Nearly a decade after Sonic Youth lost a slew of guitars and amps from a Ramada Inn parking lot in Orange County, California, Lee Ranaldo's Fender Mustang has reportedly turned up... all the way in the Netherlands!

According to the Offset Guitars message board (check it out here), a guy named "Sauerkraut" bought the stolen gear off eBay and decided to tell the band's guitar tech about his discovery at a Düsseldorf gig last week.

"He came up to us," Sauerkraut wrote, "gave me a mastery bridge (from one of Lee's guitars, he even included the allen wrench keys!) on which Lee had written a thank you note. [The guitar tech] told us we can get on the guest list for any SY gig in the future."

That's fan loyalty for you! And it pays off...

Speaking of future Sonic Youth gigs, the band - who performed a new song on Later With Jools Holland, screened on BBC 2 last night - announced a stack of new shows today, namely a U.S. leg that starts on June 28 in Chicago and winds down on August 2 in Oakland, besides a rare appearance on British shores, playing the My Bloody Valentine-curated ATP's Nightmare Before Christmas, in December.

Here's the band's complete itinerary for now:

5/16 Brooklyn, NY - No Fun Fest
5/27 Malmo, Sweden - Kulturebolaget
5/28 Hassleholm, Sweden - Siesta Festival
5/30 Barcelona, Spain - Primavera Festival
5/31 Dudingen, Switzerland - Kilbi Festival
6/28 Chicago, IL - Vic Theater
6/29 Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre
7/2 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
7/3 New York, NY - United Palace Theatre
7/6 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
7/8 Richmond, VA - The National
7/10 Knoxville, TN - Bijou Theter
7/11 Nashville, TN - War Memorial
7/12 Birmingham, AL - Sloss Furnaces
7/13 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
7/15 Dallas, TX - House of Blues
7/16 Tulsa, OK - Cain's
7/18 Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater
7/20 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall
7/21 Minneapolis, MN - First Ave.
7/23 Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
7/25 Seattle, WA - Capitol Hill Block Party
7/28 Portland, OR - Roseland Ballroom
7/30 Salt Lake City, UT - Twilight Music Fest
7/31 Denver, CO - Ogden Theater
8/2 Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
12/4-6 Minhead, England - ATP's Nightmare Before Christmas

View complete list on Sonic Youth stolen gear here

WANT TO SOUND LIKE SONIC YOUTH?

Check the Sonic Youth artist page at Dolphin Music, for bio, discography and a complete list of Sonic Youth gear (fx pedals, guitars, amps) available to buy! Click here

More Info:

Sonic Youth Official Website