Tom Petty's Guitars Stolen During Tour Rehearsals

Tom Petty's 1967 Blonde Rickenbacker was one of the guitars stolen.

Tom Petty is the latest victim of gear theft. Five of the rocker's guitars were stolen from a soundstage in Culver City, California, where Petty and his band, the Heartbreakers, have been rehearsing for their upcoming worldwide tour.

The stolen gear includes a 1967 Blonde Rickenbacker, a 1967 Epiphone Sheridan, a 1965 Gibson SG TV Jr., a Fender Broadcaster and a Dusenberg Mike Campbell Model, which belonged to Campbell himself.

Petty is offering a "no questions asked" reward bounty of $7,500 to anyone with information leading to the guitars' recovery. A special email address (StolenGuitars@TomPetty.com) has been set up to receive tips.

Whether with old guitars or new ones, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will kick off their tour this coming Wednesday, April 18th, in Broomfield, Colorado. The band is also scheduled to perform a set at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on April 28th.

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Tom Petty's Guitars Stolen During Tour Rehearsals

Tom Petty's 1967 Blonde Rickenbacker was one of the guitars stolen.

Tom Petty is the latest victim of gear theft. Five of the rocker's guitars were stolen from a soundstage in Culver City, California, where Petty and his band, the Heartbreakers, have been rehearsing for their upcoming worldwide tour.

The stolen gear includes a 1967 Blonde Rickenbacker, a 1967 Epiphone Sheridan, a 1965 Gibson SG TV Jr., a Fender Broadcaster and a Dusenberg Mike Campbell Model, which belonged to Campbell himself.

Petty is offering a "no questions asked" reward bounty of $7,500 to anyone with information leading to the guitars' recovery. A special email address (StolenGuitars@TomPetty.com) has been set up to receive tips.

Whether with old guitars or new ones, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will kick off their tour this coming Wednesday, April 18th, in Broomfield, Colorado. The band is also scheduled to perform a set at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on April 28th.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Eddie Van Halen Donates 75 of His Guitars to Public Schools

Eddie Van Halen and Executive Director Felice Mancini pose with some of the 75 guitars donated to the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation.

In a collaboration with the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, Eddie Van Halen has donated 75 guitars to L.A.-area schools. "Music education and families are dealing with the economic times," said the guitarist in a statement, "and I wanted to help them."

Playing music has provided a good life for him, said Van Halen, and he hopes to pass along that gift. "Music kept me off the streets and out of trouble and gave me something that was mine that no one could take away from me," he said. The guitars came from Van Halen's personal collection.

The band Van Halen, recently reunited with singer David Lee Roth, is currently preparing to go on tour to support  their first album since 1998, A Different Kind of Truth, which is due next month.  

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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Eddie Van Halen Donates 75 of His Guitars to Public Schools

Eddie Van Halen and Executive Director Felice Mancini pose with some of the 75 guitars donated to the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation.

In a collaboration with the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, Eddie Van Halen has donated 75 guitars to L.A.-area schools. "Music education and families are dealing with the economic times," said the guitarist in a statement, "and I wanted to help them."

Playing music has provided a good life for him, said Van Halen, and he hopes to pass along that gift. "Music kept me off the streets and out of trouble and gave me something that was mine that no one could take away from me," he said. The guitars came from Van Halen's personal collection.

The band Van Halen, recently reunited with singer David Lee Roth, is currently preparing to go on tour to support  their first album since 1998, A Different Kind of Truth, which is due next month.  

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

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