Steve Vai's Stolen Guitars

Stolen Guitar Inventory - (GP 10/86 )

"Most of my guitars were ripped off this June [1986] from the rehearsal studio [for the DLR Tour] in Pasadena." - Steve Vai (GP 10/86 ). All except his green Charvel, his main ax, were stolen "Thank God I had that one with me" he sighs. "I keep it with me all the time. But all the others are gone. They were left locked up in a theater in a big giant container... left overnight. They just went in ther and snip-snip." (GW - 3/87)

"The guitar from the Yankee Rose video with all the holes in it; it sort of looks like intergalactic puke. I designed it, and Joe Despagni made it for me."
Jackson - Yellow "Steve Eye" with Eyeballs and pyramid.
Guild - Custom made 24-fret pink zebra stripe
Guild - Custom made 24-fret cream white
Ibanez prototype - "Pukey green Ibanez that has like a pink-green-black snakeskin front"
Valdez Stratocaster - Rootbeer with scalloped neck. This wasn't a real (Fender) strat but similar to a Strat and was made for me by Valdez in Hollywood. It was the only one I really cared about that got stolen. (Steve Vai 11/2002)
"Two best Marshalls"
"Guitar cords"

Guitar World (1/87) had further coverage of the stolen guitars. Steve's longtime guitar tech Elwood Francis commented on the details of each missing ax:

First: "Eyeball "Steve Eye" - yellow Jackson soloist. The finish has Steve's personal design of a pyramid with an eye in the middle and the number seven on each outside corner. Loaded with a Floyd Rose tremolo and custom-wound DiMarzio pickups, this is one of the axes seen on the "Yankee Rose" video." (found - see below)

Second: "The second was a custom-designed green swiss-cheese guitar built for Steve by Performance Guitars of Hollywood. The bdy was metallic green withholes carved through the body and various sizes and colors. There's a handle carved in the body as well, to enable Steve to hold the ax and play with one hand. Loaded with a gold Floyd Rose and one humbucker, this beauty also shares the spotlight in the "Yankee Rose" video."

Third: "a pink and black tiger-striped Guild 284 Avitor with left handed headstock. This axe had a Floyd Rose, two EMG humbuckers and one EMG single-coil in the middle position. The serial # is HC100788."

Forth: "a white Guild 281 Flyer, serial # HC101025. This guitar was built for Steve to use while touring with Alcatrazz. It's loaded with a Floyd Rose, two EMG humbuckers and one EMG single-coil."

Fifth: "an Ibanez two-humbucker Strat styled ax with a flourescent snakeskin print for a finish. No further descriptions were given. This ax was used as a backup."

"Steve's custom rebuilt Marshalls were missing as well. Two 100-watt heads rebuilt by Jose Arredondo; Vai commented; "Those amps weren't especially loud, but they had a great tone; they won't be easily replaced." "We want our gear back" said Elwod. "I can'timagine what someone's doing with that gear except playing it in their house and looking at pictures of Steve. That gear is so recognizable, there's no way it could be used by anyone else. I mean, who else would play anything like that except Steve Vai."

Current Status

Rich Pike of Greasy Kid Stuff offers this info (11/97) "I know there were five guitars stolen at one point and only one was recovered, but I'm not sure which one. Steve isn't really searching anymore."

Yellow Eyeball guitar was recovered and it now resides in the Hard Rock cafe in Las Vegas along with an outfit that Pia made me that I wore on a Whitesnake tour. (Steve Vai 11/2002)