Come on Fender! When are you going to start making these?

I'm not being funny, but in my eyes Mr. Townshend has done his fair share for the world of music in his lifetime. He has also played Fender guitars for a large percentage of his career.

It just seems strange when I look at the other artists Fender has paid tribute to e.g. SRV, John Mayer, Eric Johnson, Yngwie Malmsteen, Dave Murray etc.

I appreciate that not everybody will be a fan of Townshend or The Who, but in my opinion, the type of Strat that Townshend uses nowadays (with a Piezo etc) would be a practical bit of kit!

What does everybody else think?

Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't he (now) predominantly use a Clapton Signature Strat with a Piezo? Further, if anything, I would equate him in the Who's heyday with an SG Special which Gibson already made a signature model out of. YMMV.

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You dig?

Yes Pete uses an Eric Clapton model with a modification for an acoustic sound option. Funnily enough i was watching his tech explaining about this yesterday.

Probably no need to give him a sig strat when he uses eric's model, though you never know. Very interesting modification allowing him to mix the acoustic sound with his electric sound onstage.

Check this out this will explain it all!

http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/guitar/fenderecstrat.html

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Luck won't do it and ignorance can't

George Van Eps.

Yes, he does use a modified Eric Clapton signature, but I wouldn't say on this basis that he doesn't deserve one. You could just as easily say 'Why did Fender bother making an Eric Clapton Stratocaster'? After all, is that not just a black Stratocaster with a V-shaped neck and fancy hardware?

Pete Townshend used Stratocasters largely from 1964-1968, then from 1989 -present. Roughly 26 years in total! But I suppose people only seem to want things like the Deryck Whibley Telecaster!

I know what you mean about the Gibson S.G. It is a rather iconic image.

I just think that a Stratocaster with Townshend's modifications could be a useful tool for the modern guitarist.

Hey Joe ( ): I think that bit of your post is the most important.

Even as a life-long Who fan I have no interest in a Townshend Sig as such - or anyone else's Sig. But I think the justification for signature models is when they contain specs that make them useful additions to the catalog in their own right. So never mind Clapton or Beck's names attached to their Strats; those are worthwhile instruments simply in terms of the spec sheet they offer to the player.

And that could definitely be said of Townshend's guitar too. As we know, it started life as one of his own Strats that Eric gave Pete, but the addition of the piezo with that blend knob takes it onto new territory. And unique territory as far as Fender's range is concerned - but handily a feature set that has been very popular with other makers recently. I've lost track of the guitars I've read about in the guitar press offering magnetic-piezo hybrids. Time Fender caught up with that, I'd have thought.

Also, it's a nice shade of red Pete has on many of his Strats...

I seem to recall Mike Eldred said a PT Sig was somewhere on their to-do list. That was about a year or more ago, so...

Just for shucks, here's Townshend playing his Strat last time I saw him, back in January this year (cancer charity gig, Hammersmith Apollo):



Cheers - C

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Well he deserves his own sig model more than some that have been given them, but i mean what would you call it? it's not really a Pete Townsend sig, it's an Eric Clapton model with a modification, does that qualify for having a completely separate model? maybe, i suppose it's just down to individual opinion, i don't think it warrants a PT sig. If you already have a Clapton strat you could get that mod done fairly easily yourself.

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Luck won't do it and ignorance can't

George Van Eps.

Fender won't make anything they have to put Laces in.

I've seen a 2004 CS "Blackie" fitted with the Fishman Powerbridge which was supposedly commissioned by Eric Clapton for his 2004 world tours. Doc described the guitar as the "acoustic signature" prototype, however Eric never used it live and in the studio.

Not true.

The Custom Shop does make Clapton Strats with Lace Sensors at customer's request. Eric occasionally uses Lace-equipped "Blackies" for slide playing.

It's a great idea the fishman thing and definitely increases the versatility of the guitar, Pete says he can get almost a Gibson J200 acoustic sound using it and routing it to a separate dedicated amp.

I think it sounds a great idea but i'm just thinking would fender make that as a PT sig model when really it's a Clapton with a minor tweak?

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Luck won't do it and ignorance can't

George Van Eps.

Hi Gorgon: but then nearly every signature model is just a Strat with a minor tweak. (Or a Tele or a P-Bass or... etc.)

Some tweaks are more worthwhile than others.

Cheers - C

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It was close on two years ago when Mike Eldred said about the Townsend signature guitar.

One thing to consider with any signature guitar line is that it has nothing to do with deserving or earning the right to have a signature line. Whether the guitar is a wild, mad scientist's idea of a Strat or just a humble '55 with a three way switch and a off center neck.

It comes down to how many records you sell and how many people are going to see you play a Fender guitar.

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No no and no

Like I say, how many hundreds of thousands of people will have seen The Who? He must be one of the best adverts for the company there is. I also have it on good authority that he may have sold a record or two in his time...

Well if that's what it comes down to then Pete must be a cast iron certainty for a sig model, i await the result.

It would be cool though to have that mod built into a strat, just switch instantly between acoustic and electric, or mix the two.

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Luck won't do it and ignorance can't

George Van Eps.

You know it is...

All these rock stars care about is moolah. All Fender care about is selling guitars.
It don't take a gene splicer to get the two to work it out.

Lets hope that Pete keeps the sales up and Fender release the guitar. I've been waiting for nigh on two years for it.

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No no and no