The investigation continues into the case of a Canadian rock band’s stolen guitars.
On Friday, 54-40 issued a public plea for the safe return of seven vintage guitars and an undisclosed amount of equipment, all of which had been stolen from a cube van parked overnight in front of Queen’s Park Care Centre, 315 McBride Blvd.
The musical instruments and equipment was believed to have been taken from the van sometime between midnight and 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 5, according to a press release.
There was a break in the investigation on Sunday, Oct. 7, when New Westminster police received a tip from someone in Surrey who thought they’d seen the missing guitars near a storage facility in the area, according to Sgt. Jeff Scott.
“Because of the media attention, that person believed they may be the same guitars. Therefore, reported it to us,” Scott wrote in an email to the Record.
Later that day, officers executed a search warrant at the Surrey storage facility and located five of the stolen guitars along with some equipment, he added.
The recovered instruments included a 1957 Fender Esquire electric guitar, a 1974 Fender Jazz Bass, a 1966 Fender Stratocaster, a 1966 Gibson Trini Lopez Standard and a 1954 Gibson Florentine Electric Mandolin.
No arrests have been made, as police are still trying to identify a suspect, according to Scott.
The guitars still missing meanwhile are:
● Gibson SJ200 acoustic guitar serial # 877023 with aftermarket Fishman sound hole pickup. Some finish checking. It’s in a poly acoustic case.
● Gibson Dove acoustic guitar with aftermarket LR Baggs sound hole pickup. It has average wear and is in a poly acoustic case.
“The two outstanding acoustic guitars are fairly generic looking, but we are hopeful that someone may see them on an online selling platform, or in a pawn shop,” Scott wrote.
The band was offering a $5,000 reward for the safe return of its stolen equipment and instruments or information leading to their safe return.
Anyone who witnessed suspicious activity or knows anything about the equipment is asked to call the New Westminster Police Department at 604-525-5411 (file 18-19100) and Allen Moy (54-40 management) at 604-761-2025 or email info@5440.com.
“54-40 thanks the public in advance for any assistance solving this crime,” said a press release. “The instruments are irreplaceable and hold great value to band members beyond their monetary worth.”
Despite the loss, the band, which was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame’s Star Walk in 2017, went ahead with two sold out shows at the Commodore Ballroom on Friday and Saturday nights.
The band, consisting of Neil Osborne, Brad Merritt, Matt Johnson and Dave Genn, is known for hit tunes including I Go Blind, One Day in Your Life, Baby Ran, She La, Casual Viewin’, One Gun, Ocean Pearl, and Love You All.
