I got invited to play music at RockStock at De Pakhuys this weekend. My friend, Niel Mostert always told me about the sense of community the cool vibe and the awesome parties. As a rock&roller, I was very excited about the opportunity to play at a Climbers event.

Last night started off blissfully with a great vibe. We did one set, after which the air guitar event took place. When we finally returned to stage, some mofo stole my beautiful Gretsch guitar.

Not only does this inpact on my livelyhood, but all this senses of community is utter bullshit to me now. What kind of a person steals a guitar off stage?!!

I hope a string snaps, and pokes this thief in the eye.

Sincerely
Nicol du Toit

That is so I'll put a prayer in for you that after the string snaps and shoots his eyes out he spontaneously combusts and burns slowly to death.... Sorry about your guitar man here's hoping that some drunk fool realizes his accident and returns it...

Sorry to hear about this, I hope your guitar makes it way back to you somehow.
If not then I'm with you on the eye removal.

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Climb ZA - Administrator

sorry about the guitar man!

i have to say that this kind of thing is the exception. my experience has been that the climbing crowd is a generous bunch; honest, friendly and all round to fun to hang out with. hope that this one rotten apple does not soil your view of the climbing community in general.

Not cool. Can you post a photo of the guitar?

@ mokganjetsi I must admit, my view of the climbing community is rather tainted after what happened. Especially after the fun I had before I discovered the theft. Here is a link to a photo of me with the guitar.



https://www.picasaweb.google.com/117412046082694125019/WebwerfGallery#5580563215099700626

Seriously NOT cool!!!!

I am sure someone knows the chop who did this!

I hope you find the thief! Then beat the dude with the guitar and make him pay for a brand new one!

Best of luck man!

Rock on!

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Super Mario

Castrate the bastard and get him out of the gene pool

Dude, that's a real bummer and sucks big-time! I'm sorry this happened to you.

The climbing community I've been involved in has always been pretty 'stand-up' and I share Niel's sentiment about it. I encourage you not to let one greedy little punk get you down on the community in general...

I hope that someone knows this guy who took the guitar or he has the gumption to do the right thing and return it to you.

Right shittrick.

As smtm says, someone must have seen something. Name and Shame!

Whoever finds this excuse for a human being has my personal permission to fling it off the closest cragg. Or just point me in the right direction, I'll run him over without blinking an eye.

Where the guitar was last seen... You can see it sticking out behind the speaker in the middle of the stage.

I agree with most of the above, and as I belong to both the rock&roll and climbing community I'm disgusted by this.

But: There is still the small chance (maybe the time of theft does not support this so correct me if I'm wrong) that somebody outside the camp and rockstock snuck in and stole the guitar. I hope Thys and Mark have been informed of this, but I think the search should be widened to workers on de pakhuys and neighbouring farms. If this is the case, the guitar probably couldn't have gone far given the few towns surrounding this area and the difficulty of travelling there for a lot of the workers in the area if they wanted to sell it.

Most of the climbers hang in groups and it's hard to think that somebody did this and nobody knows anything.

Maybe this picture may help to narrow the timeline. I wasn't there but it looks to me like the end of the air guitar competition and I can see some guitars in the background. Thanks to Guy Orlik for the photo (which I stole from facebook)

This was after the air guitar, and before the trance bit. Apparently, the was a girl with green shorts who saw someone with my guitar. Any idea who that was?

We Like to think that we a community of trustworthy and honest people,
but it seems we must be falling short in that not all climbers feel part of the "group"
which leads to theft of guitars and draws, littering @ crags etc.

So sorry about guitar dude
I think the event sponsors and organizers should get u a new one

and criminal charges should be laid

Heya Nicol, sorry to hear about your guitar. I am sure it also holds many good memories for you, so I am sure you would like it back in one piece.

However, I seem to remember something unpleasant also happened at a previous year's RockStock?? Also a theft?

I highly doubt it was the Farm Workers, seriously! the amount of shit that climbers leave lying around and then some-one would steal a guitar, unlikely?

If i were to put my-self in the mind of a drunken hooligan;
It is entirely possible that a RDF carried the guitar away and left it randomly in a bush or field or on the roof of the toilets. Owing to the amount of alcohol consumed it is plausible that this RDF does not even remember doing the devious deed.

I know this RDF is not I, as I was not there this weekend. But someone else may have filled the niche roll for the weekend.

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MadMike

I've played at loads of festivals, where insane amounts of alcohol and other less legal substances gets consumed. Although stuff gets lost or stolen, this is the first time anything gets stolen off stage.

I doubt that there was any farm workers involved. Not with the amount of laptops laying around as Fool rightly said.

I have laid criminal charges at the Clanwilliam police. I will ask them to proceed with the investigation if I don't hear back from Thys this afternoon.

dudes, thanks for helping me with all the evil wishes. Turns out the sweed had it.

Oh my oath...is it found!

I presume you mean 'Swede' ?
As a matter of interest what were his intentions and how did the guitar come to be found?

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Climb ZA - Administrator

that^^

I presume i was correct.

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MadMike

That would be a first?

Drunken Swedish. Apparently they took it to go and play Abba. My poor guitar...

To everyone helping with the search, and all who aided in the ill wishes, voodoo dolls and bad karma towards the guitar thiefs, many thanks.

And just to rectify the matter, it is specificly the Swedish climbers listening to Abba which I dislike.

Sincerely
Nicol

Yay! Full circle rock'n'roll man \m/

From sense of community-to bullshit-to sense of community once more!

Hugs all round. Mamma mia

Anyone going to play "All Apologies" to the wrongly accused?