The Loss of A Loved One

The loss of a loved one is never easy. Especially if the ‘loved one’ has been a source of comfort, inspiration and constant companionship.  We have all felt this type of loss at one time or another.  For a musician it can be particularly poignant.  It is painful to lose something that is so integral to our lives. The thief cannot possibly know how deeply we feel about our instruments. It just hurts.

My greatest loss was a hand-made Les Paul Junior assembled from vintage Gibson parts and old growth wood.  It was so well executed (as a recreation) that even a trained eye would assume it was a stripped vintage Junior. This guitar came into my life around 1969 when a friend brought it to the Connecticut Shoreline and showed it off to me. I fell in Love. It became a quest to get this guitar – to make it mine. As luck would have it, I was able to buy it some years later. It did become a part of my life — a part of Me.  I played out a lot in those days and that guitar became quite well known along the Shoreline.

A 1960 Gibson Les Paul Junior.

In a moment of weakness I let a friend borrow it for a gig he had at The Moon in New Haven in the early 90’s.  After the gig he drove back to Middletown and chose to leave the guitar in the back seat of his car rather than carry it upstairs to his apartment. Imagine his surprise when he woke up the next morning to find the window of his car smashed and the guitar gone.

I’ve made many attempts over the years to find this guitar. Over time, I eventually acquired a 1960 Gibson Les Paul Junior. Despite the fact that my current guitar is a wonderful example of a true vintage Les Paul Junior, it is not the same. It does not diminish the feeling of loss of the old one. It is my hope, that through the power of this website, the Internet and social media that others will not have to suffer this kind of loss.

— BFW