When Sinclair Belle’s Telecaster Deluxe was stolen, he had no idea he would soon receive a replacement from the artist for whom the guitar is named: Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett.
Belle, who performs with Happy Daggers, a British group in Leeds, England, played a white Chris Shiflett signature Telecaster Deluxe, which is modeled on the Foo Fighters guitarist’s favorite 1972 Telecaster Deluxe. This past September, Belle’s guitar was stolen from his car. News of the theft went online and in due course found its way to Shiflett.
“I was winding down from the week when a message come through the band’s Facebook page,” Belle tells The Sun.
“It was a message from Chris Shiflett. He said he had seen the article and to let him know if I wanted another one.”
The message from Shiflett read, “Hey Sinclair. I read about your guitar getting stolen. Bummer! I’d be happy to send you another.”
“Initially I thought it was a hoax,” Belle says, but the offer was the real deal.
“Nothing worse than getting your guitar ripped off,” Shiflett wrote.
The new guitar arrived a few weeks later, in gold (as shown below), as the white model was unavailable.
Belle was thrilled with the gesture and thanked Shiflett, who replied, “I hope it serves you well my friend.”
In related news, the Foo Fighters recently ended their almost-one-year hiatus with a “secret” star-studded benefit show in Los Angeles on October 15.
The private concert featured Dave Grohl and his bandmates plus guest appearances from Sammy Hagar, Paul Stanley, Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones, Lisa Loeb, Police drummer Stewart Copeland, Led Zeppelin drummer Jason Bonham, Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell and others. The show was staged for a couple hundred donors who gave to the Foo Fighters’ annual fundraiser for improvements at local schools.
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