Marking your gear

I'd at least take pictures of everything, including any serial numbers you can find (not all drums have them, but most high-end cymbals do).
 
I have a written note on a small piece of paper that I placed in a lug on my drums. Same lug on each, but a thief or anyone else wouldn't think to take them apart... or at least I hope..
 
I have a set for giggin' and one for the studio. The set for live shows is stored in one huge flight case which it leaves before saddling up back-stage and where it returns to directly after the show before I have my first beer. I don't know much about the US but here in Germany there's affordable insurances for instruments and gear in different categories: pure studio/rehearsal, stuff used live on stage and stuff also kept in a trailer over night.
 
Unfortunately, I don't think that marking drums and cymbals will do much good.
Drums don't have to be registered like a car after they are bought used.

You would have to find the ad where your stolen drums are being sold, Identify them from the ad pics, and alert and enlist enforcement to assist you in recovery.

If I was a drum thief, all that I would have to do is remove the ID marks and it would be hard to prove that they were stolen at all.
Many thief's simply sell the equipment without placing an ad at all.

One of the biggest mistakes that I hear musicians make is talking in a club with other musicians about their latest gear and such so that others in the club can hear.
Say I'm just a guy in a club. I just heard you talk to your friend about your $4000 drums and $400 pedals. I didn't even know that this stuff was so valuable until now!
You just tempted me to steal!

I always leave my cymbals in the bag until the kit is on stage and Im about to play. I always bag the cymbals on stage when I finish. I carry them to a safe location first.
I never talk about any of the gear that is on stage where others can hear.
Good comon sense info, I would love to hear my best gear at a gig but i will not take the chance,i use my lesser priority gear for that
 
There have been some threads recently about gear thefts and it got me thinking about the need to mark gear. My drums are very rare and well documented so if they got stolen, they would surface eventually. A lot of my hand drums are also distinct. But as for my cymbals, they are very sellable.

What do you all think about marking your drums, cymbals and other items? What's the best way to permanently mark drums and cymbals and does that affect resale value? Who all does it? Does it help to take lots of photos and keep those for ID purposes instead?
THis was a great post, thats why once in a while when setting up and breaking down you tell the guitarists to go freak them selves ,because their always rushing you !
 
You can also get mini tamper proof serial number stickers made.

But to really do it, in addition to taking pictures, recording serial numbers, etc., get yourself an ink stamping kit and use ultra-violet ink to stamp everything, twice. If you own electronic equipment, put a stamp on the inside of the cover and on the outside. Put a stamp on inside of the drum shells, on the underside of your cymbals (remember to re-stamp if you clean cymbals). Stamp your hardware, again twice: on at least one of the legs and on the tubes, arms, whatever. The ink only shows up when you hit it w/ a UV light. You can pick up a compact UV flashlight for about $10, the ink and stamp kit for about $20-$50.
 
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