Jimi Hendrix's Black Beauty

The Guitarist

Jimi Hendrix was born Johnny Allen Hendrix on November 27, 1942, in Seattle, Washington. His named was later legally changed to James Marshall Hendrix in memory of his older brother who died at an earlier age.

For a relatively short period of time, from signing up with Chas Chandler in 1966 until to his untimely demise exactly 42 years ago in September 18, 1970, Hendrix personified the term "guitar hero" and revolutionized guitar playing in a manner that shook the rock world to its foundations.

He has his share of admirers and detractors but there's no denying that people still listen to his music for inspiration, even after his untimely demise. His musical genius was way beyond his time. The showmanship, braggadocio and over-the-top nature of his live performances were unheard of during his era.

As a testament to his talent and influence, Rolling Stone magazine gave him the #1 spot on their list of the Top 100 Greatest Guitarists of All-Time in 2003. Hendrix also was posthumously inducted to the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and in the UK Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

The Guitar

Black Beauty is a 1968 Fender Stratocaster with black finish, white pickguard and a maple neck. Its serial number is 222625, the neck is slim and the fretboard is of standard Fender radius of 7". It was one of several Fender Stratocasters that Jimi owned.

What makes it unique is that Black Beauty was actually Jimi Hendrix's favorite guitar, even more so than his other equally legendary guitar, the 1968 Olympic White Fender Stratocaster known as the "Woodstock Strat", which he famously played during the seminal 1969 Woodstock Festival.

Hendrix himself named the guitar "Black Beauty".

Hendrix played Black Beauty in several live performances, most notably in the Isle of Wight Pop Festival on August 31, 1970, and was his first choice to pick up whenever he jams with other musicians. Initially though, Jimi was hesitant to play Black Beauty on stage and was instead content to play the guitar during practice. Eventually, he started playing Black Beauty at memorable gigs during the later part of his career. Black Beauty was the last guitar Hendrix was seen to have played during his live concerts prior his untimely demise.

Black Beauty was taken into possession by Jimi's girlfriend Monika Danneman after his demise in Monika's London apartment just 18 days after the historic Isle of Wight Festival. According to her, Jimi had played Black Beauty on the night prior to his death.

The current whereabouts of Black Beauty is subject to speculation.

It is generally believed that the guitar had been in Monika's possession since Jimi's passing, kept unplayed in its case for more than 20 years. But after her death in 1996 via carbon monoxide poisoning, the guitar was said to be passed on to Uli Jon Roth, the former lead guitarist of German rock group The Scorpions. Monika and Uli had been in a relationship after meeting in the mid-1970's, lasting until her death.

Here’s a video of Jimi Hendrix performing an amazing version of "All Along The Watchtower" at the Isle of Wight Festival with Black Beauty, August 31, 1970.



Photo sources:
www.univibes.com
www.strat-talk.com

Prince's MadCat Hohner Telecaster

The Guitarist

Prince Nelson Rogers, more popular known as Prince, emerged as one of the top acts in the pop music heap during the early 1980’s. And His Royal Badness has been on it ever since, selling around 80 million albums worldwide and cementing his status as one of the all-time greats.

He’s an astounding multi-instrumentalist who can play several different wind, string and percussion instruments. There was also a time when he recorded all tracks on his album by himself! While Prince was primarily recognized for his talents in songwriting, musical prodigy and knack for producing hit songs, he was likewise notoriously famous for his eccentric behavior. After all, who else would rename himself as The Artist Formerly Known As Prince? Actually, his weird behavior has enough grounds to cover a separate article, but let’s not get sidetracked by this for now.

What is commonly overlooked by the casual listening public is his surprising capacity as a rhythm and lead guitar player. Once Prince puts on his guitar player cap, he delivers with the same six-stringed passion and virtuosity as his idols, Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana and Johnny Watson.

The Guitar

The main guitar Prince uses is his MadCat guitar, a Hohner telecaster knock-off, which he started using around 1983. It has a natural-wood finish with a maple fretboard/neck and leopard skin pickguard, with chrome hardware. The guitar has 2 single-coil pickups and a fixed bridge.

The MadCat Hohner Telecaster is identified to be his primary guitar during live performances and recording sessions in the studio. It’s distinctive, funky rhythm tone has been present in several of his recordings.

After years of using the stock Hohner Tele pickups, Prince eventually replaced the stock pickups with Kinman pickups. Now here’s another story that displayed his eccentricity. When the Kinman pickups ordered by Prince’s guitar tech arrived, it came with white covers. Rather than buying black covers, Prince instead instructed him to color the covers black with a black Magic Marker. Can you believe that?

His Royal Badness had several of these Hohner Telecasters eventually. It was a testament of his fondness for this guitar despite the fact that Hohner guitars were generally considered as cheap alternatives to more well-known brands such as Fender and Gibson.

Here's a jam session where Prince was playing his Hohner Tele with Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne jamming “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” during the posthumous induction of George Harrison to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, of which Prince himself was a co-inductee. Prince made his guitar weep in the latter part of the song, starting at the 3:28 mark. Watch the video and see for yourself!

Jimi Hendrix's Woodstock Strat

The Guitarist

Jimi Hendrix is a guitar legend who, unquestionably, doesn't need any introduction.

He has his share of admirers and detractors but there's no denying that people still listen to his music for inspiration, even after his untimely demise more than 40 years ago. His musical genius was way beyond his time. The showmanship, braggadocio and over-the-top nature of his live performances were unheard of during his era.

As a testament to his talent and influence, Rolling Stone magazine gave him the #1 spot on their list of the Top 100 Greatest Guitarists of All-Time in 2003. Hendrix also was posthumously inducted to the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and in the UK Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

But enough about Jimi. Let’s talk about his Woodstock Strat!

The Guitar

As expected from a guitar player of his stature, Hendrix was the owner of several guitars. One of his most well-known guitars was popularly known as the Woodstock Strat. His other equally famous guitar was his favorite, Black Beauty, a black Fender stratocaster.

This legendary guitar is a 1968 Olympic White Fender Stratocaster, bearing the serial number #240981, that he bought from a music store in New York. Its body was made of alder and has a maple neck/fretboard setup.

Hendrix played the Strat at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, including on his famous rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner". Hendrix purchased the guitar in 1968 and played it at many concerts including the Newport Pop Festival and his final concert at the Isle of Fehmarn in September 1970.

It was sold to Paul Allen in the 90s and now rests in one of the rooms of the Experience Music Project Museum in Seattle. Since then, it has been in the Seattle-based museum's permanent collections.

The Woodstock Strat was recently played by Kenny Wayne Shepherd during a live performance at the Jimmy Fallon Show last November 2010.

That lucky dog!

I was thinking that a guitar of such iconic magnitude definitely transcends being played again by anyone less than Jimi himself. But in the end, a guitar is a guitar. Frankly, I’d definitely want to try my hands on Jimi’s Woodstock Stratocaster. Now wouldn't that be a treat.

Here’s a video of Jimi Hendrix performing a stupefying, face-melting rendition of “Red House” at the 1969 Woodstock Festival using his 1968 white Statocaster, known as the Woodstock Strat. Prepare to be blown away!