The Shadows Stolen Guitars

[Shad1]

This is just one of those daft things that jumps into your head from time to time but I remember reading the Shadows had their guitars stolen at one point. Were they ever recovered? Were they insured? (Seriously) I know, I know.......history - but if it happened to me I'd be pretty p***d off - what did they do under the circumstances for their next gig?

Malc.

[Didier]

This is just one of those daft things that jumps into your head from time to time but I remember reading the Shadows had their guitars stolen at one point. Were they ever recovered? Were they insured?

Yes, the Shadows had their Burns guitars stolen in their van, it was around 1970. They have never been seen again...
Not sure they were insured.

Didier

[geoff1711]

and the question I often ask, given the huge following of Burns guitars in this community, is why they didn't just replace them with new Burns guitars, and I find it hard to believe that a top pro band would have all of their guitars in one van, surely there would have been a few laying around at home or in the studio? just buy some more?

I think Burns had become Baldwin by then, but couldn't Jim have put some together if Hank and Bruce didn't like Baldwin?

And didn't that lead to a 20 year period when no one guitar became synonymous with the band and it was really only when Hank started touring early 90's that the pink Strat imagine was re-born and later when the Shadows reformed lip service was paid to the Burns era by using them on a couple of numbers out of about 40 in the whole show?

Which takes me back to my first paragraph, do we as a whole, like Burns guitars more than Hank and Bruce?

[Didier]

I think Burns had become Baldwin by then, but couldn't Jim have put some together if Hank and Bruce didn't like Baldwin?

The Shadows' guitars were stolen more or less at the same time when Baldwin stopped production of Burns guitars. So Baldwin certainly wasn't in the position to give new guitars for the Shadows !...

Didier

[StuartD]

HI

The guitars stolen were all Hank's. There were two Marvins, green and white, his Martin acoustic and two Gibson acoustics, a six string and a 12 string in cherry sunburst. They were parked outside the house of Roy Lemmon, who was MWF's Road Manager at the time and were in the Volkswagen Caravanette. It was a much less security concious time and they had always done that., it even had windows in!! MWF were at the Palladium at the time and John Farrar been using the original start 34646. Both Hank and Roy told me the thieves just took what they could carry because the next guitar down was 34646!! There was also John's Les Paul and Martin in there too and Bruce's Burns and his Martin also. They carried on with Hank using a Vox acoustic and a Yamaha until he could get a new Martin and he used 34646 for a time with John reverting to his Les Paul. I well remember discussing it with him, when he bought the Strat from Barrett's in Manchester and he said he would like a Marvin but that he wouldn't want to pay too much for it as he preferred the Strat. They then bought a Bedford CF van - with an alarm fitted!!! I am that sad I can even remember the registration number of the Volkswagen. It was MPH 735 D.

To answer your final point, I would state 100% that we like Burns Marvin's much more than Hank did!!

Regards

Stuart

[JimN]

and the question I often ask, given the huge following of Burns guitars in this community, is why they didn't just replace them with new Burns guitars, and I find it hard to believe that a top pro band would have all of their guitars in one van, surely there would have been a few laying around at home or in the studio? just buy some more?

I think Burns had become Baldwin by then, but couldn't Jim have put some together if Hank and Bruce didn't like Baldwin?

The theft took place in 1972 (MW&F were doing a summer season at the Palladium). Baldwin stopped making guitars in 1970 and the stock was remaindered out in 1971. Secondhand Burns Marvins were around (c. £100) but not all that easy to find.

JN

[dave robinson]

In the early seventies we were at a gig in the North East and there was a guitar vocalist on the show with a green Burns Marvin. I took an interest as they were pretty rare in that colour, the guy who owned it boasted that it once belonged to Hank and when he wasn't looking I checked the back of the guitar and wrote down the serial number in the back of my diary with the intention of letting Hank know, having seen Hank in The Cavendish (Baileys) Club in Sheffield - and been told by him that the guitars had indeed been stolen but he preferred his new Strat anyway, I did try to get the message across at the time through their office in London, but could only speak to some office clerk and was met with complete dis-interest, which confirmed to me that he wasn't really bothered about getting them back. I will check the diary out if I can lay my hands on it.
BTW Stuart isn't he number 34346 ?

[StuartD]

HI Dave

It is indeed!! Sorry for the confusion!!

Regards

Stuart

[George Geddes]

I have a vague recollection of Barry Gibson saying he had acquired a Marvin which *might* have been one of Hank's... was it not displayed at Shadowmania a couple of years ago?

George

[David Martin]

I have a vague recollection of Barry Gibson saying he had acquired a Marvin which *might* have been one of Hank's... was it not displayed at Shadowmania a couple of years ago?

George

Indeed is was... said to have been imported by Barry from South Africa...