The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr has publicly criticized UPS after the shipping company lost his guitars. He shared his frustration in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter).
Marr expressed his anger over the missing instruments and UPS’s handling of the situation in his social media posts.
“Dear UPS where are my guitars? They disappeared a week ago,” Marr said. “I’m hearing from you now that they’ve been lost. Explain.”
The musician continued to voice his frustration with the company’s response to the incident.
“UPS asking me to describe what my guitars look like is not filling me with confidence,” he continued. “They look exactly like the ones you put in one of your delivery vans days ago. Remember?”
Marr then provided specific details to help locate his missing instruments.
“Look for one that says ’80’s Icon’ on the case and another one that says ‘Woke As F*ck,'” he added.
The guitarist also tagged guitar manufacturers Fender and Gibson in his post. He used hashtags #fuckUPSinc and #freemyguitars to emphasize his displeasure with the situation.
The loss of these guitars represents more than just missing equipment for the legendary musician. This is especially true given his history with valuable and personally significant instruments.
Marr is known for playing highly prized guitars that hold both sentimental and financial value. Offset Guitars reported that his signature Fender Jaguar models are particularly sought after by collectors and musicians alike. Limited editions like the Sherwood Green model are considered rare collector’s items due to their association with Marr’s iconic sound.
The guitarist has previously experienced the trauma of losing valuable instruments. Music Radar noted that Marr once had a £30,000 1964 Gibson SG stolen. The instrument was only returned to him two decades later, highlighting both the personal attachment and significant financial value these instruments hold for professional musicians.
This incident underscores the risks musicians face when shipping their instruments. This is particularly true for vintage or custom guitars that cannot be easily replaced. The specific case labels Marr mentioned – “80’s Icon” and “Woke As F*ck” – suggest these are likely custom or personally modified instruments that would be nearly impossible to replicate.
For a musician of Marr’s caliber, who helped define the sound of alternative rock through his work with The Smiths and continues to tour and record, the loss of specific guitars can impact both his creative process and live performances. This makes UPS’s handling of the situation particularly frustrating for the artist.
