Fender Jimi Hendrix Strat in Olympic White

Jimi Hendrix is one of the most beloved guitarists in the world. His incredibly unique style shot him to the top of the world as one of the greatest musicians that ever lived. Part of his unique sound was his guitar which was a right handed guitar flipped and strung upside down to suit his left handed playing style.

Fender have recreated all of the changes Hendrix made to his guitar but in a way that still suits the right handed player. This gives the guitar a completely different feel and tone when in certain pickups positions.

The Changes.

When Hendrix flipped his guitar it did three things. Put more tension on the lower strings and lowered the tension on the high strings making vibrato and bending easier. It also effected how the tremolo moved and affected the strings. The other big change came in the fact that the pickups were flipped with the lower strings now being picked up closer to the bridge.

While these not may sound huge when you actually sit down and play this guitar you will get a feel for exactly what made his sound so special. The extra movement on the high strings and the tight response on the lows really helped him craft his sound.

Incredible Pickups

When making a guitar with the name Hendrix on the headstock you need to make sure that it not only fits the look but the sound as well. While Fender could have gone and thrown any old pickups on this guitar and ended it there they instead went all out. With a trio of American Vintage '65 pickups this guitar has an authentic late 60's to early 70's vibe which fits what Hendrix was playing at the time.

70's Design.

The guitars Hendrix played mainly featured Fender's 70's design with a larger headstock and smooth 'C' shaped neck with a 9.5" radius fretboard. So with this guitar they had to follow suit and match it up in any way they can. So this guitar has all of those plus medium jumbo frets which offer great playability for both rhythm and lead playing.

Here's what Fender say about the Jimi Hendrix Strat

Honouring the electrifying “Voodoo Chile” who popularized the Stratocaster guitar and its tremendous sonic flexibility, the Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster gives you the same fiery tone and playing feel to wield as your own. Full of incendiary vintage tone and classic style, this extraordinary instrument features signature touches and unique appointments based on his distinctive “flipped-over” guitars.

The foundation of Hendrix’s uniquely personal sound and playing style was his habit of flipping his guitars over and restringing them to accommodate his left-handed playing, resulting in a “reverse” headstock and bridge pickup— features reproduced here in exacting detail. The “reverse” headstock produces a longer string length for the bass strings, creating a tighter playing feel along with easier bending and vibrato on the treble strings. A trio of unsurpassed American Vintage ’65 single-coil pickups includes a reverse-slant bridge pickup, producing uniquely inspiring tone with tight, warm sound and enhanced upper harmonics and definition. The highly versatile 9.5”-radius “C”-shaped maple neck with medium jumbo frets offers a flatter playing surface—ideal for chording while simultaneously allowing you to bend notes to the stratosphere without fear of fretting out during scorching solos.

Commemorating Hendrix’s unrivaled legacy, the large ’70s-style headstock bears the guitarist’s signature on the rear. A unique neck plate displays a shoulders-up silhouette of the man himself and the engraved inscription, “Authentic Hendrix,” leaving no doubt as to the inspiration behind this guitar. Available in classic Olympic White or Black, both with chrome hardware and including a gig bag, the Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster is your chance to unleash your own “electric sky church” music.

Specifications

• Series:  Artist Signature
• Body Material:  Alder
• Body Finish:  Gloss Polyester
• Neck Finish:  Gloss Polyester
• Fingerboard:  Maple, 9.5" (241 mm) Radius
• Frets:  21, Medium Jumbo
• Scale Length:  25.5" (64.8 cm)
• String Nut:  Micarta, 1.650" (42 mm)
• Pickups:  American Vintage '65 Gray-Bottom Single-Coil Strat (Bridge, Middle, and Neck)
• Pickup Switching:  5-Position Blade:  Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and
• Middle Pickup, Position 3. Middle Pickup, Position 4. Middle and
• Neck Pickup, Position 5. Neck Pickup
• Controls:  Master Volume, Tone 1. (Neck Pickup), Tone 2. (Middle Pickup)
• Hardware:  Chrome
• Tuning Keys:  Vintage-Style
• Bridge:  6-Saddle Vintage-Style Synchronized Tremolo
• Control Knobs:  Aged White Plastic
• Pickguard:  3-Ply White
• Strings:  Fender USA 250R, NPS, (.010-.046 Gauges)
• Unique Features:  Reverse Headstock, Reverse Angled Bridge Pickup, Jimi Hendrix
• Signature On Back Of Headstock, Engraved Neck Plate With Jimi Hendrix Likeness