Acoustic Guitars - Jimi Hendrix

Epiphone FT79 Texan

This was Jimi’s London acoustic, and a guitar he composed many of his songs on. According to Noel Redding, he bought it in 1967 for a bargain $25 in New York after their first tour to the States, and brought it back to London on the plane.

Jimi and girlfriend Kathy Etchingham shared a flat with Chas Chandler in Upper Berkely Street in London, and Jimi would love to sit in the bathroom and play, beacause it was such a good sound in there.

Jimi gave the guitar to Alan Parker in March 1970. Since then Parker used it on many recordings including Dusty Springfield, the Walker Brothers, Paul McCartney, and David Bowie, among others. It was sold in 2001 for $77.000 by London actioneers Bonhams & Brooks.

Martin D-45

This is the flagship of the Martin instrument range, and was Hendrix’ US acoustic. He bought this guitar in 1968 from Manny’s Music in New York, and composed on it in his appartment in New York.

This model is part of the reintrodiction D-45 models that Martin made in the late Sixties. The D-45 was originally introduced back in 1933, custom made for country singer Gene Autrey.

Martin didn’t make left handed models before the Seventies, and there is no evidence of this guitar been restrung for lefthanded playing. It therefore seems that Hendrix played this one either upside down, fretting with his left hand as usual, but with the strings upside down, or played it right handed. Both is actually possible, as Hendrix was able to play guitar both left and right handed.

This guitar ended up with Mitch Mitchell, who later sold it to Dave Brewis, who again sold it to the Experience Music Project.

Hendrix on the web

Hendrix at 70

GuitarPlayer got a lot of responses from players, gear makers, producers etc. when they asked for rememberences and comments on Hendrix’s 70 birthday. Read the article in GuitarPlayer

Jimi’s Yoko Ono

Kathy Etchingham is arguably the person who knows most about Hendrix. They were together for three years. In one interview, he claimed: «Kathy is my past girlfriend, my present girlfriend and probably my future girlfriend; my mother, my sister and all that bit. My Yoko Ono.» He wrote Foxy Lady, Gypsy Eyes and The Wind Cries Mary for her. She booked the recording studios, watched as he auditioned his band. Read the article in The Evening Standard

The True Lost Hendrix Album

Axis: Bold as Love, Jimi Hendrix’s second studio album, may be the most underloved record ever made by a rock god. Read article in Rolling Stone Magazine

Now you can visit Jimi Hendrix’s home of his own

If, in 1968 or 1969, Jimi Hendrix had casually mentioned to some foxy lady, some cute little heartbreaker, that “I wanna take you home,” then the home he meant was probably the tiny four-room London flat at 23 Brook Street, in Mayfair, which he shared with his girlfriend Kathy Etchingham.

My best shot: Jimi Hendrix by Gered Mankowitz

Gered Mankowitz: ‘The few photographs taken of him performing dominated the media … I just tried to give him an opportunity to give something to the camera’ Watch video

You never told me he was that good

In an article in The Guardian, Ed Vulliamy speaks to the people who knew Jimi Hendrix.

The brain that gave us Purple Haze

Miller-McCune.com mentions the ambidextry theory of Stephen Christman.