Our Andy Summers Tribute T-Type is our faithful take on the fantastically idiosyncratic guitar made famous by Summers himself—used extensively during his time with The Police and well beyond. Believed to have been bought already modded, Summers loved the guitar for its feel and range of tones—and so do we.
Overview
This build replicates many of the eccentric features that make the original so distinctive, right down to the active boost and the famously cracked bridge plate. It’s built for players who appreciate vintage tone with a twist and aren’t afraid of a few extra switches.
Despite appearances, the controls are straightforward:
- Standard Volume, Tone, and 3-way pickup selector
- Mini-toggle #1: Phase reversal (active when both pickups are engaged) – delivers a nasal, honky tone heard across many classic tracks
- Mini-toggle #2: Activates the active preamp – a gain boost with a pronounced midrange push, especially dramatic when used with the out-of-phase setting
- Third pot (below control plate): Preamp boost level control
Specs
Model: Andy Summers Tribute T-Type
Body: Two-piece, double-bound alder
Neck: One-piece maple
Neck Profile: Slim “C” shape
Neck Dimensions: 21.6mm @ 1st fret → 24.5mm @ 12th fret
Nut Width: 41.5mm
Radius: 7.25"
Fret Size: 6230 Vintage Small
Frets: 21
Finish: All nitrocellulose, heavily aged three-tone sunburst
Pickguard: Aged parchment 3-ply
Bridge: Armadillo brass six-saddle, aged with replicated crack from pickup cavity to edge
Tuners: Ultra-rare Schaller dual-mount (original-era correct)
Pickups:
- Neck: Eternal hand-wound PAF Replica
- Bridge: Eternal custom-wound ’60s single coil with plain enamel wire and black string wrap – mounted directly to the body, just like the original
Electronics:
- CTS 250k brass collar volume & tone pots
- Orange Drop capacitor
- CRL 3-way switch
- Switchcraft jack
- Phase-reversal mini-toggle
- Preamp activation mini-toggle
- Boost control via third pot on lower bout
Nut: Hand-cut bone
Strings: Ernie Ball Slinky 9–46
Case: Vintage-style hard case included
Behind the Build
- The original guitar’s rare Schaller dual-mount tuners are no longer in production, but through a mix of luck and persistence, we sourced two original sets.
- The bridge pickup is body-mounted, omitting height screws, just as on Summers’ original.
- The brass bridge (likely originally a Schecter part) is sourced from the exceptional folks at Armadillo Guitar in Texas and aged by hand—complete with a replica of the iconic crack.
- The neck is a vintage-correct slim C, with small frets and lacquered board to match the refretted and re-finished look of the original guitar as it appears today. We opted for moderate board darkening rather than heavy wear to retain its current aesthetic.
If you’re after a guitar that wears its history proudly but still roars with personality and versatility, this one’s for you.
