‘Extensions of my arm’: Winnipeg musician loses instruments in break-in

A Winnipeg musician says he lost two distinctive guitars, among other possessions, when his West End home was broken into Monday.
Grant Siemens, a veteran of Canada’s roots music scene, told 680 CJOB’s The News on Wednesday that the stolen instruments were “like extensions of my arm.”
“I had four that were stolen, but the two main ones, are called a Hahn 228, which is a Telecaster copy, and a Beardsell Swingmaster, which is actually made right here in Winnipeg.”
Siemens said he also had a bicycle and other personal effects stolen, including a passport. The guitars, which he had owned for eight and 15 years, respectively, have registered serial numbers, so he’s hopeful they’ll be spotted if someone tries to sell them at a pawn shop.
“This is the first time that it’s ever happened to me.
“I’m just done dealing with it all. Losing guitars is one thing, but the pain of trying to locate your identification and all of that stuff … and we’ve still got to live here. It doesn’t feel good from a family perspective knowing that we’ve been broken into. Thankfully, everyone was safe.”
Despite having an alarm system, Siemens said the thieves were in the house for less than 10 minutes, and the robbery happened in the middle of the day, so the alarm didn’t help.
“The amount of stuff one can grab in that time is pretty shocking,” he said.
“I never wanted to be a guy to have cameras on my house … but I’m a guy with cameras on my house now.”