Fender Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster

5
first play
15
february 2016 Guitarist
FENDER JIMI HENDRIX STRATOCASTER
Verdict
Despite initial reservations, we came to really
like this guitar. It doesn’t look odd at all – in
fact, the upside-down post-’65 headstock with
Fender facing the ‘correct’ way makes one feel
almost anarchic playing it. What’s more, you
barely notice the ‘wrong way round’ bridge
pickup – the thing we feared might look the
weirdest. And if these changes to the basic
Strat’s formula do add a spark of Jimi magic
to tone and playability, all the better, although
it’s hard to tell without a similarly equipped
‘regular’ Mexican Strat for comparison.
That said, its range of tones from the USA
pickups – a good move by Fender – is full of
Strat-y personality, and that, and the use of the
occasional Gibson aside, was the essence of
the Hendrix tone.
Apart from needing a tiny action tweak, it
was hard to fault this guitar in build, price or
execution. In fact, more than one Guitarist
‘old hand’ has said how cool it would be to turn
up to a gig with one. And if you can turn the
heads of a bunch of old cynics like us, Fender
is clearly doing something right!
You barely notice
the ‘wrong way
round’ bridge pickup
– which was the thing
we feared might look
the weirdest
FENDER JIMI
HENDRIX
STRATOCASTER
PRICE: £689 (inc gigbag)
ORIGIN: Mexico
TYPE: Double-cutaway solidbody
electric
BODY: Alder
NECK: Maple with walnut skunk
stripe and reverse headstock with
Hendrix signature
SCALE LENGTH: 648mm (25.5”)
NUT/WIDTH: Synthetic
bone/42mm
FINGERBOARD: Maple, integrated
with neck, 241mm (9.5”) radius
FRETS: 21, medium-jumbo
HARDWARE: Chrome-plated
vintage vibrato, Kluson-style
six-a-side tuners
STRING SPACING, BRIDGE: 55mm
ELECTRICS: 3x Fender US Vintage
65 ‘grey bottom’ single coils, 5-way
lever pickup selector, master volume
and 2x tone controls (neck and
middle pickup)
WEIGHT (kg/lb): 3.59/7.9
OPTIONS: None
RANGE OPTIONS: Mexican
Standard Strats start at £480,
including left-handers
LEFT-HANDERS: See range options
FINISHES: Olympic White
(as reviewed), Black
Fender GBI
01342 331700
www.fender.com
PROS Cool-looking guitar with real
Jimi vibe; plays and sounds great
CONS Not available left-handed
8
4. A four-bolt neck-plate
proclaims ‘Authentic
Hendrix’ to denote
that this is an offi cial
release in conjunction
with Jimi’s estate. His
image etched into
the plate, and ‘Jimi
Hendrix’ signature on
the headstock, are
registered trademarks
5. Angling the bridge
pickup this way, with
the treble end further
from the saddles and the
bass nearer, adds depth
to the top strings and
twang to the lower ones,
and surprisingly, looks
quite normal
Stratocaster pickups. All the sounds are
bright, but not overly so, and the bridge
pickup does seem somewhat tamed by its
treble pole pieces’ greater distance from
the bridge. Favourite settings? Neck and
middle, then middle (very Hey Joe); then
neck (Wind Cries Mary). The bridge unit
comes into its own when drive is applied
– the more the merrier for those lairier
‘voodoo’ moments.
Video demo http://bit.ly/guitaristextra
GIT403.rev_fend.indd 15 17/12/2015 16:14