One of the comforting aspects of owning a Dingwall to me is if it were ever stolen I'm pretty confident it would turn up again. It's not like a Fender _____fill in the blank, they're a little hard to miss. If my bass were stolen for example, it would be sold for drug money or whatever a thieving bastard needs, it would then likely fall into the hands of a player who would be curious about his new acquisition. A quick Google search would lead him to this forum where I would be screaming from a new forum called Stolen Dingwalls:
HELP ME GET MY BABY BACK! REWARD!!!!!!!
Followed by serial numbers and a few choice four letter words if Sheldon would permit.
Resale value is hard to pin down, I got mine used, actually third hand from JEDI BASS. He was gracious enough to sell it to me for what he had in it, and could have gotten more for it, but because it was a local cash transaction, he didn't have the hassle of listing it, shipping it, fretting over payment, etc, etc.
It doesn't matter what I've played in the past, my equipment does not leave my sight except for potty breaks. I don't even let anyone help me tear down, I have a system, and I am ultimately the one person in the world who cares about whether or not the silver grill and tolex gets ripped on my Ampeg SVT-AV. You get the picture. I'm not going to carry my Dingwall to the bathroom with me, but I don't live in fear that someone will take it from me. Think about it. Would a thief knowingly steal something that high profile and try to sell it?
I think this statement applies to all Dingwall owner's and bass players in general. Because Fullie is the most prolific collector of Dingwall's the possiblility exists he could eventually come across a stolen Dinger. I think he would do the same as most of us, he would research his new acquisition, find out it was stolen, and do everything in his power to return it to its rightfull owner, probably on his dime if I know him at all.
The bass player's community is pretty special, and the Dingwall community is exceptional. Each person I've had the fortune to interact or transact with on this forum is top of the heap when it comes to character. Quite a rare thing in this world don't you think?