Richie Sambora’s cherished 1976 Gibson Explorer has returned after being stolen 41 years ago. The former Bon Jovi guitarist purchased the instrument at 16 from Lou Rose Music Center in Edison, New Jersey, inspired by Eric Clapton’s performance on a similar model. Sambora customized the guitar with an ebony fretboard and signature stars. The Explorer appears on Bon Jovi’s debut album and 7800° Fahrenheit. Thieves stole it from a Perth Amboy warehouse in 1985 while the band toured Japan. “It was f---ing trippy as s--t,” the 66-year-old musician said about the reunion. “I put it on, I started to play it. It seemed like it was untouched.” The guitar surfaced at Matt’s Guitar Shop in Paris, where owner Matthieu Lucas recognized its significance and facilitated its return. Sambora plans to perform with the recovered instrument at Louisville’s Unbridled Eve Derby Gala on May 1.