Heart victim of theft as 2 valuable instruments stolen from AC Hard Rock venue

Valuable instruments stolen from Heart prior to AC Hard Rock show

The band Heart is devastated as they discovered two valuable instruments were stolen prior to their show in Atlantic City's Hard Rock.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - The band Heart, while preparing for Friday night’s show in Atlantic City, were the victims of the theft of beloved instruments – a vintage 1966 mandolin and a custom-built guitar. They are offering a reward for the safe return.

What they're saying:

The staff at Guitar Center, a few miles outside of Atlantic City, on the Black Horse Pike, got a text from their manager first thing, notifying them to be on the lookout for a couple of prized stolen instruments, stolen from the band, Heart, before their concert this past weekend at the Hard Rock Casino.

"I woke up to a text this morning that had a big article off of Facebook," Stephen Vanna, with the Guitar Center, stated. "It had all the information about it. It had a picture of the guitars, so we had a visual reference."

Heart’s Nancy Wilson posted, "These instruments are more than just the tools of our trade, they’re extensions of our musical souls. The Baritone Telecaster was made uniquely for me and Paul’s mandolin has been with him for decades."

Vanna said, "I was surprised someone could let something of that caliber get stolen."

The investigation:

Atlantic City police told FOX 29 simply, "…the theft is being investigated."

In a statement to FOX 29, the Hard Rock said:

"Hard Rock Atlantic City remains committed to a safe secure environment for all guests, performers and team members. We are fully cooperating with law enforcement and deferring to their ongoing process regarding this incident."

"The Hard Rock is a great place. I know a lot of people over there. It’s definitely, it feels like a one-off thing. You know, backstage, working with instruments, that sort of stuff. I’m surprised anyone that has access to it would be able to," Vann continued.

Timeline:

The theft happened Friday on the eve of their tour launch before Heart played its first show.

In their post, the band wrote that members of the band were, "…devastated to discover that two irreplaceable instruments were stolen from the venue where gear had been set up the day prior to the show."

The post continued, saying "…reward offered for their safe return, no questions asked."

Big picture view:

The band described the guitar as "…a one-of-a-kind, purple sparkled Baritone Telecaster, with a hand-painted headstock, crafted especially for Nancy Wilson. And, a vintage 1966 Gibson EM 50 mandolin.

No dollar value was put on them by the band, but experts say their monetary value is well into the thousands but the connection between instruments and musicians – priceless.

"I don’t have guitars nearly as nice as that and I know if it got taken, I’d be very angry. I’d have a problem with it."