The Police are a 3-piece band that formed in London, England, in 1977. Their genre is considered post-punk and New Wave, with some reggae influences. They have disbanded and have had several reunions throughout the years, the last reunion being in 2008. The group consists of lead singer and bassist Sting, guitarist Andy Summers, and drummer Stewart Copeland. The Police have won six Grammy awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.
 
Bassist and vocalist Sting is a tenor and countertenor, with a somewhat limited range. To sound like Sting, one would just need a basic tenor voice, although his British accent is evident in most of his recordings. Sting has one main bass that he uses for live performances, and it is a Fender 1957 Precision bass. For effects, he uses a Urei 7110 compressor/limiter, a Court Acoustics GE60 i-octave equalizer, and an Electro-Voice XEQ-3 crossover. Sting also uses Carver 2.0 amplifiers and Clair Brothers cabinets. It is not the easiest thing to play bass and sing at the same time, contrary to guitar, so in order to sound like Sting, one would have to be well-schooled in doing this.
 
Guitarist Andy Summers uses a 1963 Fender Telecaster and a 1961 Fiesta Red Fender Stratocaster. Andy does not use many effects, and they include a Pete Cornish guitar pedalboard, a Roland GR-300 guitar synthesizer, and Moog Taurus 205A synthesizer pedals. For amplification, Summers uses a Marshall stack with a Roland Jazz Chorus Combo. Andy is a talented guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, however, many intermediate guitar players should be able to play The Police’s songs.
 
Drummer Stewart Copeland is an extremely talented and precise drummer, known for syncopated beats, with Reggae and Lebanese influences. His original drum kit for The Police consisted of Tama Imperial Star Mahogany drums and Paiste cymbals. For the reunion tour in 2008, his kit stayed very similar. Copeland also uses Calato Regal Tip Rock Wood Tipped Drumsticks.
 
It can sometimes be a challenge to have a 3-piece band that has such a full sound like The Police. You will need a bassist that can be a vocalist at the same time, as well as a sound guitarist and an extremely talented drummer. Alternatively, another member could be added that played only the bass.
 
Keep Rockin’!!!
a night with The Police by innoxiuss taken on September 10, 2007
The Police: Sting with a beard by ArtBrom taken on July 12, 2008
Telecaster Custom 1963 by Beefy Basses taken on October 30, 2009