“What an amazing gift. Only years later did I realize he'd dropped my SG and put a crack in the neck”: Why Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard played an obscure Fender model early in his career – and the reason he's picked it up again after two decades

Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie performs at the 2024 All Points East festival at Victoria Park in London, England on August 25, 2024 .

In recent years, Death Cab for Cutie singer, songwriter, and guitarist Ben Gibbard has become synonymous with the Fender Mustang – he's even got his own signature model.

He wasn't a day 1 Mustang adherent, though. In fact, it was only around a decade ago that he fell in love with a Mustang he got in a trade with a friend, and moved the model to the top of his guitar pecking order.