The Police guitarist Andy Summers has never been shy about integrating his acclaimed work as a photographer into his music - often, during his recent solo shows, performing against a backdrop of his photographs.
We've never seen him combine his twin artistic passions quite like this, though, as he teams up with the Fender Custom Shop and Leica Camera for the Fender Andy Summers Monochrome Strat, and boy is it a visual doozy.
Crafted by Fender Custom Shop Masterbuilder Dennis Galuszka, the Strat is custom-wrapped with a collage of monochrome photos taken by Summers with his Leica M cameras.
Specs-wise, the guitar has a two-piece select alder body with a NOS urethane finish. The one-piece riftsawn maple neck has a 63 C- shaped profile, and a 7.25”-radius fingerboard with 21 medium-vintage frets, plus a nifty red camera dot inlay at the 15th fret.
Sonically, the Strat packs three hand-wound Custom Shop ‘60s Strat pickups with Vintage Modified #2 wiring and Leica-style volume and tone knobs.
Elsewhere, the guitar features Summers' signature engraved on the neck plate, a custom Clear pickguard and back plate, an American Vintage synchronized tremolo, bone nut and wing string tree. It also includes a deluxe hardshell case, custom strap and Certificate of Authenticity.
As you might imagine, the Andy Summers Monochrome Strat is no budget electric guitar, ringing up at $12,500.
For more info on the guitar, head on over to fendercustomshop.com.
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