Channeling My Inner Gumshoe

I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. I’ve been watching a ton of Columbo and noir flicks. I’ve been listening to investigative podcasts and I even started smoking cigars and carrying around a magnifying glass. I just cannot get a solid lead. One issue may be that Columbo and the podcasts investigate murders and not finding old guitars, but you never know where this case may lead. I don’t know what qualifications are necessary to officially be called a gumshoe. I remember in Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? The Chief referred to the child contestants as gumshoes and I feel like I am more or less on their level minus the geography knowledge, so feel free to call me gumshoe.

I reached out to Fender’s Consumer Relations via email inquiring if they could provide any information based on my serial number. My hope was that they may have an internal database that may show if a Fender guitar was bought, sold, or registered somewhere. I received a reply from one of their Gear Advisors and they stated unfortunately they do not have that ability, but advised that I “might get lucky with an authorized dealer”. They provided the link to their authorized dealer search page. This reply was somewhat cryptic and certainly piqued my interest. Were they advising that an authorized dealer may have some type of database that may provide a hit, or were they simply saying I might get lucky by traveling the world to the hundreds of Fender authorized dealers and I might happen upon my guitar hanging on the wall? (Don’t think the latter hasn’t crossed my mind.) I followed-up for clarification and waited on the edge of my seat wondering if I would have to go home to tell my wife I was quitting my job and leaving for a possibly never-ending road trip. Luckily, I received a quick reply and found out my fate. The gentleman from Fender stated that an authorized dealer may have a “buy-in” database, but it would vary by dealer. They suggested that I try some of the larger retailers like Guitar Center first.

Since starting this journey I learned that I must consider every piece of information given to me. With that being said, I also believe that my success in this investigation may be dependent on the luck of who I speak to at guitar companies and stores. Is it true that there are buy-in databases that Fender authorized dealers use? I have no idea, but I have to assume that there are based on this information and continue digging.

I began reaching out to Fender authorized dealers using the search page that they provided. I searched for dealers around Scranton, PA where I had sold the guitar years ago. I also reached out to a few dealers who are local to where I live now just to see what kind of information I may be able to glean. I used my best ham-fisted pitch:

“Good Morning

I am trying to track down a specific guitar. I reached out to Fender to see if they would have any records based on serial number, and they advised me to reach out to a Fender authorized dealer. My question is, do you or would another Fender authorized dealer have any type of database that would show if a specific guitar has been bought/sold or registered somewhere?

I realize this is a strange request, so thank you very much in advance for taking the time to review.

Robert”

If anyone from Fender or a Fender authorized dealer comes across this blog and has any additional information, you can reach me through my Contact page or at findmyguitarblog@gmail.com