Though his musical ouvre has extended well beyond it's original guitar-centric bar-band roots, Elvis Costello has never given up on his Fender Jazzmaster, and the iconic image on the cover of his debut album basically carved "Elvis + Jazzmaster 4 Life" on the old oak tree of infamy. No wonder then that Fender, in this the 50th year of the Jazzmaster guitar, has seen fit to announce the Elvis Costello Signature Jazzmaster.

Though the guitar doesn't include the inlaid "Elvis Costello" signature on the fretboard (go figure) it does recreate the guitar as it was used to record My Aim Is True. The walnut finish is total 70's Fender, and the tremolo travel has been widened to allow for that deep, Ennio Morricone style wiggle heard on Costello cuts like "Watching The Detectives" and "I Want You."

In recreating the guitar, custom shop designer scoured through old photos, and even Costello's recorded testimonials about his Jazzmaster, before bringing in the man himself to give constructive (albeit bitingly sarcastic, we're sure) criticism on details like the feel of the neck and the luster on the finish.

And what does Mr. Costello think of his guitar? In typically double-edged fashion: "This is a brutal-sounding guitar. . . it suits the way I play."

No word yet on any Declan Patrick MacManus signature guitars.