Johnstone Band, formed in 1834, were struggling to get replacements in time for their gig welcoming the torch after thieves broke into their Renfrewshire hall and took a haul of instruments.
Amongst the £70,000 worth of kit stolen from the hall in Campbell Street, Johnstone, were four bass horns, three euphoniums, a tenor horn, three cornets, two baritone horns and three trombones.
The thieves even took four bells from a set of tubular bells.
Band manager Clare Thomas said: "To replace these instruments second-hand is going to cost between £20,000 and £30,000. To replace them with new instruments it's going to be £70,000, so we're obviously gutted.
"The sad thing is they took the instruments but not the cases, which suggests they're thinking of trying to scrap them.
"They're only worth about £2.60 a kilo as scrap."
But the devastated band were thrown a lifeline when Olympic sponsor EDF Energy stepped in to provide replacement instruments.
A spokesman for the company said: "We heard of the band's plight and offered them assistance to ensure that they can play at the Olypmic Torch event in Lochwinnoch."
Clare added: "There was no way we were going to miss the chance to play when the Olympic torch arrived."
ewan.fergus@ eveningtimes.co.uk
