Music is Win | 4 weeks ago

Join Guitar Super System today: http://guitarsupersystem.com
https://youtu.be/sNsGjddPcHE
Thanks to Trevor Boone and the entire crew at ECG for working with me on this religious pilgrimage, and to those behind the scenes who asked me to do this. It was an honor.
Subscribe to @emeraldcityguitars

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 - I’ve played the most famous guitars in music history
1:26 - The history of Hendrix guitars
2:20 - I never thought this could happen
3:35 - How to authenticate an historic guitar
4:20 - The long lost Jimi Hendrix studio Stratocaster
5:40 - The first notes… oh my
6:25 - The incredible history of this guitar
8:30 - This guitar sounds ridiculous
9:47 - There is hidden mojo in this guitar
10:20 - Shout out to Satriani
10:48 - Finding the fourth pickup position
11:38 - The odd C shape of this neck
12:19 - How Hendrix thought of guitars
12:52 - THE FORBIDDEN RIFF
13:27 - I played a reverse guitar solo with Jimi Hendrix’s guitar

From the owner:
This is a Jimi Hendrix and Michael Bloomfield-Owned 1963 Fender Stratocaster.

What’s particularly remarkable about this guitar is how it survived for so long, having been in the hands of two groundbreaking guitarists—both known for treating their guitars with a somewhat disposable mindset.

There are about a dozen well-documented guitars that Hendrix used, most notably the ones he played on stage at venues like Woodstock, Monterey Pop Festival, and the Isle of Wight Festival. The vast majority of Hendrix’s guitars have little to no official documentation, relying mainly on witness testimonies and accounts from friends. While many photos exist, matching guitars based on grainy images from 55 years ago remains challenging. Several Hendrix historians have reviewed photos of light-colored/sunburst Stratocasters Hendrix played, and some match the small 1963 headstock and spaghetti logo of this guitar. The right-handed strap button is also consistent with Hendrix’s practice of only swapping horn strap buttons on his main stage guitars. It’s well-documented that Hendrix, who often handled his own tech work, didn’t bother swapping them on his backup or studio guitars.

Hendrix played over 600 documented gigs, plus more jam sessions than anyone can count. Throughout his short career, he went through hundreds of guitars—many were smashed, traded, pawned, stolen, or gifted. Hendrix was known for treating his guitars as tools, typically having multiple Stratocasters at every show and dozens more in various states in the studio. He preferred black and white guitars on stage, believing they photographed better under the lights.

This guitar was likely one of Hendrix’s recording guitars at Juggy Sound Studios in NYC, used between 1969 and 1970. The timeline aligns with statements from Buddy Miles about sessions at the studio in January 1970 during the recording of the Band of Gypsys album and various other jam sessions.

Michael Bloomfield was also known for his detached view of his instruments, much like Hendrix. The majority of his guitars were stolen, traded, or left behind, yet this Stratocaster survived until his death in 1981. The history of its conversion to a 12-string configuration remains unclear; however, Buddy Miles mentioned that it was a 12-string when Hendrix had it. Who modified it and when remains speculative.

After Hendrix’s death in 1970, this guitar found its way into the hands of Michael Bloomfield, courtesy of their mutual friend and collaborator, Buddy Miles. It remained tucked away for several years, as Bloomfield preferred not to advertise his ownership. During the years 1970-1975, Bloomfield experienced significant instability in both his personal life and career. Notably, two of Bloomfield's early guitars—a '59 Burst Les Paul and a painted blue Telecaster—were lost to a club owner as payment for a missed gig in 1974. This 1963 Stratocaster began appearing as one of Bloomfield’s main guitars shortly afterward. At some point, Bloomfield personally painted the guitar black, and later, after playing it publicly for some time, he had it professionally refinished for the second time. Following Bloomfield’s death in 1981, the guitar passed to his manager.

Stream my debut album Lotus on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/40kR5x2
Stream my debut album Lotus on Apple Music: https://apple.co/476OXuP

Follow on Instagram: http://instagram.com/musiciswin
Follow on Facebook: http://facebook.com/musiciswin