Designed in cooperation with the Strummer estate, the guitar has a highly distressed “road-worn” treatment that duplicates the original’s worn-to-the-wood layers of gray auto primer and flat black spray paint. It also features a “Revolution Rock” engraved neckplate and a limited edition art customization kit that evokes Strummer’s vibrant DIY ethic.
When Strummer bought it in 1975 for £120 [me: that was a shitton of money], the guitar had a Three-color Sunburst finish. He was having none of that, of course, but his improvised DIY gray and black “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 [of Obama “HOPE” fame] collaborated on the new guitar’s limited edition Joe Strummer Telecaster customization kit, which includes stencils and stickers inspired by the custom designs Strummer decorated many of his instruments with. The kit comes in a classic 12” album cover featuring graphics by Fairey and photography by Bob Gruen and will accompany the first 1,500 guitars.
