Tim Montana and Luke Wessman Team Up for Customized Gerber and Fender Collab

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Country star Tim Montana and world famous tattoo artist Luke Wessman have joined forces on a new collaboration that unites the world of music and the great outdoors.

The new collaboration, available as part of a giveaway on GerberGear.com, features custom-built Gerber knives and a Fender Telecaster with original art by Wessman.

The two tell Rolling Stone that the fusion of Montana’s anthemic songs and powerful vocals, with Wessman’s vivid and iconic tattoos integrated flawlessly for this project. Though Montana and Wessman produce different forms of art, the two have more in common than not. Both are self-made, rising from rough upbringings to the top of their games, and have styles deeply rooted in tradition of the artists that came before them.

Wessman’s art and Montana’s music also share similar tropes and themes; a proud American-made work ethic, perseverance, and a fierce DIY attitude (Wessman even has “Working Class” inked on him, and “Self Made” across his knuckles). Their work acknowledges the heroes that inspired them, while creating something that’s modern and timeless all at once.

Buy Fender x Gerber Giveaway Gerber

For this exclusive giveaway, the duo collaborated with another pair of American icons: Fender guitars and Gerber outdoorsman tools. One lucky winner will receive a custom Fender guitar, as well as three custom, American-made knives from the Gerber Custom program (enter via the link above).

Similar knives are available to purchase on the Gerber website, which has everything from folding knives to automatic knives. Gerber also has a program that lets you design your own custom knife here.

“We felt the combination of both Tim and Luke’s work would be the perfect showcase of American Made products,” says Todd Bischoff, creative director at Gerber. “Luke and Tim’s collaboration on the project speaks to the heart of creators and artists across the globe.”

Both artists also have a love and appreciation for music and the outdoors, so working with Fender and Gerber, they say, was a natural fit. Inspired by Montana’s song “American Thread,” Wessman lent his design skills to each company, helping to create a trio of unique knives and a one-of-a-kind Telecaster guitar that will get into the hands of a lucky fan. “Most of my career, I’ve been interpreting what people want to say with visual art, and this was another version of that, through Tim Montana’s lyrics – specifically ‘never quit, stay in the fight'” Wessman says.

Related: Find Tim Montana tickets here

“I’ve been clawing and fighting since I was a kid,” adds Montana. “Waylon [Jennings] had the never quit attitude. He fought the system for years and finally caught his break and was one of the first platinum selling artists in country music history. I admire him for his work ethic, non-conforming attitude and staying the course even in the face of constant adversity.”

Montana, who primarily plays Telecasters at home and on stage, started off on a Fender Squier at age 12 (see the brand’s current Fender Squier models here). And while he jokes that he’s, “Too chicken to get a real tattoo,” he was “so stoked to have a badass tattoo on a guitar.”

As for Wessman, he says there’s a lot of overlap between creating tattoos — and careers — that last. “I wanted the work to look good forever,” he says. “There’s no shortcut to success. My drive has always been the fear of failure, that there’s no safety net. There’s nothing to catch me so I’ve gotta keep pushing.”

His advice for young artists: “Be a good person, and work hard to continuously develop your craft. Quality of character and dedication are the two things to build upon, and something you can’t buy,” he says. “I’m 25 years in and still honing my skills as an artist. You can’t win today’s games off yesterday’s home runs.”