We hinted about it back in October, but now it’s official: Fender has announced its Andy Summers Tribute Telecaster, a replica of Summers’ heavily-modified ‘61 Tele, which he apparently bought in the ’70s for a staggering $200 ;)
The guitar will be produced in a limited run of just 250 instruments, the first of which is expected to be played by Summers when the Police reunite for next week’s Grammy Awards (Feb 11.)
The Andy Summers Tribute Telecaster will feature the same mods as the original, including a “ferocious” humbucker at the neck, a body-mounted bridge pickup, a mini-toggle phase switch, pre-amp with mini-toggle on/off switch, rear-mounted overdrive unit (with controller knob below the standard volume & tone controls,) soft bridge pieces (brass,) and a set of Schaller tuners.
The guitar will also sport an alder body, maple neck, and meticulously recreated nicks, dings, and scratches to match Summers’ incredibly lived-in instrument.
The photos above show a comparison of the original Telecaster (right, from Andy Summers’ website,) and the new Fender Andy Summers Tribute Tele (left, photo by Takashi Sato.) There’s no telling what the price will be like on this baby, but at just 250 units I think we can assume it will be safely out of range for mere mortals and starving artists.
Damn…
- You Heard It Here: Andy Summers Telecaster In The Works
- Lovepedal’s New Eternity Overdrive Getting Some Pretty Rave Reviews
- Fender Andy Summers Tribute Telecaster
- Fender Introduces Stevie Ray Vaughan “Lenny” Tribute Stratocaster
- Fender Developing Elvis Costello Signature Jazzmaster
- Short But Sweet Video Demo Of The Love Pedal Eternity Overdrive
- Fender Introduces The Vintage Hot Rod ‘52 Telecaster
- Your Chance To Win A Customized Fender Joe Strummer Telecaster
- Fender Unveils G.E. Smith Signature Telecaster
- Fender ’60s Telecaster With Bigsby – Twang With A Twist
- Price Drop! Fender’s Telecaster Blackout HH
- Sleek New Look: Fender’s Aerodyne Telecaster
February 7th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
Here we go again with the replicas. Man, if you were rich you could develop quite the replica collection these days.
I wonder what Summers cut of the sale is… probably pretty good.
February 7th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
Yeah, it’s an interesting craze, and one that I doubt will be going away any time soon…
When I voiced my misgivings about the $24,000 ‘Blackie’ Strat I got some pretty incredulous responses––people were just about ready to hand over their first-born to get a replica of Clapton’s guitar.
I don’t get it at all, though I have to admit that I love the aesthetics of the Andy Summers Tele… it just looks so comfortable and worn-in.
February 7th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
That is a funny thing eh… despite it being all beat up, your first impression is it probably sounds and plays amazingly well.