“I acted the way I did because a guitar that Eddie Van Halen gave me went missing for 18 years… I’m very happy to say I cried wolf” Jerry Cantrell on what really happened when his ‘Blue Dress’ G&L went missing last year

Jerry Cantrell has opened up about the relief he felt after he lost his beloved ‘Blue Dress’ G&L Rampage in April 2024, only to find it turned up safe and sound, having been misplaced.

At the time, the blue lights were officially flashing in search of the ‘Blue Dress’ and G&L said it was on standby ready to build Cantrell a replica – having previously released a signature guitar based on the Rampage.

The Alice In Chains guitarist even offered the promise of a reward for anyone who could secure its safe return. Fast-forward 24 hours, though, and the Rampage was recovered, as a sheepish but mightily relieved Cantrell thanked everyone for their interest, acknowledging it had been misplaced, not stolen.

Now, speaking to Guitar World, Cantrell explained he has no regrets that he “cried wolf” because he had seen this movie before.

In 2002, while recording Degradation Trip, his 1992 goldtop Ernie Ball Music Man EVH that was a personal gift from Eddie Van Halen was stolen, and it took the best part of 20 years to get it back.

“The reason I acted the way I did was because a guitar that Eddie Van Halen gave me [went missing] for 18 years,” said Cantrell.

“I had a very personal guitar [a 1992 goldtop Ernie Ball EVH] stolen from me during the making of Degradation Trip that somehow walked out the front door of Henson Studios. I was lucky enough to get that back.

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“So, I guess that’s why I was so quick to throw the call out there, just in case ‘Blue Dress’ was missing. Very happy to say I cried wolf, and that I was mistaken.”

Jerry Cantrell – Vilified (Official Music Video) – YouTube

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Cantrell’s ‘Blue Dress’ G&L Rampage – serial #: G016467 – is one of the most important guitars in grunge history. It has been on every Alice in Chains record and, indeed, almost everything Cantrell has ever recorded. Prior to its disappearance last year, the Kahler-equipped Strat-style guitar had been on display at Seattle’s MoPOP Museum.

So many of my brethren and sisters have had really important guitars stolen or disappear. We rarely get them back

“I bought that guitar in Dallas in 1985, when I was 19 and working at a music store called Arnold & Morgan Music Company; I bought ‘No War’ a few months after that,” he says. “I had both of those guitars while I was living out there and jammin’ with bands, right after high school. I’ve had those guitars for 39 years. They’re like a part of me, you know?”

Cantrell says he was taken aback by the response to his missing Rampage and he knows many of his friends have not been so lucky.

“So many of my brethren and sisters have had really important guitars stolen or disappear,” he says. “We rarely get them back. Luckily this one was just misplaced for a couple of days. I get to make another record on it. It’s on tour with me right now, and I’m rockin’ it as we speak.”

Getting a stolen guitar back is easier said than done. The first job is finding it. Even if you’ve got a fanbase on the hunt for it these things take time. That Eddie Van Halen guitar was lost in the wind before some Alice In Chains fans did some Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew-style sleuthing and intervened.

“A couple of AIC fans and collectors tracked it down and tried to do a sting on this kid who had it and was trying to sell it,” said Cantrell, speaking to Guitar World in 2021.

“He went dark on the first guy, who was from Florida. The second guy was a separate collector from San Diego. Between the two of them, it took about two weeks for me to get that guitar back… after 19 years!”

To read Cantrell’s full interview, pick up Guitar World issue 588 (March 2025) over at Magazines Direct.