Look what my Uncle found in the dumpster... (56k....stfu)

[MaxOfMetal]

So that's a no I guess.

It doesn't matter what the condition was, or if the owner played or didn't play, if it was stolen it was stolen.

For your sake, I hope you're right, some random person threw away a guitar worth thousands of dollars without checking Google first. As receiving, and then selling stolen goods is a felony.

You might want to look into this.

[Koop]

Originally Posted by MaxOfMetal

So that's a no I guess.

It doesn't matter what the condition was, or if the owner played or didn't play, if it was stolen it was stolen.

For your sake, I hope you're right, some random person threw away a guitar worth thousands of dollars without checking Google first. As receiving, and then selling stolen goods is a felony.

You might want to look into this.

True. However, my Uncle and I live in different cities about an hour apart (he's in Toronto). As far as I'm concerned, the guitar is gone now.
Also, if someone DID steal this guitar, why would they throw it away without checking themselves? Thieves can't be that dumb...well maybe.

[flexkill]

Originally Posted by Koop

True. However, my Uncle and I live in different cities about an hour apart (he's in Toronto). As far as I'm concerned, the guitar is gone now.
Also, if someone DID steal this guitar, why would they throw it away without checking themselves? Thieves can't be that dumb...well maybe.

If the theif thought someone was on to them they might very well dumpster it then haul ass.....just saying.

like you say the guitar is gone and it was a killer find.....comes down to how you feel morally i guess.

Isn't it funny how someone can take all the wind from your sails with one comment.....

[Mordacain]

Originally Posted by Koop

True, but street price can differ vastly than whats posted on the internet.
Seems those high priced ones also had trems.

Hardtails typically go for more as they are far more rare. CBS might be hit or miss as far as quality goes, but the guys over on the strat-talk forum would have probably would have paid over 2K for one if it was still original.

[Koop]

Originally Posted by flexkill

If the theif thought someone was on to them they might very well dumpster it then haul ass.....just saying.

like you say the guitar is gone and it was a killer find.....comes down to how you feel morally i guess.

Isn't it funny how someone can take all the wind from your sails with one comment.....

Personally, I don't feel bad at all. With the shape the guitar was in, it definitely was not taken care of. Now it's going to someone who will use and take care of it

[technomancer]

Originally Posted by Koop

True. However, my Uncle and I live in different cities about an hour apart (he's in Toronto). As far as I'm concerned, the guitar is gone now.
Also, if someone DID steal this guitar, why would they throw it away without checking themselves? Thieves can't be that dumb...well maybe.

So it's ok if it was stolen because you're not likely to get caught? Wow.

[Koop]

Ok, since i'm getting a lot of heat for this, do you want me to call the guy I sold it to and say "hey, do you mind giving me the guitar back? There's some guys on a forum who are on my balls about selling it, so I would like it back, thanks"

[toiletstand]

very nice! shame you sold it.

[Speculum Speculorum]

I think the whole point people are making here is that it just comes down to personal integrity dude.

When a person finds a rare vintage guitar chilling in a dumpster, reeking of the smell of piss (which possibly means a revenge urination) there are two avenues that person can take:

1. Try to find out if the guitar was stolen and return it to it's rightful owner.
2. Sell it and then brag on a forum that even if you did sell stolen merch, no one will be able to find you anyways so no real biggie.

For the record, one of these options is slightly less inflammatory than the other.

[flexkill]

Originally Posted by Speculum Speculorum

(which possibly means a revenge urination)

[Koop]

To be completely honest, the idea of finding its owner never even crossed my mind
If anything, my Uncle should have looked for the owner since he
a) lives where he found the guitar
b) had it in storage for at least 2 months and simply told me to sell it because he knows nothing about guitars
So to those who are unsatisfied with my decision, do you want my uncles number so you can call and share your opinions as well?

[steve1]

I think the reason you're getting heat for this is that in your original post you mentioned that you thought it must have been stolen or thrown out after someone got kicked out of their home.

If you had acted more naive I expect people may still have bought the issue up but been a little more forgiving

I think some of the responsibility is on your uncle. I don't know where the law stands on finding stuff in dumpsters, so I'll neither condemn or approve.

[chrisharbin]

EDIT, N/M, should have read further

Though, Most of my hard cases smell like piss. All guitars are new.

[Nevertaken]

It's equally possibly that the owner was old, their guitar was no longer taken care of or used, cats overran the house pissing on everything, and after dying their siblings/children or the city simply threw away all the piss soaked goods without bothering to check the value or age of anything considering the condition it was all in.

Anyway, great find, and you deserve the money for cleaning piss off a guitar. I would love to keep a 77' strat, but even after cleaning it would never forget about the piss...selling it was probably a good idea.

[Necris]

Now that you've posted this thread if it were stolen and the previous owner were to stumble upon this thread you and your uncle would be screwed.
Also there is no way you're getting it back from the guy you sold it to even if you asked, he just got the best deal of his life and the worst case scenario for him if it were stolen is that you have to give him back the $1000 and he has to return the guitar to it's original owner.

[ConnorGilks]

EDIT: Yeah, nevermind. Fully read the post now, not cool. If it's a vintage Strat, someone probably wants it back.

[Levi79]

I'm on TS's side. If someone was taking proper care of it, it wouldn't have ended up in a ....ing trash can, and it sure as hell wouldn't smell like piss. If they weren't taking proper care of it, they probably didn't care about it too much. We can throw possible situations out there and call Koop immoral or whatever, but I don't think he's guilty of anything. I think he's just a good dude who stumbled upon a free strat.

[flexkill]

Hmmmm, so if you found a bag full of money in the dumpster and it had dirt all over it and smelled like piss would you just keep it or try and find out who it belonged to?

EDIT: oh and Koop.....You posted pics with the serial numbers as plain as day. The reason I say this is you have already stated you found it in a dumpster.....what is stopping someone from claiming it....with serial numbers you plainly posted?

[MaxOfMetal]

a person shall not buy, receive, possess, conceal, or aid in the concealment of stolen … money, goods, or property knowing or having reason to know or reason to believe that [it] is stolen.

Since the Strat is valued over $1000 it's a felony.

The law is written that if a reasonable person has reason to believe the item is stolen, then they can be convicted. The OP already admitted to thinking that it could be stolen. Thus, if it is, and the rightful owner sees this, the OP and his uncle are going to be easily convicted.

I'm not talking about the moral side of this, and personally I'm a little disgusted by some posts in here, just the legal aspect.