05 January 2012
VVN Music
When a cargo plane carrying Peter Frampton's equipment crashed in the Caribbean in 1980, he figured he had lost his prized Les Paul guitar forever. Lucky for him, a couple of big fans happen to come across the instrument while visiting the island of Curaco, confirmed it's authenticity, and got it back to Peter.
The artist had owned the guitar since 1970 when he borrowed it for a Humble Pie show at the Fillmore West. When he tried to buy the guitar from the fan, he was told he could keep it. It was used on such classics as Humble Pie's Rock On and his Frampton Comes Alive.
Frampton said "I am still in a state of shock, first off, that the guitar even exists, let alone that it has been returned to me. I know I have my guitar back, but I will never forget the lives that were lost in this crash. I am so thankful for the efforts of those who made this possible.
"Now that it is back I am going insure it for $2 million (GBP1.25 million) and it's never going out of my sight again! It was always my number one guitar and it will be reinstated there as soon as possible. Some minor repairs are needed."
