The official Jimi Hendrix Strat from

Gibson official Jimi Hendrix signature Strat guitars
Gibson official Jimi Hendrix signature Strat guitars

Gibson!

There’s been quite a bit of uproar about after it was announce the keepers of Jimi Hendrix’s name and image, his family “Authentic Hendrix LLC”, that branded signature guitar packages would be made by the Gibson Guitar Corp.

Now you think of Jimi, you think Woodstock, Isle Of Man, Summer Of Love, Monterrey, teaching Claptout to play, fuel dosed burning guitar, smashed guitar, you think Strat… Fender Strat.

Well Hendrix did play Gibsons, an SG (below left), Les Paul and a Flying V (below right), a version of which Gibson has previously produced as a signature model.

Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix with Gibson SG and Gibson Flying V guitars

But no Gibson haven’t come up with a V or SG they’ve designed what suspiciously looks like a Stratocaster. Ah but they’ve angled the bridge pickup as if you were playing it left handed and the headstock is reversed and well pointy like an 80s SuperStrat knockoff. Though oddly with two completely different headstock shapes – below: the Experience & Signature models in black and Little Wing in white…

Now Gibson did a pointy headed SuperStrat style guitar back in the pointy headstock heyday of the late 1980s and looking at the, large number of, raw bodies and necks there’s a very Kramerish look about them, not a surprise as Gibson owns Kramer. But as many have pointed out in the mainly disapproving comments about this whole episode that Gibson took PRS to court over the latter’s single cut body looking somewhat like a Les Paul.

Now on the official announcement page Gibson did a reasonable job of cutting out all the Fenders Hendrix is holding in all the pictures apart from the back of the one he played at Woodstock you can see in the last pic but there’s also the very prominent Strat right there on the front of the box of the “Experience” Guitar Package…

Gibson signature Jimi Hendrix Experience package
Gibson signature Jimi Hendrix Experience package

…right next to the cheap guitar he isn’t playing in the pic, a cheap little amp that he didn’t play and a cheap fuzz pedal he didn’t play.

Jimi’s family did a good job of gaining control over his legacy which had been misused for many years but this is a shoddy job , that nobody seems to have a good word to say about and looks to have done more harm than good to the name and image of the late great Strat player but will more than likely make a few bucks for someone.

5 Replies to “The official Jimi Hendrix Strat from”

  1. i think that janie hendrix is a money hungry no good not worthy of being jimi’s “sister” they’re not even blood, terrible management, i mean common, GIBSON STRAT?? JIMI HENDRIX GOLF BALLS AND BOXER SHORTS?? shes terrible

  2. It’s an absolute disgrace. I’m a long time Gibson fan but this is nothing more than a petty cash in job and stain on the name one of the greatest guitar legends of all time.

    Gibson have a lot of nerve after trying to take PRS to the cleaners and I think that both Janie and the Gibson ‘Corporation’ have a lot to answer for.

  3. I Think It’s still cool.. every Gibson design = Unique-Awesome-Cool-Guitar….
    It’s gonna be better if the tremolo remove, and change with Tune-o-Matic or stop bar or filled with Bigsby….uhm..Strat Gibson.. I must make a Custom for this…
    Gibson Strat bigsby…

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