15 Famous Rock Guitars That Were Stolen

You’d think something as big and beloved as a guitar would be tough to misplace—but musicians know better. When you’re on the road, gear can vanish in the blink of an eye. One day it’s safely in its case, and the next… gone. Sure, some disappearances are just accidents. When artists travel with dozens of instruments, it’s not shocking for one to get left behind or misplaced.

But sometimes, it’s not so innocent. Guitars—especially rare or iconic ones—are hot targets for theft. And if you’ve ever talked to a musician about their favorite axe, you’ll know how irreplaceable those instruments really are.

Take Peter Frampton’s legendary Les Paul, for example. Thought to be lost in a plane crash, it reappeared 30 years later. “Without even looking, I could just feel it was mine,” he wrote in “Do You Feel Like I Do?” Frampton got lucky. Many others weren’t. Here are 19 rock guitars that were stolen, lost—and in some cases, found again.

1. Eric Clapton’s ‘Beano’ Les Paul
Back in 1965, Eric Clapton picked up his very first Les Paul Standard—a gorgeous sunburst guitar he famously played with the Blues Breakers. But during a 1966 rehearsal with Cream in a London church hall, the guitar vanished without a trace. It was stolen, never recovered, and the case remains unsolved. Thankfully, Clapton didn’t stay without a Les Paul for long. He later bought another sunburst model from a young Andy Summers—who would eventually join The Police—for just £200, though Summers admitted he wasn’t thrilled to part with it.

2. Paul McCartney’s Hofner 500/1 Bass
It’s hard to picture Paul McCartney without his iconic Hofner 500/1 bass. He bought it back in 1961 while in Hamburg and used it during early Beatles gigs and recordings. But in 1972, the famous bass disappeared—stolen and missing for over 50 years. Then in 2024, it was shockingly found tucked away in someone’s attic and returned to McCartney. “The bass is complete and still with its original case,” the Lost Bass Project shared. “It will need some repairs… but a team of professionals can easily carry these out.”

3. George Harrison’s ‘Lucy’ Les Paul
One of the perks of being a rock legend? Swapping gear with other icons. In 1968, George Harrison got a red Gibson Les Paul from Eric Clapton and named it “Lucy.” He played it often during his time with the Beatles. But in 1973, Lucy vanished after Harrison’s L.A. home was robbed. The guitar ended up in a pawn shop, then in the hands of Mexican musician Miguel Ochoa. Thankfully, Harrison eventually tracked it down and bought it back—reuniting with one of his favorite guitars for good.

4. George Harrison’s 360/12 Rickenbacker
Not all of George Harrison’s guitars found their way back home. He owned two Rickenbacker 360/12 12-string guitars—famous for that unmistakable jangle—but one of them mysteriously disappeared. The details are fuzzy, and no one’s quite sure when or how it went missing. Sadly, it was never recovered and hasn’t surfaced since. Unlike Lucy, this one’s still out there—somewhere.

5. Jonny Greenwood’s Ebony Frost Fender Telecaster Plus
Back in 1995, Radiohead’s gear truck vanished in Denver—and with it went Jonny Greenwood’s prized Ebony Frost Fender Telecaster Plus. According to The Rocky Mountain News, Thom Yorke and Greenwood managed to play an acoustic set with rented gear that night, but they had to cancel several shows while replacing their stolen equipment. Fast forward to 2021—someone who had unknowingly bought the Telecaster decades earlier finally realized its significance and returned it to Greenwood. Talk about a long-lost reunion with a guitar that helped shape Radiohead’s early sound.

6. Michael Angelo Batio’s Quad Guitar
You’ve seen double-neck guitars—but how about four? Michael Angelo Batio’s wild quad guitar, built with Gibson’s help, is a sight to behold. The heavy metal shredder designed the four-necked beast himself, and it became a signature part of his performances with Nitro in the ’80s. That is, until it vanished while he was out on tour. Luckily, the one-of-a-kind guitar was eventually recovered and returned to Batio. Stealing a regular guitar is bad enough—but a quad? That takes boldness (and maybe a forklift).

7. Tony Iommi’s Red Custom Shop Gibson SG
Back in July 2010, Tony Iommi hit the stage at the High Voltage Festival with Heaven & Hell, his band with Ronnie James Dio. But after the show, his prized red Custom Shop Gibson SG mysteriously disappeared. Despite Iommi offering a reward for its return, the guitar was never recovered. For someone so closely tied to the SG, losing that custom axe was a major blow. You’d think stealing from the godfather of heavy metal would bring some bad karma—but whoever swiped it clearly wasn’t worried.

8. Jimmy Page’s ‘Black Beauty’ Les Paul
Even rock legends lose stuff on the road—just ask Jimmy Page. In 1970, while Led Zeppelin was touring North America, his beloved 1960 Gibson Les Paul Custom, known as “Black Beauty,” vanished during a flight from the U.S. to Canada. “All I knew was that it wasn’t there,” Page wrote in The Anthology. With no way to track it, he searched for years, even placing ads in Rolling Stone. Though replicas were made, the original was gone—until it turned up nearly 50 years later in a Minneapolis guitar shop and made its way back home.

9. B.B. King’s ‘Lucille’ Gibson ES-345
B.B. King had several black Gibson ES-345s over the years, all lovingly named Lucille. For his 80th birthday in 2005, Gibson gave him a special limited-edition Lucille marked “Prototype 1.” That guitar went missing in 2009—until collector Eric Dahl spotted it in a Las Vegas pawn shop. Noticing the unique marking, Dahl did some digging and realized it was King’s stolen guitar. He made sure it got back to the blues legend. In return, King thanked him by signing and gifting Dahl another anniversary Lucille. Now that’s a bluesy happy ending.

10. Bob Seger’s ‘Greatest Hits’ Gibson
Bob Seger’s daughter hosted a small, parent-approved party at their Orchard Lake, Michigan home in 2011. After the guests left, one major thing was missing—Seger’s 1978 Gibson Les Paul, famously featured on his Greatest Hits album cover. Suspicion quickly fell on a partygoer accused of swiping other things, and not long after, the guitar mysteriously reappeared on the back deck. “It mysteriously showed up right after I talked to him, but he denied he took it,” Detective Darrell Betts told Rolling Stone. “That was my main goal, getting that guitar back… it’s priceless.”

11. Jaco Pastorius’ Fretless Bass Guitar
Jaco Pastorius, one of the most legendary bass players ever, was known for his iconic fretless 1962 Fender Jazz Bass. Sadly, it was stolen from him in 1982—five years before he passed away. In 2006, the bass resurfaced in a music shop with a hefty price tag. Thanks to Metallica’s Robert Trujillo, who helped cover the cost, the instrument was finally returned to the Pastorius family. “This bass was like a lost relative,” Jaco’s son Felix told Bass Player. “I’d heard stories and music from it all my life, but never actually met it.”

12. Joe Satriani’s ‘Pearly’ JS2 Ibanez
Joe Satriani’s got a serious collection of guitars, but one special axe has been MIA since the early 2000s. Nicknamed “Pearly,” his beloved JS2 Ibanez vanished after a gig in Clearwater, Florida. Despite efforts to track it down, the guitar still hasn’t resurfaced. For a player known for precision and tone, losing a favorite like Pearly is more than just a missing instrument—it’s like misplacing a trusted voice. Fans still hope it turns up someday, but for now, it remains one of Satriani’s greatest unsolved mysteries.

13. Peter Frampton’s Gibson ‘Phenix’
Peter Frampton thought his beloved black Gibson Les Paul, nicknamed “Phenix,” was lost forever in a 1980 plane crash. But in a wild twist, the guitar had actually survived and ended up in the hands of someone living on the island of Curaçao. Years later, a sharp-eyed guitar collector recognized it and reached out to Frampton. When he was finally reunited with it, Frampton told NPR, “It’s sort of a matte black now — it’s not shiny so much anymore. But it must retain its battle scars.” The Phenix had truly risen from the ashes.

14. Randy Bachman’s Gretsch
Randy Bachman’s iconic orange 1957 Gretsch 6120, the guitar he used to record “American Woman,” vanished in 1977 without a trace. For over four decades, he had no clue where it ended up. Turns out, the guitar eventually made its way to Japan and into the hands of a musician named Takeshi, who unknowingly played it for eight years. A sharp-eyed fan spotted the guitar in a YouTube video and made the connection. In 2022, Bachman got it back and vowed, “I am never ever going to take it out of my house again.”

15. Tom Petty’s Stolen Guitars
Back in 2012, Tom Petty lost not one, but five guitars in a single swipe. The instruments were stolen from a soundstage in Culver City, California, where Petty and the Heartbreakers were rehearsing for a tour. Among the missing were a 1967 Blonde Rickenbacker, a 1965 Gibson SG TV Jr., a 1967 Epiphone Sheridan, a Fender Broadcaster, and even Mike Campbell’s Duesenberg signature model. Petty offered a $7,500 “no questions asked” reward and even launched a tip line. Thankfully, police tracked them down and got the guitars safely back home.