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Just when we thought Tom DeLonge’s new custom Fender Starcasters couldn’t get any more extraterrestrial, luthier Brian Thrasher has gone and unveiled a dazzling version of the semi-hollow electric guitar featuring actual meteorite dust.
In a new Instagram post, Thrasher – who has been behind all of the UFO-keen Blink-182 guitarist’s custom semi-hollows thus far – has shared photos of the mind-blowing build, revealing, “We mixed actual ‘star dust’ aka meteorite dust into the finish. Probably a first in guitars.”
“I collect meteorites and saved the dust when facing them,” he continued. “The dust has Lunar, Martian and Carbonaceous meteorites. The sides and back were torched like a meteor coming through the atmosphere.”
It’s a jaw-dropping finish, and one we’re unlikely to see replicated anytime soon. That said, we would bet serious money on a Tom DeLonge Starcaster becoming a full-time production model, given Fender’s official Instagram account also shared a behind-the-scenes look at the guitar – the first time DeLonge’s new signatures have appeared on the account.
Intriguingly, in a post from DeLonge himself, he reveals that the design was originally drawn up for his old Gibson ES-333, before Fender brought it to life on the Starcaster.
The guitars are all spec’d with an oversized ’70s Strat headstock, Seymour Duncan SH-5 overwound PAF-style humbucker and Gotoh tune-o-matic bridge, while Fender Custom Shop Master Builder Ron Thorn is behind the Blink-182 smiley inlays.
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Eight custom designs will be produced, along with the initial run of Shoreline Gold, Flat White, Shell Pink and Surf Green-finished guitars, resulting in 12 in total.
Mike has been Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com since 2019, and an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict for far longer. He has been writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist for over 15 years, and recording and performing in original and function bands for two decades-plus. During his career, he has interviewed everyone from John Frusciante to Chris Cornell, Matt Bellamy and Billy Corgan. His writing also appears in The Cambridge Companion to the Electric Guitar. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock as Maebe.
