His guitar’s been on a long strange trip.
Rocker Buddy Cage — a guitarist for the Grateful Dead offshoot New Riders of the Purple Sage — got back his beloved pedal steel guitar on Thursday after a thief in the East Village swiped it 12 years ago, The Post has learned.
“I’m thrilled — still can’t believe they found it. It was like I lost a member of my family and got him back again,” said Cage, 68.
The hippie hero — who jammed with Jerry Garcia, Janis Joplin and Bob Dylan — was heartbroken when a crook broke into his Chrysler Voyager van on East 13th Street and First Avenue and snatched the rare Hilt-brand 12-string in May 2002, he said.
Losing the custom-made groove machine brought him lower than bad acid.
“It was a tremendous loss. It was irreplaceable. It was custom-built just for me …. I never left home without it,” said Cage, who paid more than $4,000 for it in 1980 — and even considered quitting music after it was swiped.
Determined to track it down, he called cops, who posted “missing” fliers around town describing the guitar, which featured a Grateful Dead onstage pass sticker and “B. Cage” stencil markings.
Years passed and Cage figured it was long gone — until a fan called him on Saturday with news he had spotted it on Ebay.
Cage then called his friend, retired detective Bob Geis, who originally helped him look for the guitar when it was stolen. Geis went back to precinct where it was originally stolen, and found a detective who remembered the case.
A 9th Precinct detective, John McAuliffe, traced it to Miguel Tapia, of East Flastbush — who claimed he had bought the guitar at a flea market on Canal Street long ago, he said.
“I tried to play it but I couldn’t figure out how, so I just threw it in my basement and forgot I even had it,” said Tapia, who discovered it while cleaning his home. Bidding had reached $820 by Saturday before he pulled it.
“After I found out it was stolen, I didn’t want to make money off of it. I’m happy to give it back,” Tapia said.
“It was the right thing to do,” he said, adding he happily handed it over to the detective on Tuesday.
Cage picked it up at the 9th Precinct two days later — making the Grateful Dead sidekick happier than a tied-died teddy bear.
“I still can’t believe it. I can’t wait to play it… I cant wait to get it back on tour with me,” he said.
Cage plans to play with the guitar at BB King’s Blues Club in Midtown in September, he said.
He gave Tapia $150 for the guitar, he said.