Thieves in Toronto threw a spanner into Whitehorse band Sanktuary's heavy metal works Friday, robbing the local rockers of several vintage guitars and other equipment worth more than $10,000.

"We've already missed out on two gigs and we're going to play our next shows in Montreal with borrowed gear,” bassist Cole Hume told the Star from Toronto this morning, describing the theft's fallout during the band's "one way tour” to Halifax, where the musicians plan to relocate.

According to Hume, things were "going awesome” three weeks into the tour, and he and his fellow members, including drummer Anders Grasholm and guitarists Alan Binger and Glen Emond, were having a great time. That is, until their van was stolen from a downtown Toronto parkade after Sanktuary played the Hard Luck Café, now an apt description of the band's current lot.

"The cops found the van the next day, only five blocks away parked in an alley and emptied it out,” said Cole.

Two Gibson guitars – a vintage 1978 Explorer and a rare black on black SG – were among the missing axes, as well as two bass guitars; a signature Geddy Lee Fender Jazz and an extremely rare 1973 Rickenbacker 4001 with maple finish.

"I nearly cried when I found out that was gone,” said Hume of his prized possession.

Clothing, effects pedals, a digital camera and other gear were also missing.

While police recovered Sanktuary's wheels – still containing "half Grasholm's drum kit”, the bass amp and a guitar cabinet – the band remains guitar-less and much like Def Leppard's sophomore album title, High and Dry.

This morning, family and friends of the hard rockers opened a Sanktuary Assistance Fund at the Royal Bank in Whitehorse, and over the weekend, one local fan donated $500 to help put Sanktuary back on the road.

"We were like, ‘we can't believe people are doing that back home, that's incredible,' so we're hugely appreciative,” Hume said of the help the band has thus far received.

Despite Sanktuary's predicament, the group intends to forge on to Halifax and continue its rock'n'roll duty on a quest for bigger and better things.

"I think it was time to get out of the Yukon, for more exposure, and we just heard so many good things about Halifax,” Hume explained of the move.

The band recently released its new demo Black Magic Brew.