ANDY SUMMERS

There are few guitarists who have achieved world domination without a catalogue of memorable solos behind them, but as one third of The Police, this is exactly what Andy Summers managed. Characterised by restraint, shimmering tones and lots of tasty sus2 and add9 chords, Summers’ sound is unique, albeit understated. With rock posturing off the cards for this player, you might expect him to have a slightly vanilla taste in guitars. On the contrary, his most iconic axe is a wonderful freak: a 1961 Telecaster Custom with maple neck and

Gibson humbucker in the neck position. It also has a built-in preamp and overdrive unit, which at one time was Sellotaped to the back, and powered by a 9 volt battery. In addition, the Tele has a switch to place the bridge pickup out of phase with the neck pickup, resulting in ethereal sonic possibilities. Summers didn’t mod his Tele himself - he bought it that way in the early 70s, and in various interviews has suggested that regular Telecasters aren’t really his thing. Perhaps it was fate, then, that this guitar and this guitarist met, and together alchemised an instantly recognisable sound.