JIMI’S GEAR
Jimi’s blues gear could be quite different from his rock rigs
1951 EPIPHONE FT 79
Hendrix owned this for nearly three years, longer than any other guitar, picking it up in New York shortly after his Monterey Pop appearance. The unclear but footage is he appears to use it for a version of Hounddog in one of only two known videos of him playing an acoustic.
1960S ZEMAITIS 12-STRING
The mesmerising acoustic performance of Hearmytraina Comin’ that opens Blues employed this hand-built model by luthier Tony Zemaitis. It’s tuned down to C standard for that Leadbelly-style recording. Little else is known about it, but some wood shavings purportedly
from the guitar sold at auction for £90 in 2019.
DALLAS ARBITER FUZZ FACE
The secret of many of Jimi’s sought after clean tones, such as the Voodoo Chile intro, is that he left his Fuzz Face on and rolled off his guitar volume. The Fuzz Face cleans up beautifully and adds a unique sparkle to the sound. Both germanium and silicon fuzzes work.
FENDER DUAL SHOWMAN
Multiple sources, including producer Eddie Kramer, agree Hendrix recorded with Fender amps, notably on Voodoo Chile. Sadly Kramer has told the same
story about several amps, also mentioning Bassmans and Twins. The Dual Showman appeared on stage with Jimi though, notably at Monterey and on his 1968 US tour. Jimi’s early Marshall JTM45S also used a modified Fender circuit.
GIBSON FLYING V
Despite his love of the Strat, Jimi would often reach for the Flying V in his bluesiest moments. Redhouse and Catfishblues in particular almost always came from the Flying V. Jimi was a fan of fellow left-hander Albert King, and replaced him as the V’s most famous exponent.