Incidences of bands getting robbed while on tour are all too common these days. Aside from the hardship of losing thousands of dollars worth of equipment and difficult-to-replace personal belongings, there’s the stress of attempting to track down lost gear at pawn shops, instrument stores, Craigslist, etc.

So wouldn’t it be nice if your gear had some kind of built-in tracking system? Like LoJack, but for instruments?

One company in St. Louis — which has become the epicenter for band robberies in recent years — has decided to do exactly that: Gigbox’s Smrt Roadie pedal functions as a tuner when it’s plugged in and a GPS when it isn’t, holding a charge for up to ten days that can be traced using a website or app.

Gigbox founder Jesse Caron hopes to have a prototype of the pedal finished within a few weeks, after which he’ll launch a Kickstarter campaign to get it into production. He says it’ll retail for $149.95, an extremely worthwhile investment for any touring band. Think of it as a cheap insurance policy on your gear.

Of course, there’s also this: bands, don’t leave ANYTHING of value in your van at ANY TIME! Always take important personal belongings with you wherever you go (passports, laptops, phones, etc), even if just for a few minutes, and never leave gear in a trailer unattended.

[Riverfront Times via Metal Insider]