“The guy in the shop said, ‘This one has the original white finish, so it’ll be worth more.’ I said, ‘Give me the blue one’”: The origins of Chrissie Hynde’s famed Ice Blue Telecaster
From backstage passes to brand deals, lavish freebies can become a common fixture of the rockstar lifestyle. However, not every rocker is drawn in by expensive gear. While Chrissie Hynde has been offered countless free guitars, the Pretenders frontwoman has never been tempted to shelf her Ice Blue Tele.
Speaking to Guitarist, Hynde recalls how she first found her iconic Fender. “I got it in the early days, somewhere in New York City,” she says. “[It was] Manny’s or one of those places… The guy had two Teles and I wanted to get one. One was a blue one and one had the original finish.”
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The store clerk went all-in on the sales pitch, amping up the respective value of each guitar. “The guy in the shop said, ‘well, this white one has the original finish, so it’s going to be worth more,’” she says.
Of course, Hynde didn’t care about the numbers. If anything, the discussion of money put her off the white Tele. “Because I come from a punk mentality – and I really do have it – I don’t like collectors items and all that,” she explains. “[So] I said, ‘give me the blue one.’”
That same punk mentality is one reason why Hynde has never strayed from her Tele.
“In the early days, a guitar company would come and I’d go into a soundcheck and there’d be all these cases open with different guitars,” she says. “[The company would] say, ‘choose one. We’ll give you a guitar.’ I’d be like, ‘no, thanks. I have a guitar.’”
Rather than merely looking a gift horse in the mouth, it’s also a case of guitar loyalty. Hynde’s Tele may not be the most flashy guitar, but it serves her well. “‘But you can have any of these,’ they’d tell me… but I’d always say, ‘no, I’m okay with my guitar,’” she concludes.
Hynde partnered with Fender in 2021 to recapture the energy of her classic ‘65 Tele. The Chrissie Hynde Telecaster signature is available for £1,289.
The post “The guy in the shop said, ‘This one has the original white finish, so it’ll be worth more.’ I said, ‘Give me the blue one’”: The origins of Chrissie Hynde’s famed Ice Blue Telecaster appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
