50 Years Ago Today

[Chickee]

The psychedelic 60’s lost one of its original music pioneers on this date, fifty years ago. James Marshal Hendrix left this earth behind but his legacy is still paramount in the electric guitar community all this time later. I took out my ‘97 VooDooCaster and did some Hendrix licks that have become ubiquitous to our vocabulary in the last five decades. Resplendent in Olympic White and maple neck, it is as close as I will ever get to the Red House rocker.

[FrankHudson]

Nice look and I'll bet nice sound too.

I have a version that came cheaper as it's was not Hendrix branded, the black with white guard. I particularly like the reverse slant bridge pickup, though it's a subtle thing. It's now my only "real Strat."

At one point I actually bought a used left-handed Strat and strung it righty. I'd read all this stuff about how the whammy bar is in a better position and the controls are more handy, so Hendrix's make do was really an advantage.

My experience was that this notion was nonsense, and I wondered if anyone who had written had actually done what I did to test that. The upside down neck isn't a big deal either way (though having a number of guitars with normal Fender headstocks, I have to remind myself what string I've actually reached up habitually to tune.) The whammy bar (despite what SRV thought) is to my mind in a somewhat worse position, but it depends on how you use it. Above the strings is bad if you use it held while you pick while possibly working the volume (ala Jeff Beck), but it's not all that bad if you mostly use it to whang! stuff after string is already moving. Everything else: total dumpster fire. You can't pinky swell the volume. The chord jack digs into you while playing. The "comfort contours" are exactly wrong.

Every time I watch video of Hendrix playing I look closely. "How is he making playing that upside down Strat look so natural? How come his arm never bumps into the jack? He makes that top mount vibrato arm look slick." I've never figured it out. I guess he was well practiced at being Jimi Hendrix and I'm Joe Klutz the guitarist.

A reverse Strat like yours and mine is a much better way to go I think.

[Chickee]

Very thoughtful reply Frank. Thank you.
I have thought of restringing a lefty strat also but will take your experience as if my own.
You are certainly right about how Hendrix made it look so natural playing an upside down guitar. I agree. My take is that aside from having monstrous sized hands, his arm must have been very long to have avoided all the obstacles you listed in your experiment.
Thank you again for such a nice reply.
Frankie D.

[BillyMays]

Watching him play, he definitely had an odd posture about him that could possibly contribute to his willingness to play an upside down guitar. I was at the Metropolitan Museum last year and spent quite some time looking over his Flying V that was on display. It had wear marks in the oddest of places on the back, which makes me believe even more so that there was even more to his style than people realize.

[Chickee]

Originally Posted by BillyMays

Watching him play, he definitely had an odd posture about him that could possibly contribute to his willingness to play an upside down guitar. I was at the Metropolitan Museum last year and spent quite some time looking over his Flying V that was on display. It had wear marks in the oddest of places on the back, which makes me believe even more so that there was even more to his style than people realize.

What a beautiful piece of history that guitar is Billy!! Thank you for sharing the shot with us.
frankie d.