Blink-182 guitarist Tom DeLonge made fans demand Fender to reissue the highly sought-after Stratocaster after the rocker shared the first look of his signature guitar.
DeLonge hinted at his Fender return in December when he uploaded a picture of his new Starcaster electric guitar made by the California guitar giant. The instrument features eye candy stickers with a semi-hollow design, helping him announce that it was a "work in progress."
After hyping fans with his Starcaster, he led everyone to demand that Fender release Stratocaster two decades after its production stopped.
Will Fender Release Stratocaster Again?
On DeLonge's Instagram page, the Blink-182 guitarist shared a two-snap photoset showing him as he holds his signature Daphne Blue model of Fender Stratocaster. The new update sparked rumors about the guitar giant re-releasing the instrument following its initial production in 1999 to 2004.
One commented, "I'm so excited, the anticipation has been building for months over on Reddit and now it's happening, can't wait @fender can you get an official preorder up and running please!!!"
"Is it coming back to production?!?" another wrote. "I can finally have one??! PLEASE!"
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DeLonge notably used Starcasters throughout his Blink-182 career before his recent return, during which he always posed with his old Fender Strats before leaving the guitar giant for Gibson in 2003.
According to Reverb, the made-in-Mexico guitar included a single Seymour Duncan Invader humbucker, oversized '70s Strat headstock, and hardtail bridge Fender launched in 1999 for $500. The used examples nowadays sell for $2,000, the online marketplace confirmed.
Fender is yet to confirm whether it plans to reissue DeLonge's Strat Artist Series model, but one guitarist could no longer wait for it that he designed his own Fender Starcaster.
Tom DeLonge's Fender Starcaster Recreated
Blink-182 fans spotted DeLonge using his custom Fender guitar during the band's appearance at the Coachella Festival 2023. While the guitar giant also did not share its plans at that time, a YouTuber and guitarist built his own using a Squier Starcaster model.
Mark Gutierrez documented the process and uploaded the video on YouTube, showing his masterpiece, which followed the designs of DeLonge's custom models. He garnered praise from fans for the guitar's on-point inlays on the neck and the guitarist's woodworking skills, following DeLonge's Starcaster distinctive design and its one Seymour Duncan humbucker pickup feature.
Gutierrez completed his self-made Fender guitar by putting DeLonge's stickers from Kazakhstan via Etsy on the instrument.
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