Butte News

Missing guitar discovered in Butte more than 10 years later

Posted: Oct 25, 2012 9:42 PM by Shannon Davis
Updated: Oct 26, 2012 9:45 AM

BUTTE - A bass guitar that was missing for more than ten years was recovered in Butte and returned to its owner in Topeka, Kansas.

Arch Ecker has said the bass guitar was his favorite guitar he has ever owned, according to Mark James, owner of the Drum Attic Music Center in Butte. Around the time it went missing Ecker was a regular customer to the Drum Attic. Each time he paid a visit he would tell James to "keep an eye out" for the instrument. James said he had seen the guitar before, a red grained ebony bass guitar.

Ecker was a local musician in Butte before he moved to Topeka, KS. He worked for KMBR radio station and many people knew him as the "Arch Man."

James said he spent several years looking for the bass guitar. As the years went by James slowly forgot and he and Ecker grew out of touch.

Nearly a month ago James was contacted by a local church that had found the bass guitar while they wear cleaning.

"As soon as she explained the case and the name Venus Alley, the band name, I said I think I have an idea," James said. "I opened it was a bass guitar. I said I know whose guitar that is and it's been missing for years."

James had to contact the radio station, KMBR, to find out where Ecker was living more than 10 years later. Through Facebook the radio station tracked him down in Topeka, KS. Etcher returned his messages to hear the good news from James.

"You remember your bass guitar that was stolen?" James said. "Tell me about that. And he was telling me about it, and I said well I have it and he was just floored. He said this is the craziest thing I have ever heard. So we get talking and everything and it was his base. I knew it was. All his trinkets and pins and straps, and wireless everything was still in the case."

James sent the guitar to Ecker and expects it will be back in his hands before the end of the week. He hopes that retuning the guitar will send good fortune his way.

"I had mine, my sons, and my daughters, dirt bikes stolen five years ago, " James said. " We never received any of them back, so I'm hoping the stolen karma comes back and now I will get something back."