In the late 1960s, Jimi Hendrix single-handedly stretched the sonic possibilities of the guitar and, in the process, changed rock music–forever. In his gifted hands, the instrument became a major vehicle of expression. It talked, cried, exorcised and exulted as he glided with exuberance and ease from searing, blistering, electric blues to feedback-laden, free-form jazz to smoothly crafted torch ballads.
In honor of the guitar-wielding legend, Fender Musical Instruments and Experience Hendrix, LLC (the family of Jimi Hendrix) have just released the Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster. “Modeled after the same Strat that Jimi played at his historic performance at the Woodstock Music Festival of August 1969, the instrument is bound to delight generations of guitar players and music history enthusiasts for years and years,” noted Jack Shelton, senior vice president of sales at Fender.
For starters, the Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster, which is built in Fender’s factory in Corona, California, is a left-handed model strung right-handed and reversed, with the strap button on the lower horn, so that right-handed players would appear as Jimi did when looking at themselves in the mirror. The guitar, which is available in Olympic White, also boasts a maple neck with a large late-60s-style headstock, classic Schaller “F” tuners and woven strap. The icing on the cake, however, is the pickup configuration–three reverse staggered vintage Stratocaster pickups that are positioned perfectly for boning up on Jimi Hendrix classics such as “Wild Thing,” “Purple Haze” or even “The Star Spangled Banner.”
Color: Olympic White Body: Contoured Alder Neck: Special Shape One-piece Maple (7.5″ radius) Machine Heads: Fender/Schaller Vintage “F” Fingerboard: Maple No. of Frets: 21 vintage Pickups: 3 Staggered-pole Vintage Single-Coil Controls: Volume, Tone (neck), Tone (mid) Tremolo: Original Sychronized Pickup Switching: 5-Way Pickguard: White Scale Length: 25.5″ (648 mm) Neck Width @ Nut: 1.650″ (42mm)
Fender has produced a few different Hendrix Stratocasters over the years. The Hendrix Tribute Stratocaster uses a reversed large-style headstock and three reversed single-coil pickups
Body Style: Solidbody Years of Production: 1997 - 1998
