This Fender Custom Shop pays tribute to the acclaimed pioneer by recreating Kath's amazing custom instrument - which truly embodied the notion of “custom” long before the Fender Custom Shop was founded.
Terry Kath, who Jimi Hendrix once cited as his favourite guitarist, fused sophisticated songwriting ability with his soulful vocals to launch Chicago Transit Authority in 1967. The band shortened its name to Chicago in 1969, achieving worldwide success and 2016 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. His main guitar - the one with which he is most identified, and which accompanied him on the journey to cult status - is a most unusual 1966 Telecaster, completely customized and plastered with stickers. Kath was so attached to the guitar that he'd buy a seat just for the instrument when traveling by air, rather than entrusting it to airline baggage handlers or even Chicago's road crew. The Tele was an amalgamation of highly personalized modifications, including a sawed-off Tele bridge with a synchronized Strat tremolo, a humbucking neck pickup, custom body routes, a reverse control plate, custom tuning machines and three “wing” string trees. Adorned with Pignose stickers and other intricately placed regalia, the guitar has become legendary in of itself and is synonymous with Kath and his enduring musical legacy.