Dean Ween: Please return my guitar

Dean Ween of the popular band Ween has issued an all-points bulletin for a prize possession - his 55-year-old guitar.

Mickey Melchiondo, a.k.a. Dean Ween, took to a fan group on Facebook to lament the loss of his 1961 Stratocaster, which he said was swiped last week after a gig at John & Peter's in New Hope, the band's hometown.

"The emotional part of this is brutal," Melchiondo said in the post. "I just want the guitar returned. It is irreplaceable, and a lot of time and love went into its construction."

After packing other equipment outside the venue Wednesday, Melchiondo said he returned to find that his guitar was not where he had left it.

The guitar was in a tan leather Levy gig bag, he said. He said he concluded it was stolen after talking to other band members. He said that the security cameras in the venue were malfunctioning Wednesday evening, but that could not be verified.

It's not the first time the group has reported a theft. In 2014, Claude Coleman Jr., a drummer who plays with the band, said he had his bass guitar stolen, along with a practice pad from his drum set, after a performance in New York.

cshaw@philly.com 610-313-8119 @coltshaw_