A Brisbane man has been charged with stealing and destroying a valuable collection of guitars signed by the likes of The Eagles.
Leonard "Merv" French, 81, was devastated when he walked into his Manly West shed in August and realised 14 of his prized guitars were missing.
Detectives recovered the instruments but signatures had allegedly been rubbed off some of them. Others were buried under a house.
A 50-year-old man from Lota, in Brisbane's east, has been charged with stealing the guitars over five days in August.
Some of the instruments, believed to be valued about $30,000, were visibly damaged.
Nine were found buried under a house, two were stuffed into a ceiling cavity and three more were found at separate addresses.
Worse still, the thief had allegedly erased five signatures, including those of Chubby Checker and John Mellencamp.
Mr French had bought the guitars from a friend who is well connected in the music industry.
He hopes his mate will help him track down the musicians to have his instruments re-signed.
The music enthusiast told reporters on Monday he would spend the next few days cleaning the guitars and finding a more secure location to store them.
The charged man is due to face Wynnum Magistrates Court tomorrow.
