[UPDATED] Help Dean Ween Recover Stolen 1961 Stratocaster Guitar

Ween guitarist Mickey “Dean Ween” Melchiondo has come to the internet asking for help recovering a guitar thought to have been stolen from a recent gig. Deaner brought his 1961 Fender Stratocaster featuring a 1961 Jazzmaster neck to John And Peter’s in his hometown of New Hope, Pennsylvania on Wednesday night and has not seen the axe since.

Mickey spoke with many of the musicians he performed with on Wednesday and only came to the internet with his tale after he “had exhausted every single scenario of it being misplaced, accidentally loaded into the wrong vehicle, etc.” He just wants his guitar back with no questions asked.

Deaner shared the following message about his beloved guitar:

I’ve been forced to wait until I had exhausted every single scenario of it being misplaced, accidentally loaded into the wrong vehicle, etc—but on Wednesday night at John and Peter’s in New Hope I was loading my amplifier into my truck and when I returned to the club my 1961 Stratocaster with a 61 Jazzmaster neck was stolen. (serial number 61936) At first I thought maybe someone loaded it into my truck thinking they were doing me a favor. But I instinctively knew something was wrong. I have talked to every band member, but I can’t account for some of the other guys that sat in. If anyone has heard, or saw anything from Wednesday please contact me at 215-693-4215 or email me at vealmarsala@gmail.com There will be no questions asked, I just want my guitar back. This guitar was to be the replacement for my other 61 Strat (ole Red) and a lot of time went in to finding the perfect neck, body, hardware etc. The emotional part of this is brutal—-the cameras at the club were malfunctioning that evening but the club has been very supportive in helping me find the culprit. Again, I just want the guitar returned, it is irreplaceable and a lot of time and love went into it’s construction. It’s 55 years old and has a Brazilian Slab rosewood neck, which were discontinued in mid 1962, making it virtually irreplaceable without spending quite a bit of money. I guarantee you this will never happen again. New Hope Police 215-348-7400 if you’ve heard someone brag about the caper. ALSO–IT WAS IN A TAN LEATHER LEVY GIG BAG

Check out a photo showing some details on the custom axe: