gibson gothic les paul guitar

Thief Steals $25,000 Worth Of Band’s Musical Equipment

A band called The Iris, who were touring around the US, were victims of a robbery on Saturday night when they got their musical instruments and equipment stolen.

The Phoenix-based band was playing a gig in Albuquerque at the Launchpad, but later got robbed by an opportunistic thief. The band are estimating a total of $25,000 worth of goods was stolen when their rented U-Haul truck was broken into on the 20th February.

In a strange twist though, the U-Haul was later returned to the yard located only a few kilometres away from where the band were staying in a hotel. Unfortunately, it was completely empty, with the thief having got away with a whole host of expensive and sentimental musical instruments and equipment.

“I thought someone was playing a joke on us,” singer Brandon Dooley said in an interview with KRQE News.

Dooley and the rest of the band only realised their truck had been stolen when they checked out of their hotel the next morning.

“Our bassist had a five string bass made from Brazilian rose wood. They don’t make those basses anymore. It’s a custom job,” Dooley said when running through some of the things that had been stolen from the truck.

Along with the custom bass was Dooley’s first guitar that he had since he was 18- years old and the drummer’s purple sparkle set. “It’s going to stand out. All these things are things you don’t normally see.”

Despite the crime, Dooley was positive when speaking about the future of the band. “We’ll get back on our feet, and we’ll be back soon,” he said.

Below is a list of a few of the things that the band listed as stolen in their report:

-Mesa Boogie Powerhouse 1200 Bass cabinet.

-Purple Sparkle 3-piece drum kit.

-Gibson gothic Les Paul.

-Boss BCB60 pedal board.

Image: Gibson