1961 Fender Telecaster (sunburst)
| Fender Telecaster | |
|---|---|
| Artist: | Andy Summers |
| Band or ensemble: | Kevin Coyne / Kevin Ayers / The Police |
| Time gear used: | YYYY - 1986 |
Contents
Introduction
Andy Summers bought his 1961 Fender Telecaster from a guitar student in Los Angeles in the early Seventies for just $200.
Gear breakdown
Most modifications to the original Fender Telecaster were already there when Andy bought the guitar:
- Gibson Humbucker pickup
- mini-toggle phase switch
- preamp on/off mini-toggle switch
- rear-mounted overdrive unit controlled by a third knob
When he performed with Kevin Coyne the tuners on the Telecaster were still the originals. By the time he performed with The Police Andy had them replaced with Schallers, probably during his Kevin Ayers period.
During The Police times Andy Summers made even more changes to his guitar:
- For the first years up until at least 1978-03-12 Andy played the guitar with its original 3-saddle bridge with raised sides. Photos from October 1978 up until 1979-02-06 show Andy playing the Telecaster with a Fender 6-saddle bridge with raised sides. At the 1979-02-21 Hatfield concert he already played the guitar with a flat brass bridge with its pickup mounted in the guitar's body.
- Andy added a second string tree on the guitar headstock shortly before the Reading festival on 1979-08-24.
Quotations and trivia
This section needs more information. Include any quotes of interest from the artist on the use of this gear or anything else of relevance.
See also
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External links
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References and footnotes
sources:
- when the replica was built Fender themselves described Andy's original guitar as a 1961 model
- Andy and others weren't so sure - the guitar was described as being from 1961 or 1963 in various magazines and books
- Rolling Stone - February 18, 1982 (mentions Andy bought the 1963 Telecaster for $200 from a guy he was teaching)
