Tom DeLonge is posing with what looks like a possible reissue of his signature Fender Strat

Tom DeLonge holding a signature Fender Strat
(Image credit: Tom DeLonge / Instagram)

Were we getting ahead of ourselves with all this signature Starcaster talk? Because it looks like Fender might be planning to release a different Tom DeLonge model first; a reissue of his original Strat Artist Series model.

Why else would the Blink-182 guitarist pose so suggestively with what looks like a new one on his Instagram for his 1.2 million followers? 

Consistently popular, just like the band, second-hand prices of DeLonge's signature Strat have been healthy / inflated since the original Mexican-made Fenders were discontinued two decades ago. We saw one today on Ebay for £2,000 in the UK and another on Reverb for $5,800! The situation has lead many fans to mod their own versions of the one pickup (a Seymour Duncan Invader humbucker) / one volume knob Strats. Is Fender about to offer them the real deal again? 

Moreover, that a Daphne or Sonic Blue finish DeLonge is holding? The light can be deceiving but we're going with Daphne, and the original run was offered in that finish too. 

So is it coming back, or is just this a custom shop model for touring? Well, judging from Justin Norvell's wink wink / nudge nudge response to us when questioned about DeLonge plans in our interview with him last year, we think it's the former. Watch this space!

Rob Laing
Reviews Editor, GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars

Rob is the Reviews Editor for GuitarWorld.com and MusicRadar guitars, so spends most of his waking hours (and beyond) thinking about and trying the latest gear while making sure our reviews team is giving you thorough and honest tests of it. He's worked for guitar mags and sites as a writer and editor for nearly 20 years but still winces at the thought of restringing anything with a Floyd Rose.