Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitar, used by Sting: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

1978 Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitar used by Sting. Serial number S908109. The guitar has a black body and a light wood neck. The guitar has 2 knobs for tone and one for volume. There is a patch where the paint has worn on the back from "buckle rash" aka Sting's belt buckle rubbing on the back of the guitar.

Sting (Gordon Sumner) purchased the guitar new at Manny's Music Shop in New York City in early 1979. It was his first professional-quality electric guitar, and it is the instrument with which he wrote the songs for the final four studio albums by his rock band, The Police. The guitar featured in his recordings and rock n roll performances in the United States, as well as when collaborating with some of the most significant jazz musicians of their day, including Branford Marsalis, Kenny Kirkland, and Darryl Jones. The guitar featured prominently on Sting's solo U.S. tours during the mid-late 1980s with this ensemble, and it features in "Bring on the Night," the 1985 documentary that probes his work with American jazz musicians.

Rock star Sting organizes and performs at benefit concerts for such causes as human rights and rainforest conservation. He joins many American celebrities in contributing their talent and star power for causes.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1978
• user: Sting
• maker: Fender Musical Instruments Corporation
• Object Name: guitar
• Physical Description: wood (overall material)
• Physical Description: metal (overall material)
• Physical Description: plastic (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 39 in x 12 1/2 in x 4 1/2 in; 99.06 cm x 31.75 cm x 11.43 cm
• ID Number: 2017.0255.01
• accession number: 2017.0255
• catalog number: 2017.0255.01
• serial number: S908109
• Credit Line: Gift of G. M. Sumner
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.