Did the title get your attention? Good. According to an interview conducted with Jimi’s younger sister, Janie Hendrix, Gibson is going to create the new Jimi Hendrix Signature Model. Update: Confirmed. Gibson did knock off a Fender Strat-Style guitar and calling it a “Hendrix Electric Guitar Package“. Read this post: People are outraged at Gibson.
How do they plan to do that? Jimi’s main axe which he played live and in studio was usually a Fender Stratocaster. Remember back in 1967 when Hendrix’s first alight a guitar-on-fire-stunt. He famously golfed his Fender Stratocaster in lighter fluid and set it ablaze.
Here are some excerpts from Gibson’s website:
“What could possibly add to the enormity of Jimi Hendrix’s music legacy in 2009 — 39 years after the still-ruling sonic genius of electric guitar departed the planet?
How about an entirely new and unprecedented Jimi Hendrix guitar model designed by the Authentic Hendrix and Gibson? This astonishing about-to-be-unveiled guitar brand is destined to inspire a new generation of players as well as the legion of musicians already under the influence of Jimi’s magical sound and style.”
Scroll down for more:
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How does the new Jimi Hendrix guitar model represent Jimi’s legacy?
“His inspiration, talent, and genius at guitar playing all fueled this instrument’s creation. For one example, Jimi turned right-handed guitars upside down and restrung them. That changed the way the strings and pick-ups interacted, which created a whole different sound. Now we’ve incorporated a new design into the placement of the pick-ups to help recreate that unique sound”
When you think of Jimi Hendrix, you think of Fender Strats. How can Authentic Hendrix and Gibson collaborate a trademark guitar such as the Fender Strat? Then again, maybe they aren’t creating a Stratocaster guitar, who knows?
Hendrix played a Gibson Flying V quite often.
Hi Earl, Gibson already created the Hendrix Flying V. Maybe they’ll re-introduce it again, who knows…
I was wondering the same things:
http://nevertoolateguitar.com/2009/09/18/gibson-jimi-hendrix-model-guitar/
He did play the Flying V, but everyone knows there is one guitar associated with Hendrix, The Strat.
I dug when the Hendrix family recovered the rights to everything and started releasing materials. Alan Douglas was a scum. I also look forward to all the new material coming out. As for this Gibson-Strat thing, I just think that Janie doesn’t understand the guitar culture demographic out there well enough. But Gibson does…
Lots of companies and boutique guitar builders mimic the Strat platform. But involving Gibson in this context obviously strikes a sensitive nerve out there. It’s like the McQueen family consorting with GM to build Bullitt Mustangs in the Corvette plant. That sort of thing really pushes people’s buttons.
A cool thing for Janie to have done would have been to establish a licensed by FMIC production project involved with training underprivileged youth to build these guitars. What a sweet PR scenario that could have been!
Gibson just plain knows better. They have no excuse.
I agree bro, it’s just silly for Gibson to pull something like this. I can understand Hedrix’s family trying to cash in, but with Gibson, c’mon.
And it’s no secret people are pissed. They have every right to be.
This is a travesty. No doubt about it. Gibson and Authentic Hendrix have stooped so low to do this. Money talks and B.S. walks.
Think about the times you drove in my car!!!!!
Think you migh thave drove it too far!!!
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee_YEAH!
That is one butt-ugly guitar; resembles a Hartley Peavey design. A T-60 looks good in comparison.
Absolutely the lamest idea ever conceived. Fire the Gibson R & D dude that okay’d is idiotic project. And tell that Janie gold diggeing ho to stick this thing where the sun don’t shine!
I agree, Gibson knew better. One whats more, how many people have Gibson gone after for copies of its Les Paul? Yet its cool for them to steal the look and feel of the strat and then call it a Hendrix model when it posthumously built?
I feel for the Hendrix family, Jimi got screwed over financially, his management fed on him like vultures. They wore the poor man out by a terrible touring schedule which would put one gig on one coast and then the next on the other. It was terrible lack of planning and control of the artist to the point where he wasn’t allowed to do what he wanted to do musically and he was really unhappy which wasn’t exactly a good thing for someone that has a likelihood to do drugs to ease they’re pain and to relax. They aren’t the first management team to abuse and control artist, but in doing so when he passed there wasn’t ton’s of money left over for the family. It took years for them to even gain control over the rights of his music and everybody and they’re mom wanted a piece of the Hendrix pie.
The Hendrix family could perhaps be criticized for trying to make a buck, but Gibson should have never gotten involved in that. They’re 100 odd years of guitar history was at stake and they should have thought about they’re reputation before getting involved. Just an opinion though.
Regards,
Rev. D.
This is kind of blasphemous.
Forget kind of. It is.
Greetings
Gibson if still being run by Henry J, should surprise no one.
DISCLAIMER: like and own many Gibsons.
Henry and some other investors bought Gibson years back. Henry updated, modernized Gibson’s outdated manufacturing by dragging them into the current century with new tooling.
Henry paid for this by hammering the music dealers with some unbelievable conditions if they wanted to keep selling Gibson guitars.
Did some side work at a shop that sold guitars, both Fender and Gibson. Henry instituted a minimum number of instruments needed to be bought by the dealer, not a problem as the shop sold twice that number normally.
The problem, Gibson got to pick the models that were to be sold. How many lime green metallic Les Paul Jr.s can you sell? Seemed like a lot were seconds with cosmetic defects but in a variety of colors that weren’t recognized in the human spectrum.
This coupled with the “threat and promise” that Gibson was going to increase prices of popular models and/or limit their production because of economic reasons.
Couple this with the introduction of Paul Reed Smith guitars, one of the few manufacturers that built set-in neck guitars like Gibson, this presented an opportunity to Henry J to hitch Gibson’s falling star to that of PRS.
PRS price point was something Henry wanted for Gibson and managed to drag Gibson into that area whether or not Gibson was worthy of it or not.
Gibson still makes great guitars but their pricing reflects what they want for profit, not what the instrument costs…….Gibsons are overpriced.
Everything I hear from the distributors says the number of seconds not been reduced, so much for the tooling upgrade, but hey, at least Henry and his investors are making money.
A Gibson Les Paul Custom , white or black used to cost around a thousand in the early 90’s now they start at around $2500 and they take less time to make on the new equipment.
Gibson is now a brand to be squeezed by any means possible, the quality and value of the product is now secondary.
I’m in manufacturing and I play.
Later, Bob Lovell
Gibson had too much backlash and nipped the project in the butt
https://gear-vault.com/gibson-hendrix-strat-people-are-pissed/
Hendrix was murdered. Watch (The last 24 hours Jimi Hendrix, link enclosed below). It’s on YouTube. Truly shocking story to say the least.
https://youtu.be/eVetJ407n_k
Gibson are greedy money mongers…theyr owned by pure shit people nowadays.
Gibson should make it easy to light one on fire…….in case you truly want to emulate Hendrix.