Backstage Banter

40 years after it was stolen, Alan Poster’s returned Stingray will be featured at the Reunion Blues exhibit.

You might remember how, back in 2006, the international news was burning up about Alan Poster being reunited with his 1968 Stingray, 37 years after it disappeared.

Alan had been going through a rough time that winter. A Brooklyn native and a 26-year-old guitar salesman, he had just divorced and moved from Queens to a 21st Street studio in Chelsea. He bought himself a flashy treat that he could barely afford but could not resist: a blue ’68 Vette.

He had owned it for only two or three months when it was stolen from a parking garage on 23rd Street. It was Jan. 22, 1969.

In December 2005, Mr. Poster got a call that it had been recovered, just days before it was supposed to be shipped to a buyer in Sweden. The car was flagged during a routine check of the vehicle ID by California Homeland Security and US Customs, sending two New York detectives on a long-shot search through thousands of crime reports to connect the car to its first owner.

Alan was reunited with his Corvette in January of 2006, during a news conference in Carson, CA, that made worldwide distribution. The original “International Blue” exterior had been painted silver, the original blue interior was red, the gas tank was missing and the engine had been replaced. Inexplicably, it had no transmission but the body was still close to mint condition.

Dubbed the “Reunion Blue” and arguably the world’s best known Corvette, Alan spent the next three years bringing the hot-rod back to like-new condition, including the original blue-on-blue color scheme.

Coincidently, the company Alan owns today is called Reunion Blues, a prestigious high-end musical instrument case and leather bag line that is considered to be the best among serious musicians. Alan had just acquired the Reunion Blues company when he was reunited with his blue Corvette… a twist of fate he does not take lightly. “Coincidence?” he said, “Perhaps.”

Alan and the whole Reunion Blues crew will be showcasing new products along with this legendary Stingray in the Reunion Blues exhibit 5968 at the NAMM (International Music Products Association) convention in Anaheim, CA, a four-day, 85,000 attendee conference starting January 15, 2010.

Earlier this year, Reunion Blues released a high-altitude “stress test” video on You Tube, tossing their new RB Continental case off a three-story building with a Strat-style guitar inside. After two throws, the instrument emerged unscathed. In an unexpected twist, the video drew numerous comments from doubting guitarists who dared Reunion Blues to try it with a tilt-back headstock guitar.

“We didn’t think much of these comments at first”, said Reunion Blues’ Alan Poster, “but they kept coming in until, after passing tens of thousands of views, we decided to accept the challenge.”

According to John Maher, Reunion Blues marketing director, many three-on-a-side tilt-back headstocks are actually glued to the neck at an angle, creating the potential for the peghead to snap off at this junction when hit hard. “So, in an attempt to satisfy the skeptics, we decided to get our hands on a tilt-back designed guitar and do it all over again.” Maher added.

The first RB Continental drop test video can be seen by clicking on www.rbcontinental.com. Stay tuned for the results from the second toss.