Guitarist Reunited With Stolen Guitar After 17 Years

Seventeen years ago, thieves stole Wally Welch’s prized Rickenbacker 360 electric guitar from a Southern California storage locker.

For Welch, losing the valuable vintage guitar — whose sound helped define British pop in the 1960s — was devastating.

“I stopped playing there for a while, for a few years, I just couldn’t,” Welch told KTLA.

After years of scouring local pawn shops and setting up alerts on several Internet auction sites, Welch was notified two weeks ago that a 1966 sunburst Rickenbacker 360 was for sale on eBay. When he checked the serial number, he nearly fell out of his chair.

“I couldn’t breathe,” Welch said. “My heart was pounding so hard. My eyes were dialating.”

Unfortunately, the guitar was up for sale at a London auction house, with a starting bid of $4,600, and Welch, who is now retired and on a fixed income, knew that it could end up selling for much more than that.

Welch and his wife, Audrey, contacted Orange County Det. Mike Starnes, who called the auction house on his behalf.

“I tried to negotiate with the auction house,” Starnes told KTLA. “I explained to them about their situation. They’re older, they’re retired. They don’t have access to a lot of funds.”

The broker agreed to call off the auction and sell Welch the guitar for the opening bid price. With shipping costs, the price of being reunited with his beloved Rick hit $5,200, but thanks to the offer of a two-year no interest loan from Bank of America, Welsh knew it was worth it.

“Never give up looking for your love,” Welch said when he opened the hard case and laid hands on the guitar again.

As fate would have it, the reunion took place exactly 44 years after Welch purchased the Rickenbacker.