PLEASE Help Me Find My Lost LOVE!!?

[fernandosor]

Hello -

My name is Jim and I am hoping that I can post this message here, in fact I am posting this trusting that, like me, there are MANY sensitive, creative musicians here that will understand.

I will make this brief please read it and know this is coming straight from my heart.

In and around 1997 I "Lost My Way" in life. After many years in many places giging in the US and abroad in smokey bars, hotels, ballrooms and the like. I succumbed, for various reasons, to substances that I had always used as an "obligatory" casual, adjunct to music making.
I didn't realize how bad it was until I sold the love of my life, my 1971 Telecaster, blonde with a maple neck and fretboard.

It was last seen at Norman's Rare Guitars in Los Angeles, Calif. I walked in to see if she was still there and she was! A very good player was playing her.
I didn't have the money to buy her back. I was still "sick".
I recognized her in the arms of this player. He was shopping around for guitars I guess.
As I was watching this guitar player play my guitar he started playing a song by Lowell George of Little Feat and I couldn't resist. I started singing the song. Man that guy could play!!
We finished the song, shook hands and It was all I could do to keep myself together long enough to walk outside where I broke down and cried.
At that moment I resolved to "get well" and buy her back. Well needless to say she was gone 2 months later.

Anyway.....I miss her. She means so much to me in many ways. I thought I would get the courage together and post this and see if I could get her back.
I am well now completely and have been for a long time.

I know it's a long shot BUT.....If someone knows the song we sang, and knows the issue with the neck AND you are the player who bought my Telecaster from Norms please consider sellling her back to me.

I hope this posting is not removed. It would mean so much if I could get this guitar back. Maybe God wants me to have it back after my victory over what took over my life so completely.

Thank You so Much--
Jim

[Lost_N_Austin]

[Sorry (I couldn't resist*) but I do mean it. I don't have your guitar but I have a Telecaster guitar that was purchased from a pawnshop after its owner gave up 14 years of sobriety to take up drinking again. I can therefore sympathize with your dilemma.

Have you thought about posting in Vintage Guitar magazine? They accept postings were someone is looking for a specific guitar. Do you have any pictures of the guitar or of you playing it? Why don't you try posting the picture here on this thread. I can understand why you might not want a picture shown but if you could crop out a portion showing just the instrument it could help. Do you know the serial numbers?

Congratulations on turning the corner and best wishes on the recovery of your instrument. One recovery down, one to go. Be sure and brag about it here when that happens

L_N_A

[dan79]

Jim - thats a touching story. I've owned Tele's before that I've regretted selling but it's so obvious how much you love your old Tele - perhaps fate will play its part and you could one day be reunited - I wish you all the best and sincerely hope that you can reclaim your lost love - good luck.

[MidnightGuitarRepair]

You chose the right place to start looking.

Your chances will be much greater if you post an image and the serial number.

[68tele]

Why not contact Norm's directly?

[JimmyJam]

68tele that might not work.. I'm not sure if they would infringe on privacy laws.
But it is a good idea..

[JimmyJam]

oh BTW Jim. Welcome, and that is a touching story.
I do sincerely hope that you and your tele are reunited again.
Makes me think twice about selling my PRS that I had since 95.

[Mike Simpson]

If you have any pictures of the guitar you could post here that may help... in case one of the forum members has seen it.

[SimpleOne]

Originally Posted by JimmyJam

68tele that might not work.. I'm not sure if they would infringe on privacy laws.
But it is a good idea..

Norm's may act as an intermediary though? If the price is right?

[Muddslide]

I imagine there are people here who can relate to your story. I know I've been down that road a little ways myself.

I can't be of any help except to ask if you happen to know the serial #.

Best of luck to you.

[fernandosor]

Hello All --
Thanks so much for all your words of support.

Unfortunately I don't have the Serial # for my tele. AND......I don't have any pictures of the tele.....things like that were "lost WITH me".

That Tele was such a great player that I am 99.99% sure that the player who was playing her at Norms bought it. This is what I have wanted to believe all these years. If he was really looking for a Tele and was in the market to by one that day, he would have bought that one. This is why I have related the story at Norms in hopes that he will read it and at leat contact me.
She might be modded and changed around by now......I hope not......
I am going to post this message on many other boards and take all of your suggestions and act on them. I knew I could get support from you guys.


Hey..know what? There's a bonus here. If I can help another player in some small way who is "considering" going down the same road or who is travelling there already, maybe this story will help. That would be a VERY awesome thing.

Thanks so much all you guys for what you have said. And I will CERTAINLY let you know how this works out.

Jim

[Larry F]

I can absolutely relate. I sold my 1954 strat, my baby throughout all the years of gigs, maybe 1,000 of them, for $600 to a guy who owned a taxicab company in Chicago. He complained that he would have to refinish it in order to sell it at top dollar. He didn't even play it when he came over to buy it. On the bright side, I used the money for tuition towards my PhD in composition, which got me the job I have today. Buddy Guy was also interested in it, but I didn't pursue it.

You deserve to have your guitar back. I wish you all the luck in finding her.

[umasstele]

fernandosor: Im going through the same thing currently looking for my dads old no-caster.

I will deffinately keep my eyes open out here, hey-at least you have some eyes on the east coast!

[brokenjoe]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here.
Why are you so obsessed with this guitar? Sure, it was your old standby, but the way I look at it is that the guitar doesn't make the music -you do.
Yours is truely a tough luck story. I'm sorry to hear of the misfortune that has befallen you, but I just don't see what all the fuss is about.
On the one hand, I hope you get your guitar back, but on the other, I'm reminded of that old saying: "Own your posessions. Don't let them own you."
I've had guitars ripped off before.
The first tele that I ever owned was swiped (ser. # S845923 [that's how 'close' I was to the guitar. I've still got it's serial # tattoed in my brain, after nearly 20 yrs. since it was stolen]), and although it really sucks, at the end of the day, I said to myself 'It's just a guitar.' Life goes on.'
There are worse things that could have happened to you. Dwell on the positive, and be thankful that you've (hopefully) got your health, and that you're back on track and still have a strong desire to play and be creative.
Best of luck!

[indiobravo]

Originally Posted by brokenjoe

I'm gonna go out on a limb here.
Why are you so obsessed with this guitar? Sure, it was your old standby, but the way I look at it is that the guitar doesn't make the music -you do.
Yours is truely a tough luck story. I'm sorry to hear of the misfortune that has befallen you, but I just don't see what all the fuss is about.
On the one hand, I hope you get your guitar back, but on the other, I'm reminded of that old saying: "Own your posessions. Don't let them own you."
I've had guitars ripped off before.
The first tele that I ever owned was swiped (ser. # S845923 [that's how 'close' I was to the guitar. I've still got it's serial # tattoed in my brain, after nearly 20 yrs. since it was stolen]), and although it really sucks, at the end of the day, I said to myself 'It's just a guitar.' Life goes on.'
There are worse things that could have happened to you. Dwell on the positive, and be thankful that you've (hopefully) got your health, and that you're back on track and still have a strong desire to play and be creative.
Best of luck!

i can definitely understand where he's coming from - i had my main guitar - a 77 custom - stolen one night. it drove me crazy. i was lucky enough to have friends raise money for me to get a new tele - which i did, but it was a bad thing and i obsessed forever. turns out i found my original in a pawn shop - i had to buy her back, but i *did* get her back and i am grateful every day for it.

[Lost_N_Austin]

Originally Posted by indiobravo

i can definitely understand where he's coming from - i had my main guitar - a 77 custom - stolen one night. it drove me crazy. i was lucky enough to have friends raise money for me to get a new tele - which i did, but it was a bad thing and i obsessed forever. turns out i found my original in a pawn shop - i had to buy her back, but i *did* get her back and i am grateful every day for it.

If you had to buy back a stolen guitar from a Pawn Shop, you were ripped off twice. Pawn Shops should not profit from buying stolen property. The lesson here is keep good records of serial numbers and with pictures. With good documentation and the filing of a police report, you should be able to get your stuff back without it costing anything other than a big hassel. You might have to wait till the evidence is released but criminals should be procecuted and Pawn Shops generally give stuff back at no cost to the owner. That is a cost of doing business with the undesirables.

L_N_A

[fernandosor]

Hello All --

Nothing to report as yet. I know I might not EVER see my guitar again. That's OK but I thought I would try.
BROKENJOE - You are absolutely right of course. And thank you for the words of encouragement.

I'll keep you guys posted if anything transpires.
Your Friend,
Jim

[mudbean]

Originally Posted by brokenjoe

I'm gonna go out on a limb here.
Why are you so obsessed with this guitar?

Yep, you're out there alright - does the term "sentimental value" have no meaning for you?

mud

[TDPRI]

I don't see any way possible for you to find your guitar without a serial number and photos. To find this guitar you'd have to personally look at every 1971 Tele in world. Even then, were there some markings that made it unique so that you would recognize it?

You don't even know if that guy playing it at Norm's was the guy that bought it. Two months passed between your seeing someone playing it and when you knew it was gone.

Sorry to rain on your parade, but I don't see how anyone here... or anywhere else can help you.

Facing this reality, I suggest you buy yourself another '71 Tele before they get even more expensive -- as they no doubt will -- because this one, sorry to say, is gone.

[fernandosor]

Hello --

TDPRI - You are right also. BUT.....I thought I would try. If he Didn't buy it then the guitar is most certainly gone forever, BUT.....if he did and reads this I'm also sure he would remember the day I sang with him and will respond here about the guitar.

Guys, I am going to give it another couple of weeks and if that guy didn't buy it then someone else did and he or she would know the issue with the neck and be able to describe it.
If I don't get a response I will describe the issue with the neck and maybe WHOEVER bought it at Norms might read my post and respond.

I know this is a long shot but It is so worth it to me to try and find my guitar for many reasons.

Thanks Again
Jim

[TDPRI]

Have you thought that in 12 years:

1. The guy that did buy it sold it, and it's been sold 3 more times since then?
2. The neck was removed by one of its buyers and thrown away with a new neck placed on it?
3. It's been modded, painted, hacked up, changed and abandoned over the past 12 years and has no resemblance to the wonderful guitar you remember.

This isn't looking for a needle in a haystack. This is looking for a grain of sand you saw on a beach 12 years ago that shined just so.

I don't want to rain on your parade or hurt your feelings, but I'd like to suggest that having great desire does not take the place of having a sense of reality about the situation. Don't "lose your way" again about this thing. It seems that posting like this is just not facing realities of the situation and the real world.

[Alamo]

I agree, the chances are mighty slim on this one.
but hope dies last, right?

good luck anyway

[sacizob]

I know it's a long shot BUT.....If someone knows the song we sang, and knows the issue with the neck AND you are the player who bought my Telecaster from Norms please consider sellling her back to me.


Was the song you sang together - So Long Its Been Good To Know Ya?

[adlo76]

Originally Posted by brokenjoe

I'm gonna go out on a limb here.
Why are you so obsessed with this guitar? Sure, it was your old standby, but the way I look at it is that the guitar doesn't make the music -you do.
Yours is truely a tough luck story. I'm sorry to hear of the misfortune that has befallen you, but I just don't see what all the fuss is about.
On the one hand, I hope you get your guitar back, but on the other, I'm reminded of that old saying: "Own your posessions. Don't let them own you."
I've had guitars ripped off before.

The guys is asking for help. Either help him or don't, but why post this kind of stuff ?

[his dudeness]

how else is a thread going to reach 25 posts without anyone actually knowing where the guitar is? a pity fest is just going to give him false hope of finding something that the odds are just not very good of finding. that post is just a reassurance that music comes from within, not the gear.

besides, there are so many spectacular new models to try that cost within the price of a 71 these days.

[MickM]

Originally Posted by adlo76

The guys is asking for help. Either help him or don't, but why post this kind of stuff ?

I agree whole heartedly. People/guitar players talking about things like this (word of mouth) is exactly how this guitar could be found. If not, it won't be for a lack of him trying. Can't believe the amount of "we'll never make it, we're doomed" attitude toward this guy.

[Ricky D.]

Originally Posted by Lost_N_Austin

If you had to buy back a stolen guitar from a Pawn Shop, you were ripped off twice. Pawn Shops should not profit from buying stolen property. The lesson here is keep good records of serial numbers and with pictures. With good documentation and the filing of a police report, you should be able to get your stuff back without it costing anything other than a big hassel. You might have to wait till the evidence is released but criminals should be procecuted and Pawn Shops generally give stuff back at no cost to the owner. That is a cost of doing business with the undesirables.

L_N_A

You are technically correct, but life as lived outside the courtroom is different. In 1969, somebody pawned my Byrdland for $100. I got it back in a week and the insurance company paid the $100. They said they didn't have to, but the pawnshops recover a lot of stolen goods and report them when they show up on the "hot sheet".

[fernandosor]

HI --

The fact that we log into this website on a regular basis shows that we all have a "sentimental" connection to the Telecaster.

TDPRI -- "Losing My Way".....has happened to the weakest and the strongest of us!!!
If I don't find this guitar no problem really. It would be great but I am not shedding tears on my keyboard about it................Besides.....It's grist for the mill...thanks to folks here who are interested in reading and replying.

As I wrote in a previous post I am going to describe the issue with the neck and I believe that if whoever bought that guitar reads it they will know they have it. They might not want to sell it back to me, and wow HAVE I EVER thought about how it might be modded.

Wouldn't it be cool though if I did find it here on your board? I can see the big pop-up now.......

TELECASTER FORUM MEMBER FINDS LONG LOST GUITAR
ON THIS FORUM !!!

Imagine having given up when we picked up our first guitar and thought......"I'll never be able to play this thing"!!

Thanks All
Jim

[BobHolland]

May I say, most of us older players remember a certain guitar or bass from days gone by. We wish we could go back & get that instrument that gave us those memories and reconnect with it. I myself, almost 60 years old now, remember the first good bass I got when I was 15 years old. An early 60's Jazz Bass. 3 knob controls. Well I couldn't even start to find were it went all those 43 years ago. So in 1995 I told my wife if I ever could find a Jazz bass that looked & played like my old bass, I would buy it. The Fender 60's Jazz Relic "Cunetto" Bass was out in 1996. I got one of the first. The only bass I own & play on gigs every week since then. Maybe not the same bass, but I have the same memories from that first Fender I owned so long ago. Good luck on finding what you are looking for.
BOB

[fernandosor]

Hello All --

Again I want to thank all of you who have replyed....all of you with many words of support and level headed advice.

Here's the EXACT description:

The guitar was a well "reliced" 1971 blonde telecaster with a neck that had been cleanly BROKEN OFF at about the 14th fret.
I had it AWESOMELY repaired by a luthier in Culver City who is an absolute artist. Does work for many "celebrity" guitarists here in Los Angeles.
The repair could be seen if looked at closely.......BUT....the guitar played and felt beautiful. The best neck I have ever played...... SO here is the LONG SHOT.......

If someone bought a 1971 WELL WORN Blonde Telecaster with an artfully repaired neck at the 14th fret at Norm's Rare guitars in the San Fernando Valley, at their original location please contact me to talk about the possibility of buying the guitar back.

Thanks to all for your patience, advice and wisdom in this hopeful but improbable effort.

Peace,
Jim

[bobbybigmac]

This reminds me of the interview I saw where Randy Bachman tells of his attempt to get a stolen 60's orange Gretsch returned to him.

He had his orange Gretsch guitar stolen in the 70's. It had a surface repair or deflect on the front that was unique. He searched for it but couldn't find it. Many years later Randy saw an MTV video for the Thompson Twins " Lay your hands" and he spotted the lead singer playing his guitar, by way of the unique repair/deflect. He had a copy of his original insurance papers so he could prove the serial numbers matched. He tried to contact the Twins management bit they never returned his call. Several months passed and the Twins came to Vancouver for a gig.
Randy had a police officer with him and they all went to the gig.
Unfortunately for Randy the Gretsch guitar in question was not on tour,
so he could not check the serial number. In the end he never got to see it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzjpH...eature=related

[Brad Pittiful]

the broken neck is huge...glad you finally got around to pointing out some special things on your old tele...sorry but i dont have any info you for...good luck with your search

[FredDairy]

Originally Posted by adlo76

The guys is asking for help. Either help him or don't, but why post this kind of stuff ?

Oh I dunno? Maybe because it is an internet forum and people usually exchange thoughts and ideas on them.

fernandosor, I'm friendly with some people in Chicago who own a guitar shop and I'm always in an out of guitar shops around here. If I see anything with a repair around the 14th fret I'll let you know. Even if it is kind of a needle in a haystack situation.

[BlueJim]

Originally Posted by adlo76

The guys is asking for help. Either help him or don't, but why post this kind of stuff ?

I get what you are saying, but honestly I think Joe really is trying to help.

"Own your posessions. Don't let them own you." That's some awfully good advice.

[Wokkerk]

My girlfriend had her players deluxe strat stolen from our house in a breakin a couple months ago that her dad gave her right before he died so I can totally understand sentimental value. I wish you the best in your searches and if it really means that much to you like my girlfriends strat did to her, dont let any of the naysayers get you down.

[PJ]

I sort of know how you feel, since my '70 Tele was in storage for a number of years and even if I'd had it with me, living outside the US, it was pretty beat and not real playable. But, as much as I'm attached to it, (especially now since it's been rebuilt), when I go to the vintage guitar shows, I see tons of late 60s-early 70s Teles that I could easily replace it with, if I didn't have it any longer. Sure...you'd have to pack a few large in your wallet to grab a really nice one, but they're out there in good numbers. And some pretty nice ones, at that. There were literally hundreds of thousands of them made during that time, and now would be a prime time to grab one. Money's tight, prices are probably a bit depressed and if you listen to the collectors, in ten years or so, the late 60s-early 70s Teles will be scarce and much more valuable than they are now. So, get one while the gettin's good. It'll make you forget all about the past.

[bosstone]

The fantastic Ed King got his 59 Les Paul back after about 25 years.

[fernandosor]

Hello All --
Thank you much for all of the support. We might get my guiyar back one of these days.

BOBBY_BIG_MAC : That's a GREAT story about Randy Bachman. I bet the Twins didn't bring that Gretsch to the Vancouver gig because they knew the Guess Who et al and BTO where from the Vancouver area. Just a theory. Sorry if anyone connect reads this.

PJ : I have a Stat now that does EVERYTHING I need sooo versatile. I would LOVE to have my Tele back, and It would be an awesome thing to find it, But if does not happen My Strat feels, sounds and playes like a Tele....If I use my imagination....hehehe. That's awesome that you got your Tele rebuilt....don't EVER let it go!!

WOKKERK : Sorry about the breakin! Thank God no one was hurt. Give us some details about the guitar. Was her Dad a Pro? What vintage was the guitar?
Thanks for your words of encouragement!

BLUE_JIM: That IS good advice. Thanks. Yes this is true....I think EVERYONE has been trying to help in their way. And I appreciate it! We might find it!!

FRED_DAIRY: Your awesome, thanks for the eyes in Chicago. Could you imagine my guitar winding up in Chicago? It has the tone, vibe and feel to make some Chicago Blues Man happy! Maybe it has played a couple of legendary Chicago Blues clubs.....If I find it...I'll have to get it's new provenance.

BRAD_PITTIFUL: Yeah...I thought the neck repair info would help. It was broken in half with lots of jagged pieces so it fit back together perfectly. It really did play awesome!
Thanks Brad.......

Thanks again everybody. We might find my guitar!!!

Jp