For the guitar geeks out there, this one is a treat: Fender is announcing a September 22nd release date for Pink Floyd’s axeman David Gilmour’s signature Stratocaster. The original guitar which is being reproduced, the legendary ‘Black Strat’, has been used heavily on classics like Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall. The original has been heavily modded since its original purchase by Gilmour in 1970, and the re-release is set to contain reproductions of all the upgrades. The press release is kind of TL;DR, but I’m stoked on it so I’mma post it in full.

For many years, guitarists have clamored for and indulged in much wishful thinking about one guitar in particular—a David Gilmour signature model Stratocaster® based on Gilmour’s famous “Black Strat.” They’re about to get their wish.

In a most eagerly awaited musical event, the Fender Custom Shop and Gilmour will at last make available just such an instrument on Sept. 22, 2008—the David Gilmour Signature Series Stratocaster® guitar—which coincides with the release of Gilmour’s three-disc Live in Gdansk CD/DVD set. The instrument is based on Gilmour’s beloved Black Strat and was created by Fender Custom Shop craftsmen to mirror the look, sound and feel of the original instrument.

Gilmour’s original black Stratocaster has become the stuff of legend among guitarists and discerning Pink Floyd fans. Heavily modified and experimented on over the decades—often by Gilmour himself—the guitar became a cornerstone of Pink Floyd’s surreally psychedelic sound as soon as Gilmour got it, and it was featured prominently on seminal chart-topping albums such as The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979), in addition to Gilmour’s acclaimed solo albums David Gilmour (1978), About Face (1983) and On An Island (2006).

Gilmour bought the stock original at Manny’s Music in New York in May 1970, in time to use it on Pink Floyd’s fifth album, Atom Heart Mother. It quickly became his main guitar onstage and in the studio, and, famously, he and longtime guitar tech Phil Taylor were constantly modifying it and experimenting with its neck, hardware and electronics. The black guitar acquired a black pickguard in summer 1974, thus assuming its darkest and most famous incarnation, plus an enduring nickname—the Black Strat.

The Fender Custom Shop worked closely with Gilmour and Taylor in recreating the Black Strat as the new David Gilmour Signature Series Stratocaster guitar. Main features include an alder body, black over Three-color Sunburst finish, a black pickguard, a one-piece straight-grain maple neck, custom pickups and electronics, and a shortened vintage tremolo arm. The guitar will be available in N.O.S. (new old stock) and Relic® treatments.

Further, the guitar comes with a custom case, an Evidence high-end guitar cable, the Live in Gdansk CD/DVD set and Taylor’s 2007 book about the guitar’s history, The Black Strat. The first 500 sold in either finish option will include a limited edition copy of The Black Strat autographed by Taylor.

Space Shuttle Endeavor had a successful launch last night and is currently somewhere between earth and sky on its mission to the International Space Station.

On board is Barbara Morgan, the teacher who was the backup for Christa McAuliffe, who was lost with the rest of the Challenger crew in 1986.

The Endeavor hasn’t flown since before the tragic Columbia disaster in 2003. Their mission is to install a gyroscope on the space station so that it doesn’t have to use fuel to fire rockets to maneuver itself correctly (or something like that). There will be three space walks, the use of a robot arm, and all other sorts of rad things that you used to want to do when you were in 4th grade.

Now all I want to do is sit around and celebrate by watching videos of The Final Countdown over and over. This version in particular: