Our Story

My name is Chris O’Donnell, and I’m the co-founder of stolen.guitars.

In July 2023, a professional thief walked out of a guitar shop in Milan, Italy, with a £10,000 Gibson Les Paul. Three weeks later, the guitar surfaced on the UK market, complete with a case and forged documents, including a fake Certificate of Authenticity. Believing everything was legitimate, I purchased the guitar, only to discover 48 hours later that it had been stolen.

Luckily, after weeks of negotiations with the store in Italy, I was able to secure legal ownership of the guitar. However, the outcome could have been much worse. I could have lost both my money and the guitar.

When I shared this experience with my good friend and fellow guitarist, Ray St. Clair, we knew something had to be done. Together, we set out on a mission to protect guitarists worldwide—not just from theft but also from unknowingly purchasing stolen instruments.

At stolen.guitars, we offer tools to help musicians like you secure your instruments, recover stolen items quickly, and ensure you don’t fall victim to dishonest sellers.