“If we could make this stuff too hot to handle, that’d be great!”: Chris Buck appeals for help to find his stolen Peli cases

Chris Buck has become the latest musician to become a victim of gear theft.

The acclaimed guitarist was in the US at NAMM launching his signature Revstar when his car was broken into back in Bristol. The thief made off with a Schmidt Array SA450 pedalboard and two Peli cases – a 1510 and a 1640 filled with accessories. The Peli 1510 case contained guitar cables, capos, guitar straps, two Audix Cab Grabber microphone stands, guitar picks, and a lid organiser.

Buck has taken to Instagram in an attempt to retrieve his gear. He says the 1510 case had two Telefunken stickers on it at the time, but he suggests that they could be “fairly easily removed”.

Meanwhile, Buck’s stolen Peli 1640 case is adorned with a sticker with the words ‘Let’s Get Loud’, a Mythos Pedals sticker, as well as purple tape and ‘heavy’ tape from airport travel. The foam inside the case is moulded to fit a Schmidt Array pedalboard.

Buck posted that he thinks the stolen items are still in the Bristol area, and urges anyone who comes across them, in person, “at a Cash Converters/car boot sale or online”, to contact him at chrisbuckguitar@gmail.com. “If we could make this stuff too hot to handle, that’d be great!” he said. “Very much appreciated.”

The guitarist is in good company at least. Last year saw a number of artists fall victim to gear theft. New Zealand indie band The Beths had instruments and their entire backline – which was rented – stolen whilst on tour in France. Aussie jazz funkers Hiatus Kaiyote had “thousands of dollars” worth of gear snatched from their studio space in Melbourne. Most brazen of all, DJ duo the Menendez Brothers had their record bag stolen right under their noses whilst they were playing at Fabric last summer.