To celebrate the launch of the Joe Strummer Campfire acoustic guitar, Fender has posted a video of Walter Schreifels performing Coma Girl, from Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros‘ 2003 album, Streetcore.
In the video, Schreifels speaks about discovering punk rock and the late Clash frontman Strummer's influence. Schreifels, who made his name in New York hardcore with bands such as Gorilla Biscuits, Youth Of Today and Quicksand, said that The Clash transcended the image of punk's first wave.
“When I first discovered punk rock music, it was through the visual of Jonny Rotten, the Sex Pistols, the Ramones,“ he says. “It's a very visual thing. And The Clash, while they had a cool look, and Joe always had a cool look, it was more the guts of the music that sold it for me.“
The Joe Strummer Campfire acoustic has a compact build with a solid spruce top and mahogany laminate on the top, back and sides. It was inspired by Strummer's fireside jams that became one of the highlights of Glastonbury. Strummerville would keep the music going until dawn, and all were invited.
With its short 24.1“ scale and Slim C profile mahogany neck, the Joe Strummer Campfire is a very approachable instrument that arrives at a time when players are looking for a couch-friendly and portable small-bodied acoustic and the likes of Paul Reed Smith's SE Parlor filling the gap in the market.
With its Fishman pickup and preamp system featuring an onboard tuner plus 2-band EQ, the Joe Strummer Campfire should be as at home on the stage as it is around the fire.
Other cool design features include the Strat-style tilt-back headstock, Modern Viking bridge, and the all matte black finish. The Joe Strummer Campfire acoustic is available now, priced £449 / $499 / €499. See Fender for more details.
Fender has also released a Master Built replica of Strummer's white, Combat Rock-era Esquire, complete with racing stripe and “Bourbon Street” sticker.
Limited to just 70 units worldwide, the Esquire was built by Fender's Jason Smith and is sure to be a holy grail guitar for collectors.
The Esquire features a relic'd two-piece offset seam alder body, a bolt-on maple neck, a single Josephina hand-wound ‘55/’56 bridge pickup, with a three-way switch and ’59 Esquire wiring loom. Also included is a certificate of authenticity and a very cool Anvil case in custom pink with “Strummer” stencilled on the front and leopard print lining within.
The Joe Strummer Esquire is priced at £14,149 / $15,000 / €15,799.
