“This guitar is irreplaceable and special beyond words”: Thieves make off with prized family heirloom 1977 Gibson Les Paul… months after its owner’s house was destroyed by a tree

An avid guitar player based in Cheyenne has reported the theft of his prized 1977 Gibson Les Paul, which was stolen mere months after his home had been destroyed by a tree.

Safe to say it's been a particularly tough 2024 for Chris and Kathy Hoover. As reported by Cowboy State Daily, the couple’s house was crushed by a 100-year-old pine, which fell on their home after it was toppled during a storm in April.

The Hoovers, thankfully, were not at home at the time, but to make matters worse, it’s been reported that homeowners insurance won’t nearly cover the damage to the building, which was built in 1919.

Fortunately, Hoover’s prized ’77 Gibson Les Paul survived the tree, but that slight silver lining was completely eliminated after thieves recently broke into the condemned family home to steal the vintage electric guitar.

As per reports, Hoover – who is an active and popular musician in the local Cheyenne-Laramie scene – saved up for the guitar while working as an aspiring musician, and bought it a month after it came out.

With an eye on a career in music, Hoover launched his own band (neatly named Hoover and the Vacuums) in the early ’70s, with the group going on to achieve impressive success in the area.

To help fuel his career aspirations, Hoover tightened his purse strings and sold a beloved Telecaster in order to finance the purchase of a brand-new, limited-edition Wine Red 1977 Les Paul, which came with an $800 price tag.

For decades, “he was never without his Les Paul”, with Hoover and his immediate family cherishing it for its priceless sentimental value, which understandably outweighs its material value.

“He’s done so much for the tiny Cheyenne-Laramie music scene. He practically started it, kept it going,” said Brooks, Chris’ son. “He still plays out in multiple bands including Avenue with his wife.”

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Unfortunately, the heirloom was stolen from the Hoovers earlier this month, after thieves broke into a locked rehearsal space located in the basement of the family’s crushed home. A number of bass guitars and other pieces of gear were also taken.

“It’s been a rough year for my parents,” Brooks added. “And this guitar, in particular, is irreplaceable and special beyond words.

“He played that thing. There’s buckle rash on the backside of the body. He always played while wearing his huge belt buckle. The finish is worn smooth or completely off in many spots.

“We just got finished redoing the neck and the action is so low now it practically plays itself. It’s almost fretless at this point from all the playing. My dad is heartbroken over this. It is one-of-a-kind. It is an heirloom piece. He would have never sold it.”

As for why the thieves thought they’d strike gold in the basement of a condemned home that had been crushed by a tree, it’s been speculated that local news reports following the storm – which mentioned the survival of the “prized guitar, valued at $3,500” – may have pointed them in that direction.

“You know, we kind of joked about that at the time,” Brooks said. “A friend of my dad’s actually called after that news story and told him he should lock that guitar away.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the Hoovers raise funds to rebuild their home.