It’s been 6 years ago that Robb Flynn‘s Martinez, CA house was burglarized. Stolen with the cash, jewelry, and other items were four guitars, and amongst these four was easily one of his most meaningful possession, a 1997 Washburn Dimebolt guitar that was given to him onstage at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, by the late-great Pantera guitarist, Dimebag Darrel. It’s something that holds a huge sentimental value and can never be replaced.
Last night, some six years later, it was returned to him along with an un-released Epiphone prototype.
How?
When Holly Cherry put a $10 dollar online bid to buy an unclaimed storage unit in San Bernardino, she had no idea what she would find. Tucked away in said storage unit she discovered that it had two electric guitars. So like anyone she went about getting a valuation on them, luckily the un-released Epiphone Signature Series prototype had Robb Flynn’s autograph on the back. Using the Google Translate App to take a photo of the name it eventually pulled up various stories on the theft.
Emailing some photos over to Bryan Kehoe at Jim Dunlop Strings and Pedals (long-time sponsors of MACHINE HEAD). Bryan then forwarded the pics to Robb’s high school buddy Craig Locicero (Manmade God, Spiral Arms) who Robb performed with in the band Forbidden before Machine Head who contacted Robb.
Opening the email, Flynn was stunned to find photos of two of the four guitars, including the beloved Dimebolt. Flynn explained, “I’ve had so many false leads over the last 6 years I can’t even tell you, literally hundreds, and while was grateful for everyone’s enthusiasm in helping find them, but I had kind of given up hope.” Adds Flynn, “you can imagine my shock when that email came through and it was really them! I was sitting in our son Wyatt’s gymnastics class waiting for it to start and I blurted out ‘They found my guitars!’ My kids laughed and said ‘what what?'”
Contacting Holly, she agreed to meet Robb in Oakland where the guitars were returned, miraculously, in near perfect condition considering they were stolen without a case, and only missing one volume knob.
In closing Flynn added, “I’d like to thank Holly Cherry for being so amazing throughout this entire process, she truly is an outstanding human being. I’d also like to thank Officer Ian Leong of the Martinez Police Dept. who has stayed on the case for over 6 years, and has been unrelenting in hunting down the thieves. Lastly huge, huge, HUGE props go out to Craig Locicero and Bryan Kehoe for contacting me with this info, and also to Chris Wallace and Wes Anderson for connecting the dots. The Ibanez guitar that I used to write and record MACHINE HEAD’s debut Burn My Eyes is still out there missing, so I’m asking all the Head Cases to keep their eyes peeled. But for now, the Dimebolt is home and it’s moments like these that make you believe man, they make you believe!”
Ultimately, stories like this just go to show how important it is to have a home security system in place. No one likes to think that they might become a victim of a burglary, but with crime rates showing no signs of slowing down, it is crucial that homeowners take steps to secure their properties and to protect their belongings. Moreover, simply installing some hidden cameras and a basic alarm system is all it might take to boost the security of your home. That being said, if you would like to learn more about how to protect your home from burglars, why not try researching a few different security systems online. There a lot of people out there who say, ‘For total peace of mind, I would always invest in an Alarm for my home‘, so do not be afraid to take extra steps to protect your property. It is always better to be safe than sorry.
Take a look at the video of Robb reunited with his guitars here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcCq1V0OF8g
