THE MAKEOVER
This guitar initially started out with a 3-Color Sunburst finish, but as Strummer, Paul Simonen and Mick Jones came together to form The Clash, the aesthetics of the group changed, which brought an all-black paint job to the instrument, in addition to stencil work and several decals.
As The Clash gained more of a worldwide audience on the heels of early albums like Give ’Em Enough Rope and London Calling, the Black began to give way to the Sunburst. Plus, the original three-saddle ashtray bridge was switched out for a six-saddle version and a second string tree was added.
To celebrate Strummer’s legendary contributions to not only the music of the '70s, '80s, and '90s, but also the punk and hardcore we hear today, Fender is releasing the Joe Strummer Signature Telecaster, a faithfully recreated model that captures his rebellious musical sensibilities and injected The Clash’s songs into the political urgency of the era.