SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (July 12, 2007) – The legacy of late punk rock legend Joe Strummer continues to live on with the release of Fender’s new Joe Strummer Telecaster guitar. Designed with the guidance of the Strummer estate, the guitar features a distressed, road-worn treatment, a “Revolution Rock” engraved neckplate and a limited edition art customization kit. The Joe Strummer Telecaster will be available at music product retailers worldwide beginning July 2007.
Joe Strummer (1952-2002) was co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead singer of the seminal British punk rock band the Clash. He later founded, recorded and toured with the Mescaleros. Throughout his life, Strummer vigorously championed individuality, self-expression and change – tenets often reflected in the constantly altered look of his favorite and most recognizable instrument – the Telecaster.
The Joe Strummer Telecaster is modeled after the ’66 Telecaster Strummer played through most of his career. Although the guitar’s appearance changed often, it was a fairly standard ’60s-era Telecaster with all the original parts and specifications.
When Strummer bought it in 1975 for £120, the instrument had a three-color sunburst finish, but he soon had it sprayed with gray primer at a London auto shop, and then later added a coat of black paint. These new “finishes” deteriorated quickly, giving the guitar its distinctive look. Like Strummer’s music, the battered guitar changed constantly – plastered as it was with stencils, stickers and new paint jobs through the many stages of Strummer’s life and career.
To celebrate Strummer’s fierce sense of individuality, Fender and acclaimed artist Shepard Fairey collaborated on the new guitar’s special Joe Strummer Telecaster Customization kit, which includes stencils and stickers inspired by the custom designs with which Strummer decorated his instruments. This collectable album art set is a limited edition companion to the first 1,500 guitars.
For more information, please fender.com/joestrummer.
