serial numbers on these instruments, but the newer ones can be distinguished from the older ones based on the text.

I’m not going to tell you the domain. We don’t want to give these guys any advertising or traffic. Rest assured we’ll be contacting our contacts at the manufacturers in question to make sure they are aware of the site.

No surprise the site in question originates in China. Undoubtedly some of these instruments are in the wild around the world, including the U.S. When you read the site, you can tell that the copy is written by somebody who isn’t a native English speaker, though the grammar isn’t horrible. There’s hardly any Engrish to make fun of, though the copy is far from brilliant or professional.

The site says any of their guitars can be ordered custom, and they show a unique 3+3 headstock with an eagle logo as the “standard” headstock that the guitars come with. This helps to distinguish their guitars from the manufacturers they are counterfeiting, or at least provide plausible deniability. Since most of the photos on the site cut off just below the headstock, I’m guessing they don’t really do this. Instead they probably send you a counterfeit, claim it’s an error, and stick you with it. But you’ll see more of their headstocks in a minute.

One of my favorite lines from the site is to call their instruments “Chinese Replica Guitars”. These are no more “replica guitars” as a counterfeit $20 bill is a “home inkjet replica bill”.

A further example of this deception is evident on their Ibanez page, I’m sorry, “Ibanez style guitars” page.  Look at these images:

Obviously, these are so close to Ibanez’s style that they have replicated the shipping boxes and hang tags.

Here’s another good one: notice these guitars have the Gibson “made in USA” sticker over the pickups.

The Fender copies likewise have a sticker like the Fender Americans do. They’ve done their homework and made things as exact as possible.

Most of the guitars on this site go for $400-550. I point this out as I roll out the biggest joke on this particular site. This time I’ll give you a screen grab, because you won’t believe me otherwise:

Yes, not only have the counterfeited a Squier, but they are selling it for $150 above what they are selling for in Guitar Shops. How you like that?

Since I don’t have the actual counterfeit guitars here, I’m going to make this more of a primer on how to be skeptical when evaluating a guitar that you may be purchasing. We can’t accurately gauge the colors on this site, and we can’t accurately gauge some other physical characteristics, so we’re going to have to look very closely at the clues we are given, and hopefully you’ll develop an understanding of what to look for.

Here’s a few things I notice from the site, a few specific differences that you can use to accurately identify these counterfeit instruments.

Here’s a good example of their Les Paul counterfeit. Note that this is fairly decent as things go. They managed to have the standard Gibson two piece bridge, knobs look close enough to the proper placement. To me, however, the horn on the cutaway looks a bit more rounded than the real deal, and the curve on the back end of the body looks a little more squat. That could be perspective, it’s hard to say.

In this picture you see the back, and the backplate looks close to the real deal. Often times, this panel is shaped a little differently, and that is a giveaway, or pull that cover off and see how well the routing has been done. Gibson doesn’t release hack jobs like the ones I’ve seen in some counterfeits.

In this picture you can see the heel and neck join. This appears to me a bit wrong. The heel looks shorter than the typical Les Paul. On the genuine article, the heel is approximately (?) shorter than the width of the body.

They also have no problems producing artist signature models. There’s the Ace Frehley, the Joe Perry, The Slash (Notice the Gibson Headstock on this one).

They also have an ES-335 copy and an Explorer copy. They call this one a korina, but I’m sure you can’t get a guitar made of korina for this kind of price.

Here’s a photo of a headstock from a “Custom” Les Paul counterfeit. That headstock isn’t blank. Apparently, they’ve also pirated Photoshop, because there’s a big black blob hiding something….

This is interesting, when I look at this image in a preview in my file manager, I get a different image. Should have used the Flatten Image command:

Let’s look at their Ibanez Jem copy guitar. You’ll notice that it is sitting on top of an Ibanez box. This one is very accurate. Unlike other Jem counterfeits I’ve seen, this has the correct Gold pickup pole pieces and the scalloping in the upper frets. They’ve really paid attention to details on this one.

So let’s look at this side by side.

Look at the close-up on the bridge. It does say Ibanez, but the casting seems highly flawed, not the smooth consistent and high quality lines of the Ibanez.

Take a look at the pyramid inlays in this neck. These are very sloppy, and I’m not sure if you know this, but on the official Ibanez models with the pyramid inlays are simply pieces of paper under transparent inlays. Those Ibanez guys, they’re crafty, unlike these counterfeiters.

Here’s a shot of the headstock. Take a look at the swoosh.

Compare it to this photo of the real product.

You can see the font of the word “Jem” is much thicker in the counterfeit. The swoosh also looks a bit thicker to me on the counterfeit.

Notice on this photo, the Ibanez tuning machines, and the lack of a serial number. Ibanez serial numbers are almost without exception on the back of the headstock.

Paul Reed Smith is not immune to these counterfeiters. Here’s a few instruments to look at.Oh, wait, that’s a Guitar Center Platinum Room display with real PRS guitars to give the bogus ones that follow a bit more credence:

Look at this PRS Single-cut counterfeit. Notice that it has exactly the same body as the Gibson Les Paul Counterfeits. I don’t know, can a counterfeit company sue over counterfeit infringement?

Here’s a shot of their headstock copy. It is inlaid just like some PRS guitars. Notice on the back, the serial number follows an approximately correct format, but isn’t hand-written. The tuning machines also appear to be Grovers, or maybe just Grover counterfeits.

Here’s some Fender counterfeits.
Also notice in these and other pictures, the bottom horn in the cutaway seems smaller and just wrong for a Fender.

Notice the heel of this guitar’s neck. On a real Fender, a sticker sometimes is placed here if it is made in Mexico or China. This one has some writing that may be a serial number. The sticker never looks like this, though. Fender’s current Serial Numbers are, like Ibanez, almost always on the headstock.

Here’s their SRV copy. The differences between this and a real SRV are very noticeable. First, the sunburst appears to be the right colors, but the gradation is very smooth on a real Fender. Second, the letters on this counterfeit’s pickguard are very bold in comparison to the real Fender. Third, the real Fender has gold hardware with a lefty bridge, so that the trem arm hangs from above the bridge.

Unless I mention it, all of these images are of counterfeit instruments. I hope this gives you some reference material in what to look for in distinguishing counterfeit instruments, and that you’ll be better armed when making a purchase to identify a genuine instrument.

Location: Silverlake CA.

Type of Equipment: Fender 800 Pro Bass Head
Serial Number: CR307685
Note: Spray painted gold

Type of Equipment: Fender 4×10 Pro Bass Speaker Cab
Serial Number:M1477772

Type of Equipment: Marshall Plexi late 60s/early 70s w/ modified master volume
Serial Number:Unknown

Type of Equipment: Fender Blonde 2×12 Tonemaster Speaker Cab
Serial Number:CR2xxx7031
Note:Well Worn

Type of Equipment: Marshall JCM800 50watt MK2 2204
Serial Number:U25750
Note: late 80s with bleach stain on grill

Type of Equipment: Marshall JCM800 1960A lead 4×12 Cab
Serial Number:unknown

Type of Equipment: Fender Jaguar Bass Black
Serial Number:S092605
Note: white pickguard

Type of Equipment: Fender 1972 Telecaster Thinmaster Custom Dark Green
Serial Number: R36263
Note: Red Tortoise pickguard

Type of Equipment: Squier Hello Kitty Strat Pink
Serial Number:Unknown
Note:With silver skull and bones studs and blk vinyl strap

Type of Equipment: Squier Hello Kitty Strat Blk
Serial Number: Unknown
Note: With silver grommet hot pink strap

Type of Equipment: Fender “Badtz-Maru” Bronco Bass Guitar
Serial Number: Unknown

Type of Equipment: Black Pedal board
Note: Says “The Randies” on it in torquise. Has an Electroharmonix Little Big Muff, Tech 21 Sans Amp Bass Driver DI, Boss TU-2 tuner pedal

Type of Equipment: Black Pedal board
Note: Has “The Randies” on it in torquise. Includes Electro harmonix Little Big Muff, Ernie Ball VP JR volume pedal, MXR Custom MC-402 boost/overdrive (serial: AA85C524) and MXR DCbrick power supply. Also bears a “morris” and “Holmberg cases” sticker.

Type of Equipment: Black Pedal board
Note: Has MXR DC Brick power supply, MXR Custom MC402 Boost/overdrive, Boss TU-2 Tuner. MXR Stereo Chorus.

Type of Equipment: Ludwig 9 ply all maple drum kit dark green finish.
Serial Number: Tom 1: 34152262, Tom 2: 3415247

Type of Equipment: Ludwig all maple 6.5 natural snare
Serial Number:3419908

Type of Equipment: Roc n Soc Hydraulic Tripod Throne

Type of Equipment: 20in Zildjian Z Custom Ride Z40520, 19in Zildjian A Custom Medium Crash AZ0828 13 Zildjian A Custom Projection Bottom Hihat, 13in Zildjian Z Custom Bottom Z40715, 10in Zildjian A Custom AZ0542 Splash, 6in Zildjian A Custom Splash, DW9000 Double Kick pedal.
Note: All drum equipment in SKB Hardshell cases.

Type of Equipment: Ford 15 passenger Van, White
Note: California plate 4YRR578

Police information:

Officer Al Polehonki
213-793-0763
Case number 09-1110454

Please follow us at twitter.com/gearsecure, myspace.com/gearsecure or facebook for updates.

This instrument has been reported stolen. If you see this instrument, think of your safety first. We advise you not to purchase the item from anyone claiming to be the owner. If you feel safe with pursuing it further, contact your local law enforcement, referencing the above case number.

Type of Equipment: Fender VG Strat
Serial Number: Z717P081
Notes: In new condition. Taken with out case. This was taken by the Travellers group of thieves. Description available to store owners via bryan@gearsecure.net.

Police Contact Info: Highland Park Police
847-432-7730
Case Number: 09-02721

Please follow us at twitter.com/gearsecure, myspace.com/gearsecure or facebook for updates.

This instrument has been reported stolen. If you see this instrument, think of your safety first. We advise you not to purchase the item from anyone claiming to be the owner. If you feel safe with pursuing it further, contact your local law enforcement, referencing the above case number.