Apparently not everyone loves Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The members of the beloved rock band were practicing on a soundstage in Southern California for an upcoming tour when a thief or multiple thieves snuck in and departed with five cherished and expensive guitars. Authorities were alerted as soon as the break-in was detected, but by then, the guilty had fled, leaving only heartbreak in their wake.
According to USA Today, two of the guitars belong to Petty, a Gibson SGTV Junior and a 1967 12-string blond Rickenbacker. Another, a blue Desenberg, is Mike Campbell’s, and the last two, a Fender Broadcaster and a 1967 Epiphone Sheridan, are owned by Ron Blair and Scott Thurston respectively.
The incident happened on Thursday, and the band recently put up an announcement offering seventy-five hundred dollars for the safe return of the instruments without any second questions. Apparently, they’re not looking to press charges or punish so much as simply get back what is rightfully theirs.
Like stolen artwork, rare guitars can often be difficult to sell to pawn shops, especially after a well-publicized theft. So, unless the guilty took the instruments for personal use or specifically for a collector, it might be a long time before they can be unloaded. Until then, authorities will no doubt continue hunting for the missing treasure.
Regardless of whether the guitars are returned or not, the guys will kick off their tour on April 18th. They’d just much rather do so with their favorite supports in tow.
