Thieves steal valuable Gibson Les Paul guitar …

The year was not kind to Chris and Kathy Hoover. First, a 100-year-old pine tree fell on their house and completely destroyed it. Luckily, they were not home at the time.

This was on April 6th during a storm with winds over 90 miles per hour in Cheyenne.

The building insurance is far from sufficient to cover the damage to the building, which was built in 1919. It must be rebuilt from the foundations up.

Well, at least Chris’ valuable guitar survived the ordeal.

That’s what local news programs and newspapers said at the time. It was an innocent, casual comment that, according to Hoover, may have led to a break-in and theft of that same 1977 Gibson Les Paul last week.

Hoover, a well-known musician, is heartbroken over the loss of what he calls a family heirloom.

Prized for their craftsmanship and rich tone, Les Paul guitars have been the guitar of choice for blues and rock musicians since the 1950s.

The 67-year-old has been a major player in the Cheyenne-Laramie music scene since the 1970s. He saved up for this guitar as a child and bought it a month after its release.

Now it’s over, Hoover has to ask himself what he did to invite bad karma. When trouble comes in threes, he keeps his head down.

“It’s been a tough year for my parents. And this guitar in particular is irreplaceable and indescribably special,” said Chris’ son Brooks Hoover.

Six decades of music career

Anyone who has ever been around the music scene in southeast Wyoming knows Chris Hoover. He is the godfather of live performances in the southern cowboy state and for decades he was never without his Les Paul.

Hoover formed his own band in the early 1970s. The band was aptly named Hoover and the Vacuums and consisted of Chris and three lovely ladies who could all sing and play.

The band gained particular popularity in the greater capital area after winning the Kiwanis Club’s “Stars of Tomorrow” competition in 1974. Incidentally, one member of this group later achieved even greater fame himself.

Karen Morris, along with Mary Jo Bogus and Deidre Kilty, completed Hoover’s vacuum cleaner. Morris was crowned Junior Miss America in 1974 and eventually launched an acting career that included a six-year run on the soap opera “Ryan’s Hope.” Morris married Curt Gowdy Jr., the son of Hall of Fame sportscaster Curt Gowdy, in 1979.

With a music career in mind, Hoover saved up his money to buy a new guitar in 1977. He even sold his beloved Telecaster to afford the $800.

“Now he wishes he had never sold it,” Brooks said.

Hoover bought the limited edition Gibson Les Paul Standard (Wine Red) in October of that year, a month after its release. Only 550 units were made. For him, it was not something for the trophy cabinet.

“He played the thing,” said Brooks Hoover. “There’s a buckle mark on the back of the body. He always played with his huge belt buckle. The finish is smooth or worn away in many places. We just replaced the neck and the action is now so low that it practically plays itself. It’s almost fretless now because of all the playing.”

The nicks, the wear and tear – all of that makes the guitar unique to Hoover, even if it reduces its resale value. These special models can fetch over $3,500 today in mint condition. But it’s not the monetary value that interests Hoover.

“My father is heartbroken about it. It’s unique. It’s an heirloom. He would never have sold it,” said Brooks Hoover.

Break-in at the Hoovers’ house

The theft occurred sometime last week. The family isn’t sure exactly when. Thieves broke into a locked rehearsal room in the basement of the condemned house. In addition to the Les Paul, other equipment was stolen, including a couple of bass guitars that Hoover has been playing lately and drum equipment.

Did news reports about a “valuable guitar valued at $3,500” lead the burglars directly to the Hoovers’ home?

“You know, we joked about it a little bit at the time. A friend of my dad actually called me after that news story and told him to lock the guitar away,” Brooks said.

Strangely enough, a clue recently surfaced by chance.

“My wife found a drum bag in a dumpster across town, two miles from where she works,” said Brooks Hoover. “She happened to look down and there it was, with everything still in it. Isn’t that weird?”

Hoover suspected that the thieves did not find anything valuable in the bag and therefore threw it away. Police are currently investigating whether the area was under video surveillance.

The dumpster discovery is also a concern for the Hoovers. They are aware of the power of social media and the internet to make people aware of the guitar. Photos and the backstory are circulating in cyberspace.

This, and the police investigations aimed largely at ensuring that all local pawnbrokers are aware of the coveted goods, could make it more difficult for thieves to peddle the stolen goods.

So difficult that they might panic and throw the vintage guitar in a dumpster as well. That would be a devastating end to an instrument that has such great emotional value to Chris.

“He did so much for the little music scene in Cheyenne-Laramie. He basically started it and kept it alive,” Brooks Hoover said. “He still plays with his wife in several bands, including Avenue.”

Other Swiped Six-Strings

For now, Hoover’s six-string joins a long list of stolen guitars, some of which have never been recovered and belonged to the famous axe grinders.

Eric Clapton’s “Beano” was stolen from Cream’s rehearsal room just days after the release of the group’s album “Blues Breakers.” The 1959-60 Gibson Les Paul Standard (Burst) was never seen again.

Famous guitarist Jeff Beck had the exact same model stolen. Beck bought his 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard from Rick Nielsen in 1968 for about $300.

If Nielsen’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he does. Before becoming lead guitarist for Cheap Trick, he worked as a vintage guitar dealer in his teens.

Paul McCartney’s Hamburg Hofner 500/1 violin bass was cheap but had emotional value for him. He played the instrument on the Beatles’ first two albums before it was stolen in 1972. He finally got it back 51 years later.

Too hot to touch

The Hoovers can only hope that the evil spell has run its course and things will turn out for the better.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help rebuild Chris and Kathy, and well-wishers recently flocked to Post 6 American Legion to show their support during an Avenue show.

Hoover continues to play, using borrowed instruments. When time permits, the family turns to pawn shops in neighboring states of Nebraska and Colorado.

Chris is waiting for the day he gets the call that the guitar has been found. For now, the family is relying on the power of today’s internet connection. The more the news spreads, the more demand for the guitar will increase.

Jake Nichols can be reached at [email protected].