My point is that it takes the concept of caveat emptor farther than I want to go with it. I've bought two of my nicest guitars at Ca$h Converters, (both Washburn Festival series E/A's), based on the assumption that I was not supporting my local felons. My Odyssey V came out of a pawnshop in my neighborhood. My Washburn A-20 is from Songbird Music Co., a well-known dealer in used equipment.

The odds are in my favour, but the possibility still exists, that one, (or [u]all[/u] :eek: ) of these could be stolen. I really don't want to experience the emotional upheaval of having someone at a gig stroll out of the audience with an original receipt bearing the serial number of the axe I'm playing!

Out of the dozen or so guitars I've owned since 1968, only 6 of them were bought brand-new. I've lost track of how many amps I've had over the years, but the only new one was the G-K Backline 100 combo I use for a bedroom practice amp. (I'm a bit of a nut-case that way, but that's for another thread).

I know the music business would collapse without used gear in circulation to give us non-millionaires something to play with, but what can we do to shut down music gear thieves?