Some objects carry far more than wood and steel strings. They carry memories, friendships, heartbreak, and the people we never stop missing.
For one local musician, an old Guild D-25 guitar became all of those things.
Growing up, Mike Connon and his brother Sean were separated not by affection but by circumstance.
His brother, Sean, was 15 years older, and because their family frequently moved between countries, they only saw each other a handful of times each year. Those visits, however, were treasured.
“He was a great big brother,” says Mike, from his home in Dwight. “When I was a kid, he seemed like a giant — a big man with a big personality.” By his early 20s, Sean Connon had become a working musician, travelling to gigs with a prized possession—a Guild D-25 guitar he had painstakingly saved to buy while living in Canada.
“It looked brown most of the time,” remembers Mike, “but under stage lights it glowed this deep, rich red. He must have played a thousand gigs with that guitar.
“In the mid-80s, I began visiting him in Canada. One night, while he was out playing a gig — using one of his other guitars — someone broke into his house. They stole a few incidentals, but they also took the Guild. I watched the toughest man I have ever known break down in tears. To him, it was more than just a guitar.”
Inspired by his brother, Mike eventually learned to play guitar himself. Over the years, he developed a passion for collecting instruments and today owns more than 30 guitars. It became something the brothers shared throughout their lives—a love of music, guitars, and the stories each instrument carried.
“About fifteen years ago, my brother was diagnosed with leukemia. He fought hard, but he passed away ten years ago,” says Mike. “I miss him dearly. I often think of him when I browse ads for used guitars.”
Then, unexpectedly, something extraordinary happened.
While browsing Facebook Marketplace, he spotted a battered Guild D-25 listed for just $200.
The guitar was in terrible condition—so damaged that restoring it would likely cost more than it was worth.
“I knew it would cost more to restore than it was worth, but for $200, I figured it could at least become wall art. I was working that day, so I gave my wife the cash and asked her to pick it up for me.”
When she returned home, he began inspecting the instrument, wondering whether any part of it could be saved.
“I saw just how rough it was. I started examining it, wondering if it could even be salvaged. Then, suddenly, I noticed something familiar.
“On the upper side near the neck was a repair in a very unusual place. I remembered it instantly,” says Mike.
“When my brother first started playing, his band was called Shannon. He had a guitarist named Carson who died very young. One night, Carson dropped a glass from the top of a bar, and it punched a hole in the upper side of the guitar — an odd, unforgettable spot for damage. My brother was upset at the time and had it repaired, but later he grew to appreciate that scar. It reminded him of his friend.”
And there it was. Against unimaginable odds, he had unknowingly purchased his late brother’s stolen guitar.
“Of all the Guild D-25s in the world,” he says, still amazed.
The discovery was bittersweet.
“More than anything, I wish my brother were still alive to be reunited with his old friend.”
Determined to give the instrument a second life, he took it to a master luthier near Burk’s Falls, who painstakingly restored it.
The results exceeded every expectation.
“It is an absolutely beautiful-sounding guitar,” he says.
Today, the once-stolen Guild accompanies him to every performance. Each song he plays serves as a reminder of his brother, their shared love of music, and the unlikely journey that brought the guitar back into the family after decades apart.
Then, just last week, Mike says another small coincidence brought a smile to his face.
While watching The Jazz Singer, he noticed that Neil Diamond was playing the very same Guild D-25 model. Under the stage lights, it glowed the same brilliant red he remembered.
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