Hey folks, try to refrain from calling these numbers and asking questions about the guitars. Let the pros handle it. The worst thing that could happen is that they fold up shop.
One of the numbers is in Austin, and the other phone number is in Corpus Christi.
The only legitimate reason I can think of for someone selling Taylors "for cheap" is that they lost their dealership and now they're just dumping them at cost. I had that happen with a couple of dealers in Canada over the years; it's not unheard of...
Steve gives sound advice - best not to jump to any conclusions, and let the professionals investigate.
I agree that the Craigslist ads, spread across the country the way they are, and written without much detail, are rather strange. That said, the 512 number does belong to Austin Bazaar (as mentioned below). I have no affiliation with the store, but I've shopped there several times - its where I bought my 815ce, in fact. AB is a large brick and mortar, independent multi-brand dealer with a big web storefront as well. They've actually got a dedicated Taylor room, well stocked with everything from 100 to 900 series and all, and they hosted a Taylor road show last fall. If, as Steve suggests might be the case, they lost their license, then they will indeed have multiple dozens of units to move - though they still show the Taylor logo on their website, so my guess is that they are trying to turn over 2011 inventory to bring in more 2012 stuff - they still actually had a few 2011 fall limiteds on hand when I was in last month.
The 361 number linked to the ad belongs to Will Krause, the bassist for a rather strange Austin band called Megafauna - not my cup of tea, but they seem to have a following. I don't know if he works at Austin Bazaar as well, but he's certainly part of the Austin music scene.
So my point is that while I agree that what happened to Jim is absolutely horrible, snowballing suppositions based on scant evidence don't serve anybody well. Ted's suggestion that Jim pass the numbers on to the detectives in charge is a good one. If there is an issue, the serial numbers will match, and it will be resolved. But if it is just a coincidence, I'd hate to see another music business suffer collateral damage as a result of unsubstantiated assumptions.
Also, thanks to Josh posting the serial numbers, and everybody spreading the news to other formus, hopefully at least one of these will come across somebody's radar screen and can be linked back to the rest, and whoever it was that stole them.
