Jimi Hendrix

Rumoured it was given to Jimi as a gift, from Brian Jones, of The Rolling Stones. The picture was taken at "Top of the Pops", in August, 1967. A curious fact is that, in the picture, the guitar was upside strung and unplugged.

Jimi Hendrix played the prototype of the Black Widow "Spider" electric guitar, as detailed on Pulsebeatguitars.

"After his Supro was stolen, with the help from father Hendrix bought this copper-colored Danelectro which he nick-named “Betty Jean” after his girlfriend at the time, Betty Jean Morgan.The earliest photo of him holding this guitar shows Hendrix wearing a red sport coat and standing by a red car. The guitar, however, was a copper-colored one – since there were no red Danelectro guitars back then."

"There was another Les Paul that Jimi played during a performance at Bill Graham’s infamous Fillmore East Theater in New York on Friday, May 10. 1968. This guitar is now located at Hard Rock Cafe in Chicago."

Used live as a vocal mic, as is visible in this January 1, 1967 photo of Hendrix, found here as a Sonic Editions print.

Jimi Hendrix performing on stage in 1967. Photo by Tom Copi.

Photo by: Tom Copi

Date: 01/01/1967

Used as a vocal mic for The Jimi Hendrix Experience's February 22, 1967 performance at The Roundhouse, as is visible in this photo and this photo from this page from the official Roundhouse website.

Used for several of Hendrix's gigs throughout his life, particularly the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, as is visible in this concert footage of his performance of "Hey Joe" at 0:09. As discussed in this video by Shure Creators (an official Shure YouTube channel), the Monterey Pop SM56 was not Hendrix's; the McCune Audio company had loaned several microphones to the festival, including a number of SM56s. It is unknown whether or not the SM56 featured in the Shure video is the same as the one used by Hendrix.

Others SM56s can be seen in photos of Hendrix in different concerts, such as the one visible at 1:08 in this video, this photo and this other photo.

Used in the studio as a vocal mic, as is visible in a photo of Hendrix at 0:34 of this video.

Jimi Hendrix can be seen using the Dunlop JH13 Jimi Hendrix Guitar Strap - Maui Leopard during his 1970 performance in Maui, Hawaii.

In this picture, from a concert in Shreveport, Louisiana, that ocurred in July 31st, 1968, Jimi Hendrix played using this pattern of strap on both the Sunburst and the Ice Blue Metallic Stratocaster.

Exhibited at the Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, as documented by this June 22, 2010 photo posted to Flickr.

King Vox-Wah effects pedal circa 1968

Formerly owned by Jimi Hendrix

Used live as a vocal mic, as is visible in this May 1968 photo of Hendrix.

Jimi Hendrix At The Palazzo dello Sport, Bologna, Italy, May 26th,1968 Second European Tour

Used as a vocal mic, as is visible in this photo of Hendrix and this photo from the same session.

This is, for sure, Jimi's most famous strap. He used it in the iconic Woodstock Festival, on August 18th, 1969. Apparently this was a common strap at the time, as many other musicians wore it too. (Neil Young and Elvis Presley, for example).

You can clearly see Hendrix using this strap. This pictures comes from a record session of his, in the TTG Studios in Hollywood, California. 1968.

In this picture, from Autgust 18th, 1969, at the Woodstock Festival, Jimi is seen using a strap that is replicated by this item.

This photograph from Jimi Hendrix's concert at the Fillmore East on January 1, 1970, shows him using the Dunlop JH07 Guitar Strap.

A borrowed butterscotch blonde Telecaster was used for the Octavia-laden guitar solos on "Purple Haze" and "Fire", as told by Hendrix's tech Roger Mayer in this July 6, 2021 Guitar Player interview.

When did Jimi Hendrix first use your Octavia in the studio?

The recording occurred after a gig at the Ricky Tick in Hounslow [on February 3, 1967.] That was one of Jimi’s early gigs that had been booked on the strength of the success of “Hey Joe” [released in the UK in December 1966].

It was a small, upstairs venue above a bunch of shops in Hounslow, London. I guess it was maybe a 200-seater venue. It was a small club – what they called an R&B club back then – and it had a low ceiling because it was on the second floor of this parade of shops. It was just a big room, really. I reckon the overall height was no more than about ten feet. So, by the time you had a stage and a drop ceiling, there wasn’t much room. I mean this ceiling was almost touching Jimi’s hat!

Being one of Jimi Hendrix’s earliest UK performances, how did the audience react?

The crowd went absolutely mad. Because nobody had ever seen anything like it. Especially the performance side of it. Jimi was doing his stuff – turning his back on the audience and playing his guitar behind his head and round his back and putting it between his legs like he’s fucking the amp with it. You know, the normal sexual antics of Jimi playing. So, he wasn’t thinking twice about his performance, and in the heat of the moment his guitar just went up and straight through the ceiling. [laughs]

What happened to the guitar?

Well, when he put his guitar through the ceiling, he bent one of the machine heads. Obviously, he was playing a Strat upside down, and the top E tuner got bent. That meant he couldn’t keep the guitar in tune properly. This was in the early days, and he only had this one guitar with him at the gig. And the problem was we’d arranged to go to Olympic Studios afterwards to record the solos for “Purple Haze” using my Octavia.

How did you first become involved with Jimi Hendrix?

Jimi had first heard the Octavia about a week before at the Chislehurst Caves gig [in Bromley, UK]. I went backstage into the dressing room, and he played around with it using a practice amp. He said, “This is perfect for my new upcoming single.” He’d already recorded tracks for these upcoming songs, “Purple Haze” and “Fire”. The basic tracks were already done.

So, at Chislehurst, we’d arranged that I’d bring along the Octavia to the Ricky Tick and meet up with Jimi, then go to Olympic Studios’ Studio One with him after the gig to record the solos. I brought along my Octavia and a booster.”

But Jimi Hendrix suddenly had no working guitar?

“He only had one guitar at the gig – this Strat he was using – and he’d just broken it. So, on the way to Olympic, we had to dispatch Noel [Redding] off to get another one. I went in my own car, Jimi went with [Gerry] Stickells, and Noel went off in a taxi to get another guitar.

What guitar did Noel Redding come back with?

It was a regular ‘butterscotch’ [blond] Tele, and I’m pretty sure it had a maple 'board. I think it belonged to a friend of Noel’s that he used to play with. That was the only guitar we could get.

What else do you recall about Jimi Hendrix using that Telecaster?

The “Purple Haze” solos were played on the upper part of the neck and Jimi wasn’t intending to use a vibrato, so it didn’t really matter that it was a Telecaster. The sound of a Tele on the bridge pickup is similar to a Stratocaster in many ways. I mean it’s not worlds apart if you’re playing in the upper register. Plus, with the effects Jimi was using it would have been impossible to tell the difference. I mean the Octavia produces so many more harmonics. Perhaps with a Telecaster the sound might have been a little more piercing, but it was a brand-new sound anyway.

Tell us about the Octavia used by Jimi Hendrix in that recording session…

It was a prototype Octavia, so it wasn’t in any form of commercial enclosure. That pedal used the ferrite transformer and circuitry that we moved over to my latest Octavia, the Purple Haze Octavia. It’s a replica of that original circuit, but with some added features.

Going into Olympic Studios with Jimi, we had access to different power supplies, and I brought along an extra circuit to drive the Octavia correctly – a booster I’d made to produce additional gain and change the driving impedance and the EQ. It wasn’t a treble booster though. It was a different form of booster. But I can’t recall if it was germanium or silicon because I was using both at the time.

What was it like watching Jimi Hendrix put the finishing touches to "Purple Haze"?

It was recorded using a four-track, and the solos were done in two or three takes maximum. Everybody’s mind was blown because nobody had ever heard that type of sound before. It really made the song. It’s a very unique tone, and when it was used sparingly it just worked. It was the same thing when he used it that night on “Fire” – he used it very sparingly.

When “Purple Haze” was released, it caused massive waves. I reckon that was the beginning of psychedelia for Jimi.

This pic shows Jimi Hendrix using a Ampeg B-15 with the Ronettes

This Amp was originally purchased from the Noel Redding auction at Bonhams in 1994. It has been additionally authenticated by Ted Owens. Per Noel it was owned by Jimi and used on recordings as well as live.

In October 1968, while recording part of the planned double album "First Rays of the New Sun" at TTG Studios in Hollywood, California, Jimi Hendrix was documented using the D'Andrea Ace Stained Glass Vintage Reissue Strap by Dandrea. This particular gear usage is substantiated by an image from those sessions, showcasing Hendrix with the distinct strap, further solidifying its place in his collection of musical equipment. This image serves as direct evidence of Hendrix's preference for this strap during a significant phase of his career, offering insight into his aesthetic and functional choices in guitar accessories.

Auctioned via Heritage Auctions on March 16, 2019.

Jimi Hendrix Studio Used Echoplex Guitar Pedal (late 1960s). Owned and used by Jimi Hendrix. At a glance, it looks like a toolbox, but it's actually a multi-functioning guitar pedal. Includes outlets for a foot switch with play back and echo. Also has knobs for echo and volume. And has a sliding speed for echo delay. Serial number is 4107. Comes in a dark green box with a closing latch. Accompanied by a notarized letter from Hendrix bandmate Larry Lee. Measures 8" x 14". In Good condition with wear on the box and controls. COA from Heritage Auctions.

Jimi Hendrix can be heard using a Leslie Speaker 145 on the guitar and vocals in "Little Wing," as well as on the guitar in "Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)," the vocals in "Burning of the Midnight Lamp," and the guitar in "House Burning Down." This is supported by the recording provided by Legacy Recordings and available on YouTube, showcasing the distinctive rotary speaker effect.

Jimi Hendrix is confirmed to have used the Ibanez Jet King 2, as evidenced by a photograph showing him playing the guitar, circa mid-1962. According to the information provided, Collins Music in Tennessee was the retailer where Hendrix acquired the Ibanez.

According to an article from the Japanese guitar magazine "Guitar Magazine," Jimi Hendrix acquired a Guyatone LG-70 during his time in the military. This guitar, made by Guyatone for export, was reportedly bought by Jimi through a loan, facilitated by trading in or selling his previous guitar, a Danelectro. The Guyatone LG-70 was used by Hendrix until the initial reformation of the King Casuals. Larry Lee, who knew Jimi during this period, also remembers him using the LG-70. However, due to financial constraints, Jimi returned the guitar around November 1962. This information is credited to an article by author 福崎敬太 on ギター・マガジンWEB｜Guitar magazine.

Jimi Hendrix is confirmed to have used the Maestro Boomerang BG-1 Wah Pedal during a performance at the Ackerman Union Ballroom at UCLA, Los Angeles on February 13, 1968. This is evidenced by an image where the pedal's input is visibly connected on the left side, with the output leading directly into a Fuzz Face, and subsequently to the amplifier.