Offset detectives, did I find a prototype Ryan Jarman Signature Model at the pawn shop?

[trinitrotoluene]

Is it possible that this guitar had been stolen from Fender? It’s puzzling why a prototype that was to be sent to Ryan Jarman had turned up at a pawn shop.

[JamesSGBrown]

That’s pretty rad!

[Acidhouse]

Hey, no one is asking for it back. I hope that ends the modding debate. Wow.

[Jarman]

Hey, no one is asking for it back. I hope that ends the modding debate. Wow.

Don't get me wrong, we would LOVE it 'back'...even though we never actually received it...

It's a strange feeling. First thoughts were "WOW, there she is after all this time!"...followed by "ugh, can't believe this happened".

Was excited and also bummed to read this story!

[Jarman]

Is it possible that this guitar had been stolen from Fender? It’s puzzling why a prototype that was to be sent to Ryan Jarman had turned up at a pawn shop.

I'm guessing that this may be the case. Will try and speak to Fender during the week about this - the guitar was talked about a LOT, we were really excited about it, and was always supposed to be on it's way to us from china last we heard, but then just seemed to vanish. We never did find out what happened to it until today. It's SO so cool to finally see it, but also sad too.

[spingo]

we would LOVE it 'back

Well, *I'm* not gonna be the jerk to keep it from you. PM me and we can work something out. If you can get a contact --that you trust, ahem, since they lost the baby once-- at Fender in Scottsdale AZ, I can drop it off up there and they can eat the shipping.

You have any pals touring through Phoenix who could pick it up? I've only shipped a guitar a few times, and never international.

[spingo]

Is it possible that this guitar had been stolen from Fender? It’s puzzling why a prototype that was to be sent to Ryan Jarman had turned up at a pawn shop.

I'm guessing that this may be the case. Will try and speak to Fender during the week about this

I would love to know how it ended up there. From when I first saw it in the shop, it didn't make any damn sense (including your brother's design, which I'd never heard about because it was released IN ANOTHER DAMN PART OF THE WORLD, very far from here). Which is part of why I had to go back and get it!

It was marked on the slip as FENDER ELEC GUITAR RYAN JARMAN S, so someone knew what it was, because his name doesn't show on the guitar. This shop doesn't have a guitar guy and the guy I bought it from didn't know a humbucker from a single coil, so I doubt they found it on Google, esp. with the color difference. I had to present my driver's license to buy it, so I'm sure the shop got one from the seller. I imagine they get a list of serial numbers of stolen items from the cops, so maybe the serial wasn't reported stolen, or they'd have either not bought it or handed it over or something. This shop is part of a corp. chain, and srikes me as too bland to be truly shady.

When you talk to Fender, if it's useful, the s/n is S1503040003 and there's A70945 inside the pickup cavity.

[timtam]

Well, *I'm* not gonna be the jerk to keep it from you. PM me and we can work something out. If you can get a contact --that you trust, ahem, since they lost the baby once-- at Fender in Scottsdale AZ, I can drop it off up there and they can eat the shipping.

I'm sure no one would think of you as a jerk if you wanted to keep it. It's not quite like the Sonic Youth case where an OSG member unknowingly bought a cherished gigging guitar that had been stolen from SY. And sold (?) it back to SY although he loved it.

It would be good to hear Fender's side of the story though. If it was a prototype, they must have established procedures for dealing with them ... as they must develop a lot of them. Maybe it was supposed to be destroyed and wasn't ? Maybe it was given to an employee ? Lots of possibilities other than lost in transit / stolen. The actual ownership trail is obviously unclear.

[Kent]

If you'd ever worked for a large manufacturer, you'd know that this kind of thing happens regularly. Although it is a syrupy notion to 'return' a guitar to a fellow that has never seen it, played it, or done more than discuss it (and really doesn't need it); I don't see the point beyond signaling one's virtue. It certainly isn't 'doing the right thing'.
It's doing something that initially seems like the right thing but is rather unwarranted in this case. I'd find out if it was stolen. If not , YOU are the legal and rightful owner.

You got lucky. If the guitar isn't stolen (contact Fender yourself), then I hope that it serves you well.

Again, prototypes, engineering builds, and other experiments make their ways into the public all the time. I'm looking at 4 of them right now.

[Jarman]

we would LOVE it 'back

Well, *I'm* not gonna be the jerk to keep it from you. PM me and we can work something out. If you can get a contact --that you trust, ahem, since they lost the baby once-- at Fender in Scottsdale AZ, I can drop it off up there and they can eat the shipping.

You have any pals touring through Phoenix who could pick it up? I've only shipped a guitar a few times, and never international.

Thank you so much Spingo. I can’t tell you how much this means. The guitar was designed and developed over a long time and is something we were very involved in and diligent over the entire process - so this prototype was something that we were very much looking forward to receiving - it was kinda like ordering a custom build and never receiving it - a guitar built especially for you that never arrives for one reason or another - so it was a thrill to find out you had come across it in the wild like that.

I will DM you now. We will totally make it worth while to you, and make sure you come out with a higher end guitar for your troubles.

Thanks again, it really is so appreciated.

[Jarman]

If you'd ever worked for a large manufacturer, you'd know that this kind of thing happens regularly. Although it is a syrupy notion to 'return' a guitar to a fellow that has never seen it, played it, or done more than discuss it (and really doesn't need it); I don't see the point beyond signaling one's virtue. It certainly isn't 'doing the right thing'.
It's doing something that initially seems like the right thing but is rather unwarranted in this case. I'd find out if it was stolen. If not , YOU are the legal and rightful owner.

You got lucky. If the guitar isn't stolen (contact Fender yourself), then I hope that it serves you well.

Again, prototypes, engineering builds, and other experiments make their ways into the public all the time. I'm looking at 4 of them right now.

For the record, I never disputed his ownership over the guitar, or asked for it back. It does however hold a lot of value to us, as it was a key part of the design process of a project that we were very engaged in - and was a custom build for Ryan that was intended to be the official alternate colour. We were always sad that this part of the story was lost. So it means a heck of a lot to him. He was totally blown away to see it today.

Spingo’s kindness in offering to give us the opportunity to get it back is something we are very grateful for and so will make sure he is rewarded for this and that he isn’t without a guitar.

[BoringPostcards]

Wild. Another thread for the ages.

Wish the community was as active as before. Glad you came here to get info on the guitar Spingo. It's not as active as other places these days, but it's the best source for offset related information and there are lots of industry people with accounts, although they don't post much. Mr. Jarman has been nothing but pleasant and informative since arriving here.

P.S. Welcome Spingo!

[Jarman]

Wild. Another thread for the ages.

Wish the community was as active as before. Glad you came here to get info on the guitar Spingo. It's not as active as other places these days, but it's the best source for offset related information and there are lots of industry people with accounts, although they don't post much. Mr. Jarman has been nothing but pleasant and informative since arriving here.

P.S. Welcome Spingo!

Thank you.

[Stephen_42]

Seeing as there's a chance Jarman will read this, I'm going to say what we all (or at least most of us) have been thinking for a while:

Your signature guitars are, by a very long way, the coolest things Fender have done for years, if not decades. If you get a chance to speak to the relevant people, please remind Fender how much we love those guitars, how some of us are still kicking ourselves for missing out on them, and that some British guy called Stephen would be really very happy if they reissued it. Or if not a Mus-uar, a Jag-stang or some other exciting new oddball Fender where it's immediately obvious that it was designed by someone who genuinely loves oddball Fenders, and not a marketing team.

[spingo]

Welp. Did I find a prototype Ryan Jarman Signature Model at the pawn shop? It seems that yes, yes I did.

I could not be more pleased with how things turned out. Thanks again to Jarman's invisible pal who showed him this post!

P.S. Welcome Spingo!

Howdy!