Garden City, ID (November 3, 2020)—A cornerstone of the Idaho arts scene for 28 years, Audio Lab Recording Studios in Garden City, ID suffered a major setback this weekend, when thieves broke into the facility early Sunday morning and stole an estimated $35,000 worth of audio gear, instruments, tools and more. Police have since taken one suspect into custody and have tracked down a white truck used for the burglary. Most of the stolen items, however, have not been recovered.
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Co-founder/co-owner Steve Fulton told Pro Sound News that some of stolen recording equipment included a Neumann TLM 49 LDC microphone, a Focusrite ISA One desktop mic preamp and an RCF Evox8 portable PA system.
Numerous instruments were also taken, including a ROLI Songmaker keyboard system; numerous guitars including an Epiphone Casino with a Bigsby tailpiece, a 1972 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe and a Line 6 Variax 700 Series; Hohner and Ibanez basses; and a vintage banjo that had been handed down through the generations in Fulton’s family.
Fulton arrived at the studio on Sunday to discover the front door had been pried open with a crowbar, and that the thieves had torn through the facility quickly, grabbing high-visibility instruments and gear, fortunately passing over some items that were more valuable.
Further exploration revealed that a studio co-owner’s trailer parked in the adjoining lot had also been broken into; roughly $6,000 in tools were removed from it, though some of them have since been recovered.
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Despite the break-in, the studio is still up and running, and now sports a new alarm system. Fulton noted to local station KTVB7, “They didn’t smash things, so I was relieved that they weren’t malicious like that,” later adding, “I feel a little bit sad and concerned for these people. They’re just misguided and making bad decisions.”
Audio Lab Recording Studio • https://www.audiolab.org
