Lost or Stolen: Stolen Gibson F4

A lost or stolen instrument notice has been posted on the Mandolin Cafe Classifieds:

Ad #174281 posted Sat, 31 Jul 2021 17:11:45 CDT - Hi folks, I'm trying to track down my 1913 black top Gibson F4 mandolin, serial number 14481. It was in a rectangular flight case. I'm willing to make a very generous trade. ...

https://www.mandolincafe.com/classif...oad/174281.jpg

Those of you on social media please go to the ad in the Classifieds and share it out. More eyes that see these the better chance they have of being recovered.

See full ad desciption...

Horrible news. Been through this, though with not as fine an instrument, but I sympathize.

Pictures, possible location and time of theft, circumstances, any more info you can post would help.

Good luck!

I'm not sure what the protocol is in these situations - or if there is one - but it seems a shame there's been so little response. Though, to be fair, there isn't a great deal that can be done when so little information is provided. The victim isn't a member here, so he/she can't offer more info, I don't think, nor respond to questions. Is there some way to contact him/her so more information can be provided?

Thank you.

Well, black F-4's are not very common. It was in a flight case, the owner gave the serial number, and he is located in the Los Angeles area.
Although it may turn up somewhere else and/or without the flight case or with a mutilated or missing serial number:

So if one comes to your attention, whether at a pawn shop, a store, or on reverb or ebay, you can notify the owner through his ad. If it is indeed his instrument, he will recognize it and proceed in whatever manner he sees fit.

Well, it's not likely to come to my attention, being all the way at the end of the road in a far corner of the country. Also, though he gives his address, he doesn't say where it was when it was stolen, a pretty big factor in this.

What I'm saying is, it's a very skimpy notice. The more people have to work with, the better the chances of return. So I'd think.

And the notice just slid down the list of Today's Posts, with no response. Granted, not a whole lot to say in response, but without it being in view, people will forget.

Again, black F-4's are not very common. A quick check of the major vintage stores, reverb, GC, and ebay reveals none for sale at this moment.
I didn't check Facebook, since I avoid them.

So, if I happen to spot one anywhere, I will give the owner a heads-up and let him do the rest. If other Cafe members will do the same, there is a chance that the owner might be able to recover his instrument.

We can't do much, but we can keep our eyes open and pass along anything we happen to see.

Owner has the same name as a legendary session guitarist, but I wonder if that is just a coincidence.

I know, I wonder too. It's not an uncommon name, but still ... Then again, the famous fellow with that name isn't known for playing mandolin, but who knows? And while he is at least technically British, that doesn't exclude the possibility of him having a stateside residence. Until we hear from him, all we can do is speculate, surmise, and engage in conjecture. And keep our eyes peeled, of course,

From "10 Questions for Albert Lee" at https://www.musicradar.com/news/10-q...or-albert-lee:

“I’ve got a mandolin that’s about 110 years old - a Gibson mandolin, does that count? It’s an F-4; I had a 1913 F-4 previously, but I had that stolen when I was with The Everly Brothers and so I replaced it with another one, which I think is around 1915 or 1916.”

Alan

Whoa! :disbelief: Nice bit of sleuthing, there. So, has he had another 1913 F-4 stolen, or is he trying to recover that one, stolen some years ago? I'm trying to figure out when he was with the Everly Brothers. He was involved in their reunion in 1983, and it looks like he toured with them after that. He had backed Don while the brothers were on the outs for ten years. I saw somewhere he was with them for some twenty years. Not sure if that was continuously or sporadically. What I'm getting at is, whether or not this is a cold case. Puts things in a different light.