A Langley musician, producer, and manager has recovered a stolen guitar with some serious sentimental value 害羞草研究所� 15 years after it was first stolen.

Mitch Merrett lost 14 guitars when a storage locker in Surrey was burgled in 2007.

Cpl. Bob Keay of the Surrey RCMP was assigned to the case, and managed to recover three of the stolen guitars fairly soon after the theft. Another two were recovered over the years by the Ridge Meadows RCMP and Vancouver Police Department.

But Merrett said he害羞草研究所檚 always kept an eye out on Craigslist when checking out guitars.

害羞草研究所淭hey kind of pop up every once in a while,害羞草研究所� he said.

Merrett recently spotted what he was pretty sure was his stolen Telecaster.

Although it had been a decade and a half since the theft, he called Keay back, and the RCMP officer remembered the case and said he would look into it right away.

The next day, Keay called back to say they had seized the guitar from a Vancouver pawn shop. Keay turned the recovered guitar over to Merrett a day after the report.

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This was a special guitar for Merrett.

害羞草研究所淭his was a guitar that my mom and dad got me many, many years ago,害羞草研究所� Merrett said.

He had just begun to play country music, and his dad said he ought to have a Telecaster.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 like a little piece of you goes missing,害羞草研究所� he said of losing the guitar.

Now he and the guitar are reunited, and he害羞草研究所檚 already found out it still sounds great.

害羞草研究所淚 don害羞草研究所檛 think it害羞草研究所檚 been played since it was stolen,害羞草研究所� Merrett said.

Although he owns a number of guitars 害羞草研究所� he declined to say how many, in case some other thief decides to try to clean him out again 害羞草研究所� as a musician, it害羞草研究所檚 like having a toolbox full of tools.

Merrett has played, produced, and managed in country music in B.C. for years. He害羞草研究所檚 toured in the past, but with two boys, aged 11 and 13, he害羞草研究所檚 staying off the road for now.

But Merrett is still a part of Black Mountain Whiskey Rebellion, a Southern-rock inflected band he started a few years back with a group of old friends in the music business.

害羞草研究所淚 think the next song for Black Mountain Whiskey Rebellion will have this guitar featured on it,害羞草研究所� Merrett said.

There are still several guitars from the stolen batch that have not been recovered, including a green Ernie Ball Music Man Albert Lee.

Anyone with information about the theft can call the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502, or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or www.solvecrime.ca.