Currently in the midst of a run of live dates with Ween, guitarist Dean Ween (born Mickey Melchiondo) had a damper put on the reunion with the theft of his guitar.
As per a message from the artist, the guitar went missing following a performance in New Hope, PA, last Wednesday evening (September 28) and has not been seen since.
"I was loading my amplifier into my truck and when I returned to the club my 1961 Stratocaster with a '61 Jazzmaster neck was stolen," Dean Ween wrote. "At first I thought maybe someone loaded it into my truck thinking they were doing me a favor. But I instinctively knew something was wrong. I have talked to every band member, but I can't account for some of the other guys that sat in."
Details of the guitar in question, including serial number, paint job and pickup scheme can be seen in the image above. Dean went on to detail that the 55-year-old instrument has a neck made of Brazilian slab rosewood, a build that was discontinued in 1962 making the guitar "virtually irreplaceable without spending quite a bit of money."
Read Dean's complete statement below.
I've been forced to wait until I had exhausted every single scenario of it being misplaced, accidentally loaded into the wrong vehicle, etc — but on Wednesday night at John and Peter's in New Hope I was loading my amplifier into my truck and when I returned to the club my 1961 Stratocaster with a 61 Jazzmaster neck was stolen. (serial number 61936) At first I thought maybe someone loaded it into my truck thinking they were doing me a favor. But I instinctively knew something was wrong. I have talked to every band member, but I can't account for some of the other guys that sat in. If anyone has heard, or saw anything from Wednesday please contact me at 215-693-4215 or email me at vealmarsala@gmail.com There will be no questions asked, I just want my guitar back. This guitar was to be the replacement for my other 61 Strat (ole Red) and a lot of time went in to finding the perfect neck, body, hardware etc. The emotional part of this is brutal—-the cameras at the club were malfunctioning that evening but the club has been very supportive in helping me find the culprit. Again, I just want the guitar returned, it is irreplaceable and a lot of time and love went into it's construction. It's 55 years old and has a Brazilian Slab rosewood neck, which were discontinued in mid 1962, making it virtually irreplaceable without spending quite a bit of money. I guarantee you this will never happen again. New Hope Police 215-348-7400 if you've heard someone brag about the caper. ALSO–IT WAS IN A TAN LEATHER LEVY GIG BAG
As per a message from the artist, the guitar went missing following a performance in New Hope, PA, last Wednesday evening (September 28) and has not been seen since.
"I was loading my amplifier into my truck and when I returned to the club my 1961 Stratocaster with a '61 Jazzmaster neck was stolen," Dean Ween wrote. "At first I thought maybe someone loaded it into my truck thinking they were doing me a favor. But I instinctively knew something was wrong. I have talked to every band member, but I can't account for some of the other guys that sat in."
Details of the guitar in question, including serial number, paint job and pickup scheme can be seen in the image above. Dean went on to detail that the 55-year-old instrument has a neck made of Brazilian slab rosewood, a build that was discontinued in 1962 making the guitar "virtually irreplaceable without spending quite a bit of money."
Read Dean's complete statement below.
I've been forced to wait until I had exhausted every single scenario of it being misplaced, accidentally loaded into the wrong vehicle, etc — but on Wednesday night at John and Peter's in New Hope I was loading my amplifier into my truck and when I returned to the club my 1961 Stratocaster with a 61 Jazzmaster neck was stolen. (serial number 61936) At first I thought maybe someone loaded it into my truck thinking they were doing me a favor. But I instinctively knew something was wrong. I have talked to every band member, but I can't account for some of the other guys that sat in. If anyone has heard, or saw anything from Wednesday please contact me at 215-693-4215 or email me at vealmarsala@gmail.com There will be no questions asked, I just want my guitar back. This guitar was to be the replacement for my other 61 Strat (ole Red) and a lot of time went in to finding the perfect neck, body, hardware etc. The emotional part of this is brutal—-the cameras at the club were malfunctioning that evening but the club has been very supportive in helping me find the culprit. Again, I just want the guitar returned, it is irreplaceable and a lot of time and love went into it's construction. It's 55 years old and has a Brazilian Slab rosewood neck, which were discontinued in mid 1962, making it virtually irreplaceable without spending quite a bit of money. I guarantee you this will never happen again. New Hope Police 215-348-7400 if you've heard someone brag about the caper. ALSO–IT WAS IN A TAN LEATHER LEVY GIG BAG