Fender Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster

Fender drops a big surprise for the coming holidays, unveiling the highly anticipated Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster.

This new artist series guitar carries over the distinctive features of the flipped over guitar, and making it more affordable and accessible for today’s players.

Being one of the most influential guitarists to date, Jimi’s flipped-over Strat continues to be among the most iconic instrument in rock history. As such, many have been waiting for Fender to release a mass production version. Finally, the long wait is over with the release of the new Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster, an affordable recreation that features the same inverted headstock and pickup configuration.

Because of the rarity of left handed Stratocasters in the late ’60s, Hendrix had to make do with right handed versions, flipping them over and restringing them to fit his southpaw guitar playing. This reverse configuration had a subtle but important effect on the resulting sound of Hendrix, and is something that up to now inspired many guitarists to try flipped over guitars, including right handed players.

Since simply flipping over a lefty guitar would be a little too easy, Fender decided to retain the right handed body configuration while implementing important flipped over features to give the guitar the same feel and tone as the original. The result is a sort of a hybrid with a standard right handed body, while having an inverted headstock and reverse pickup configuration.

The reverse large ’70s style headstock design results in longer string length for the bass strings, giving a tighter playing feel on the thicker strings. On the other hand, the treble strings are slightly looser, making it easier to bend the strings and apply vibrato when necessary. The reverse-slant pickup configuration also results in a subtly different tone, especially in the bridge position where it is described as being warmer with upper harmonics emphasis. It features three reverse-mounted American Vintage ’65 pickups
The 9.5″ radius “C” shaped maple neck has a flatter playing surface to make Hendrix style chords and leads easier to pull off.

The body of the guitar is crafted from alder and follows a right hand configuration, making it easier to hold and more convenient to reach the upper frets. Having the pickguard in standard position also removes the knob blockage issue that Hendrix had to deal with in his time. Wrapping up the features of the guitar is Jimi Hendrix’ signature at the back of the headstock, along with a unique neck plate with Jimi’s shoulders-up silhouette.

The new Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster is currently available in Olympic White or Black finish, both of which feature chrome finished hardware and comes with a gig bag. The MSRP for this guitar is $899. For more information, visit Fender.

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