Deryck Whibley recently recovered his long-lost mid-’70s Gibson Marauder – now, he has his eyes set on another guitar he gave up earlier in his career: a pewter grey Fender Tele, currently housed at a Hard Rock Cafe in Florida.
“I gave this unique color guitar to the Hard Rock Cafe after owning it for only a few short years during the Does This Look Infected? era,” he wrote on Instagram.
“Back in 2003, I had just started playing Fender and only had one black Telecaster, but needed a backup. We were on the road in the US when I asked them if they could send me out something quick.
“I never specified any particular color or style, I just said I needed something fast. A few weeks later, this pewter grey Telecaster showed up. I fell in love with it immediately.”
Whibley recalls how he “went to town” decorating it with various stickers – including Death to the Pixies and Elvis memorabilia – after trying (and failing) to light it on fire the same way he did with his Les Pauls. “The finish just didn’t burn up the same way so I just threw some stickers on it instead.”
This guitar also played a crucial role for Whibley and Sum 41, making its way to the MTV Awards in Miami, as well as the music video for Little Know It All, the Iggy Pop feat. Sum 41 track released as part of 2003's Skull Ring record.
“We were all up really late the night before the MTV Awards shooting the music video,” Whibley says of that surreal experience. “I was so exhausted that whole day of the award show. But when it came time to get on stage, I couldn’t help but light up from the electricity of Iggy Pop’s energy and performance.”
He continues, “Even back then we recognized the gravity of what we were doing. It was wild to actually be playing as his band at this time.
“Singing a song that we wrote together. Playing Little Know It All, and then Iggy’s classic song Lust For Life was one of the great musical experiences of my life. I am forever grateful it worked out the way it did.”
Fast-forward to 2025, and the nostalgia the guitar elicits has led Whibley to make an appeal to get his treasured instrument back...
“I do miss this guitar! Hard Rock Cafe can we work something out?”
The guitar isn't Whibley's only link to a rock icon. Last year, he played Steve Jones' Sex Pistols Les Paul at Sum 41's final European show, while he also bought the ’68 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop used on some of Ozzy Osbourne, Hole, Korn and Social Distortion’s most iconic recordings.
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