Fender Wilko Johnson Signature Telecaster

Fender announces the availability of the Wilko Johnson Telecaster, a tribute to the UK guitarist sold exclusively in Europe.

This guitar is built to the specifications of the Dr Feelgood guitarist, in celebration of his influence to modern punk and new wave guitarists.

This new signature guitar makes the distinctive look, feel and sound of Wilko's Telecaster available for European guitarists to play with. This is accomplished by using hardware approved by Wilko himself, along with the distinctive black and red theme as found on the instruments that he uses.

The guitar comes with an alder body finished in black polyester. A one-ply red pickguard serves as a bright contrast to the black finish, and gives the guitar its identity as a Wilko Johnson approved instrument.

The guitar's maple neck is carved into a "C" shape profile and topped with a rosewood fingerboard. It has a scale length of 25.5", a nut width of 1.65" and a fingerboard radius of 7.25", with a total of 21 frets.

Pickup configuration follows the traditional Tele route, featuring two Vintage-Style Single Coil Pickups. The pickups are accompanied by straightforward controls - a master volume knob a tone knob, and a 3 way pickup selector. All the other hardware come in chrome finish, including its 3-saddle vintage-style string-through-body bridge and tuning machines.

Fender had this to say about Wilko Johnson: "With his electrifying proto-punk Telecaster chops, angular onstage swagger and pre-Lydon thousand-yard stare, Wilko Johnson is a venerable, influential and unmistakable U.K. guitar hero. With pub rock institution Dr. Feelgood, Johnson was an original ’70s-era architect of the bridge from no-nonsense Brit R&B to snarling high-energy punk. His percussively choppy finger-style work on his early-’60s Telecaster furiously fused rhythm and lead parts, inspiring a new generation of iconoclastic U.K. punk, new wave and post-punk guitarists."

Wilko was quoted saying: “I have been working closely with Fender on the details of my signature Tele. It's great to know people will be able to play an instrument just like the one that has served me so well throughout my career."

Aside from being the guitarist for Dr Feelgood, Johnson also starred in the hit TV series Game of Thrones. Early this year, Johnson announced that he was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. He said that he will not be seeking treatment, and he announced a series of farewell gigs.

This signature guitar is currently being sold online for £501.00, it comes with extras that include two photos and facsimiles of the notebook pages on which Johnson penned Dr. Feelgood hits “She Does it Right,” “Back in the Night” and “Roxette.” For more information on the Wilko Johnson Signature Telecaster, visit Fender.

Related Articles:
Best Electric Guitars Under $1000
Fender Classic Player Triple Tele
Graham Coxon Telecaster
Fender Rosewood Telecaster
Fender American Telecaster Rustic Ash
Suhr Classic T Antique

Build your own Signature Guitar with one of these electric guitar kits.