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A local musician's priceless guitar was among items stolen at an early morning robbery in south Nanaimo over the weekend. (submitted photos)
STOLEN GEAR

Unique guitar & music equipment stolen from south Nanaimo garage

Mar 22, 2022 | 11:59 AM

NANAIMO — A local musician is left without many tools of their trade after an early morning weekend theft.

Collen Middleton’s garage at his home in the 500 block of Victoria Rd., near Needham St. was broken into just after 6 a.m. on Saturday, March 19.

Among the roughly $3,000 worth of items stolen was a sentimentally priceless, early 1990’s Squier by Fender Stratocaster guitar.

“I’ve had the guitar since I was 11 years old,” Middleton told NanaimoNewsNOW. “It was my first guitar, my parents bought it for me on a trip to Los Angeles when I was young. It’s not the most expensive guitar, it’s a beginners guitar but it’s what I learned to play on and over the years I’ve done upgrades to it.

Upgrades have made the guitar have the same tonal characteristics as Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, one of Middleton’s idols.

Professional sound equipment and a stolen generator were also nabbed by one thief during the approximately 20 minutes they were on scene.

Security footage of the garage showed they took eight minutes to break locks on the door via a crowbar, then another 12 to pilfer the items.

Nanaimo RCMP officers attended the scene, but were unable to use any of the footage to positively identify the suspect. An investigation, including canvassing local pawn shops, continues.

Middleton said they were about 6′ tall with a dark leather jacket, light coloured hoodie, blue jeans and dark shoes.

While the theft hurts financially and professionally, it’s the sentimental value attached with the unique guitar which stings the most.

“It really helped shape my influences and my interest in playing guitar and rock music generally. I hasn’t been one I’ve always played the most over the years…but it’s the first guitar that whenever I look at it, it reminds me that’s where it all started.”

The guitar itself is painted with the Canadian flag and decorated with a host of decals.

It featured in a series of Green Day-inspired concerts through 2019, in which Middleton helped raise over $12,000 for women and children’s shelters along with men’s addiction recovery services.

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