Remember how the music community helped The Smith Street Band recover their stolen gear in the #ampgate saga last year?

Well, now there’s another chance for Aussie music-lovers to help apprehend another scoundrel.

Over the weekend, a Melbourne music store was the victim of a robbery in which a thief stole a guitar worth $25,000.

Guitar and piano specialists Sky Music, located in Clayton North, are seeking information on the identity of the robber, who pinched a $25k limited edition Gibson Les Paul Marshall 50th Anniversary guitar on Sunday 16th February.

AMENDMENT 19/02: It was originally believed that CCTV footage from Sky Music was of the suspected thief, as Beat reported, but the images were instead taken from Sky Music General Manager Henry Dalkin’s personal Facebook and it has since been learned that the identity of the man in the original circulated images may not be accurate. As a result, the images have seen been removed.

In more positive news, the stolen prize guitar has since been recovered.

“I’m happy to report Sky Music’s well publicised missing guitar is back safe in store,” said Sky Music General Manager Henry Dalkin in a press release issued this afternoon.

Mr. Dalkin said that the swell of support from the social media community was overwhelming, after the Facebook post about the incident was shared by over 1,000 people and viewed over 200,000 times. “I was genuinely surprised just how much attention we had over the missing guitar,” he said. “We were pleased with the support, we’re really grateful people wanted to help out by sharing our post.”

Following contact with an individual who provided information on the missing guitar, the intsrrument was recovered in under 36 hours. “We exchanged some messages and phone calls and after some persuasion he was happy to help me out,” said Mr Dalkin. “Within a few hours the guitar was dropped off out the front of Sky Music and the saga came to an end.”



(Image: Henry Dalkin with the recovered instrument. Source: Supplied)

ORIGINAL STORY: Anyone with information on the identity of the thief, or aiding in the return of the valuable instrument, are being offered a generous reward for its return and urged to contact Sky Music General Manager Henry Dalkin via the store’s Facebook page.

After posting an update on the Sky Music Facebook, noting he was “positive we’re a step closer to solving the mystery,” Mr. Dalkin appeared on Jon Faine’s 774 ABC radio show this week to spread the word of the robbery. Noting: “It’s brilliant to see such support out there following yesterday’s events… It’s a reminder the vast majority of the community are great people who always want to lend a hand if they can.”

The Sky Music manager also thanked “everyone who shared our post and offered messages of support,” adding that “hopefully we’re close to getting this prized guitar back!”

Last year, a similar online manhunt for stolen equipment proved successful for Melbourne’s The Smith Street Band. Following two punters (dubbed ‘scumbag’ and #fedoraguy) making off with an amplifier belonging to the band in the early hours following a live gig, frontman Wil Wagner spread word of the incident online, calling upon fans to help identify the criminals caught on CCTV footage.

The bizarre #ampgate saga that followed – in which negotiations between the singer-songwriter and the thieves saw the eventual return of the pinched gear – was described by Wagner as “the highlight of my musical career.”

There was similar vindication felt in 2012, when two young robbers of the Annandale Hotel turned themselves in after footage of the pair breaking into the iconic Sydney venue and stealing $5,000 in petty cash was spread online.