Anti-theft "device" for ukulele?

Tonya

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Has anyone purchased, used and been happy with an electronic device which sounds a (very loud!) alarm automatically if an item (in this instance, my Moore Bettah ukulele, in its case) gets moved/carried more than a specified distance away?

I'll be at a festival in a few months and I'll likely be busy helping folks in an exhibitor's booth (and that means lots of talk story) with my ukulele under the table near me. But I don't want to rely just on that, I'm looking for some device that would set off an alarm if the case is carried off.

Any tips?

I've Googled the Snagg.com site but that system involves installing a chip in my instrument (egads!) and it also relies upon the purloined instrument showing up in a place where someone would have the ability to scan and "find" the chip. I'm guessing a "walk by" thief wouldn't be that person...

Instead I'm simply wanting to get a loud alarm right away...

And, please don't tell me to leave it at home for the weekend--half the fun in going is to be able to share this lovely ukulele.
 
FIrst of all, I strongly recommend the Snagg thing for something like a Moore Bettah - not for your exact need at this festival but just in the long term for the chances of recovering the instrument if it's ever stolen. I don't have anything near the calibre of a Moore Bettah but I have a couple of guitars and ukes I can't easily replace so I plan on ordering the chips for them. If you put the chip under a tuner screw or strap button they really don't affect the uke at all.

Now, for your specific concern here - they make, or used to make, a product for parents called an electronic leash. It had a button you could put on your kids clothing and a receiver you wore on your wrist. If the kid got more than a few dozen steps from you it would set the alarm off. It was for harried parents taking their kids to crowded places where they might become separated.

Another option is simply a motion sensitive alarm that would fit in the case. THese are, or used to be, available from gadget shops. YOu put one in the case and if anybody changes the angle of the case by more than a few degrees on any axis the alarm goes off.

John
 
Hey Tonya,
We met at Hayward last year. The only thing I can think of is to get a good backpack style case and keep it on your back while you work. Were I to own a Moore Bettah, I would want to take it and enjoy it too.....but thieves are crafty and if someone wants to steal something, they are likely going to get it unless it is strapped to you.
 
mean-dog.jpg
Should work for you.
 
With simple parts from Radio Shack, you could fashion a battery operated alarm that would sound if the case is moved off of a spring loaded switch. Set the uke down on the switch under the table, and it will warn you if the case moves. Some of the other suggestions would allow the case and uke to get several yards away before you get a warning....
 
mailman's post (mail, you have 27k posts! That's a record, no?) made me think of this:
http://www.amazon.com/GE-50246-Smar...qid=1360641907&sr=8-1&keywords=door+jam+alarm

I have one, so I can vouch for it. You could gently wedge it under one end of your case on the ground, and if someone rocks the case onto it, it'll make you cover your ears it's sooo loud. It goes off when depressd, but is easy to depress. So, any nudge to that case, bingo. Plusd, in your hotel you could use it behind the door (which is why I have it--after having two hotel workers enter my room in the middle of the night with a keycard "by mistake" once. They didn't beat me up in my PJs or anything; I think they were randy. I now carry a weapon, too. Every time.) Plus, the cable lock locked to the table (not a leg but something under the tabel structure itself), and they'd have to jar the case to get the lock off, setting off the buzzer wedge. For $17 total, trust me, no one is going to steal your uke (or get into your hotel room--the wedge not only sounds, but it keeps the door from opening...lol)).


Oh, and just to be triple sure, you could add a Mahalo sticker to the case. lmao. "Man, that Tonya...she sure loves that Mahalo!"
 
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I took a peek at the Snagg product. It's small enough that it could be mounted almost anywhere. It seems to be about the size of a grain of wild rice. Under the nut would be a good place to put it but of course that would require routing a small slot to fit it into. And it's cheap enough at 25 bucks. That's the good news. The bad news is that they boast a recovery rate of 35%! Is that a number worthy of boasting about? It's not very comforting.
I like the cable (or bike lock) idea through the case handle. That way if you see someone running carrying an uke and dragging a table with him, you can "Book 'em Danno". Of course you also have to remember to lock the case.
(OK, I'll admit, I really like the Mahalo sticker idea as well!)
BTW, many people make sure their expensive instruments are insured. Yours may already be covered under your existing homeowners policy. Talk to your agent.
 
I like the cable (or bike lock) idea through the case handle. That way if you see someone running carrying an uke and dragging a table with him, you can "Book 'em Danno".

God,that's a funny image. And add to it an eardrum shattering doorstop buzzer bleating away under the table while the guy makes off with the "Mahalo uke". And Tonya chasing after at full sprint.
 
Hey Tonya,
We met at Hayward last year. The only thing I can think of is to get a good backpack style case and keep it on your back while you work. Were I to own a Moore Bettah, I would want to take it and enjoy it too.....but thieves are crafty and if someone wants to steal something, they are likely going to get it unless it is strapped to you.
This would be my suggestion. If you live anywhere near LA I could lend you my new reunion blues case for the weekend.
 
The Snagg.com products have one flaw.

I presumed the Snagg.com products would have a GPS in them. They don't seem to...

This system is based on the hope that one day the item will turn up to someone who has a scanner and the wits to use it.

Might be a decent selling point though. But i wonder what those scanners can 'scan' through, 4mm of ebony??? I doubt it.
 
Moore Bettah, you say?

Handcuff the case to your wrist.
 
My dogs are available for hire:

6635.jpg
 
I leave my stuff around at the festivals I go to, and I've never had a problem. Telluride, MerleFest, Strawberry, Wine Country Uke Festival...no problem...ukes, guitars, etc., and I often have $15,000.00 to $25,000.00 worth of instruments on hand.

BTW, the old scam in New York used to be to steal the instrument and leave the case. All looked fine until you'd pick up the case and find it much lighter than it should be.
 
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