A Tribute To Joe Strummer's Fender Telecaster Guitar
This site is dedicated to the memory of Joe Strummer, his music, and the means he used to create this music: Joe Strummer's incredible 1966 Fender Telecaster.
I saw the Clash in 1982, when I was just 17 years old. (JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, Sept. 25, 1982.) The Clash's music transformed me, and it has stayed with me throughout my life. I reconnected with Joe Strummer and his music near the end of his life in 2002, and I was deeply saddened by his passing at the age of 50. Joe Strummer inspired me to learn to play the guitar and then, almost 25 years later, to commission the creation of this Telecaster in his memory.
This guitar is a faithful reproduction of Joe Strummer's 1966 Fender Telecaster. Every detail of Joe's Tele was painstakingly researched and recreated here. More details and pictures will be posted soon. Enjoy.
By the way, the credit for building the guitar goes to Billy Rowe of Rock N' Roll Relics (www.rocknrollrelics.net). Thanks Billy!
The Fender Custom Shop introduced a Joe Strummer "Tribute" Telecaster at the Summer 2007 NAMM Show. The guitar is the work of pop artist Shepard Fairey, a/k/a "Obey Giant." I have seen photos of several prototypes and the final product. Frankly, I am not impressed. I think it's awful. While I appreciate the effort of anybody paying tribute to Joe Strummer, I believe the Fender/Fairey guitar misses the mark by a wide margin.
This calls for a "public service announcement, with guitars!"
I spent a lot of hours researching Joe Strummer's iconic Telecaster for this project. We tried to incorporate as much detail into the final guitar as possible. I have compiled this research into an article that is published on the Evolution of a Legend page on this web site for those that are interested in learning about the evolution of Joe Strummer's guitar from 1966 to 2002. For those who follow the DIY work ethic, you may use this research to build your own tribute to this great musician.
