Frank Russo, owner of the Music Box in Hamilton, lost over 50 guitars, amplifiers and other items during a recent theft.
HAMILTON — Frank Russo has guitars everywhere.
They hang from the walls of his Hamilton shop, the Music Box, and they're scattered around his house on Edinburg Road.
He collected so many over the years that he bought a vacant flower shop next to his home years ago so he could store them, along with amplifiers and other collectibles.
Frank Russo's 1966 Hofner guitar.In February, though, he walked into the storage building and realized there was a lot more light coming in a window. He looked at the window and found the amps stacked in front of it were missing.
"That's when I knew something as wrong," Russo said Wednesday in his Quakerbridge Avenue shop, as a steady stream of students arrived for lessons.
A little more poking around confirmed that many of his guitars were gone too.
He called the police, went on Facebook and announced the thefts, and has spent the past two weeks trying to find anyone who might know about the theft.
Russo's unsure if they were stolen in a one-time haul, or piece by piece. So far, he's found over 50 missing pieces of musical equipment, including almost 20 guitars.
Hamilton detectives are investigating, but Russo said Wednesday he just wants his guitars back. "I am willing to work something out and not press charges," he said.
Hamilton police said Wednesday the investigation was ongoing. The thefts were originally occurred sometime from Jan. 15 to Feb. 4, but police and Russo say the thefts could date to November 2015.
Many of the guitars and amplifiers are vintage, and Russo is especially looking for a 1966 Hofner semi hollow-body.
The model he owned sells for about $15,000 online, he said.
The guitar collecting community can be small, Russo said, estimating that only a few people in the Trenton area has a similar collection.
"And everyone is looking for these with me," Russo said.
Other Russo guitars include a 1972 sunburst Fender Stratocaster, a 1966 red Fender Mustang with a red racing stripe, a 1965 Martin D-35 with an orange case, a Rickenbacker 360 6-string electric with blonde finish and a 1953 Fender Esquire in soft white.
Russo, who's owned the Music Box for 36 years, said he's already lucky since he's not really had to "work" his whole life by combining his passion with his living. "And I got these really cool guitars out of it."
Now, he's hoping to see them again.
Anyone with information about the theft or the instruments is asked to call Hamilton Detective Matt Bagley at 609-581-4030 or the Hamilton police tipline at 609-581-4008.
Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.