1961 Fender Stratocaster

The red-finished 1961 Fender Stratocaster was an electric guitar used by Andy Summers - this was his second-most used guitar with The Police, after the Fender Telecaster custom. It was fitted with a rosewood neck and three stock Fender pickups.

Gear history
In his One Train Later memoir, Andy distinctly remembers buying this Fender Stratocaster at a guitar store in Austin, Texas for about $400. Dates-wise, this likely falls on around 31 October 1979 when The Police did concerts there. It wasn't long after that he began to use it live: the earliest documented appearance in photos dates to the 10 November 1979 concert at Brookie's Club 870 in Detroit, Michigan. But only for the next year or so he'd use it for the odd song or two on stage while the Fender Telecaster custom was played on the rest.

However, by the time of Ghost In The Machine he started playing the Stratocaster more than the Telecaster: the latter didn't seem to sound as great in the studio as it did live, hence the change. The Strat is responsible for the tone on songs such as "Demolition Man" and (most significantly) "Every Breath You Take".

After The Police, he continued to use the guitar for solo projects, as well as work with Robert Fripp.

Since 2007, Andy's been using a signature replica of the '61 Stratocaster.