For his next project, Tom DeLonge combines his twin passions for electric guitar and mind expansion – a new Fender signature instrument.
Blink-182 founding member and UFO researcher unveils the Tom DeLonge Starcaster, a semi-hollow, offset guitar built with Seymour Duncan SH-5 pickups.
DeLonge made several changes to the Starcaster, originally released in the 1970s, and tested the guitar on Blink-182's current world tour to support One more time… the pop-punk band's ninth studio album from 2023.
“I love this guitar, I really do. It's the coolest guitar ever made. First, it's called Starcaster—that's the most important thing. It goes into space and expands your mind,” DeLonge comments in a statement.
Among the modifications, “I optimized the electronics, added the '70s headstock to complement the weight, and opted for the matte finish with black hardware so that its appearance matches its modern feel. This guitar shows my evolution as a player, but it also has the characteristics of where I came from and what I do.”
It comes in four finishes and is priced at US$1,199.99.
The Starcaster marks the second time DeLonge has worked on a six-string with Fender, following the release of the Tom DeLonge Stratocaster in 2002, which was re-released when the classic lineup reunited in 2022 due to “unprecedented demand,” a Fender statement said.
One more time… is Blink-182's first album with the group's longtime line-up of drummer Travis Barker, singer/bassist Mark Hoppus and DeLonge since leaving the trio in 2015 for seven years, and the first studio effort from that founding lineup since 2012. Dogs eat dogs ER. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, joining Blink-182's 2016 California (featuring Barker, Hoppus and guitarist/vocalist Matt Skiba) and 2001's Take off your pants and jacket.
During his absence from the band, DeLonge's decades of UFO studies and efforts to publicize sightings were finally recognized when the US Navy officially released three of the clips he had brought to his attention.
Blink-182's North American tour schedule continues from late June, followed by shows in the UK and Europe in August.
