Now the hard work begins. And some sad musician gets his goods back. HPD doesn't keep track of stolen musical instruments, let alone only guitars, which is what AxReg specializes in, but Alvin Wright of the HPD public relations department says he equates statistics on stolen guitars with numbers on stolen stereos or cell phones. They steal them to get 40 bucks. And pawnshops are proof.
Guitars are common items on racks.
The participation of new and used guitar retailers in the registry would be a big help. Music Trade reports that 1,153,915 guitars were sold in the United States last year alone. Perry, who sells about 15 to 20 guitars per month, also says serial numbers on all instruments in the store will be recorded in preparation for starting the registry. So many instruments, so many things like VCRs and camcorders, are stolen today. They're so easy to pawn.