Since Tom DeLonge returned to the Fender fold back in December, all eyes have been on the company releasing a production version of the new highly customized Starcaster design that has accompanied the guitarist on Blink-182’s mammoth world tour. And while that could still be in the pipeline, we’re wondering if there’s another collaboration coming.
Yesterday (July 13), DeLonge shared a photo of himself holding his signature Fender Stratocaster – a guitar that has been out of production for nearly 20 years – accompanied by a sunglasses emoji.
The Daphne Blue model in his hands is remarkably clean – a little too clean for a guitar produced between 1999 to 2004, unless it’s new old stock. And the fact the guitar is color-coordinated to DeLonge’s backwards cap… Well, it certainly smells of a professional photoshoot.
Given DeLonge has been relying on Starcasters for Blink-182’s entire run and has rarely, if ever, been photographed with his old Strats since he left Fender for Gibson in 2003, the photo has already got fans salivating.
Excited cries of “it’s back!” and “shut up and take my money!” dominate the comments section, and a quick scan of used prices reveals why.
Famed for its no-nonsense setup – comprising a single Seymour Duncan Invader humbucker, hardtail bridge and oversized ’70s Strat headstock – the made-in-Mexico model was first launched around the $500 mark in 1999 (one of GW’s own writers bought his for the princely sum of £577), and current used examples now sell for around $2,000, according to Reverb.
Indeed, the DeLonge Stratocaster’s cult status has grown in the decades since it was discontinued, more recently giving rise to a budget single-humbucker Squier Sonic Stratocaster and even a PRS Silver Sky mod dubbed the John DeLonge.
It would be a smart move on Fender’s part to revive the model – although given the cheapest made-in-Mexico Strat is currently $849, we’d imagine a price tag around the $1,000 mark (which would still weigh in at half the price of current used examples).
A Stratocaster reissue would be a nice way to tee up a signature Starcaster release down the line, too – even if a production model is unlikely to feature actual meteorite dust in its finish.
That’s all the info we have to go on so far, but we’ll bring you any further developments on new Tom DeLonge models as they happen.
