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XENIA — The estate of Chuck Malavazos has enlisted the Greene County Sheriff's Office and a Franklin-based guitar expert to find out what happened to an electric guitar worth as much as $500,000.

The "double-humbucker" 1959 Gibson Les Paul Custom, was last seen at Malavazos' Xenia home in October, according to a sheriff's office report.

"It's the Holy Grail of guitars," said Bill Archer, a local guitar builder, dealer and player. "It's one of the most valuable guitars in existence."

Malavazos, 51, was in hospice before his death Nov. 7. The instrument was last seen in his home on Winding Trail about Oct. 1, according to a sheriff's office report filed Dec. 1 by sister Cherylle "Angie" Malavazos.

"I don't know if we're ever going to get it back," she said Friday from her home in Palm Desert, Calif.

According to dealers and the Gibson Web site, Gibson Guitar produced instruments like Malavazos' only from 1958 to 1960 and their popularity skyrocketed after rock stars like Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page began playing them. Humbucker refers to two metal devices designed to counteract hum while the instrument is played.

Already valuable, the market for these instruments doubled in the past year, dealers said.

Malavazos' instrument is particularly valuable because of its relatively mint condition and the distinctive flaming maple grain shooting in both directions from the center of the guitar's body.

"It's like a fingerprint," Archer said.

Malavazos is the son of Nick Malavazos, founder of Nick's, a popular Xenia restaurant. When he was a teenager, his mother bought him the guitar, his sister said. Malavazos held onto the guitar for almost 40 years, despite repeated inquiries from prospective buyers.