Jimi Hendrix - San Diego 5/24/69 question

Does anyone know what guitar(s) Jimi played during this show? I'm particularly interested in which one he was playing on the famous version of "Red House".

 

He's definitely playing a Stratocaster on that famous version of "Red House", rather than a Gibson of some sort. By 1969 Jimi was playing Stratocaters featuring maple finger boards (it was actually a maple laminate fingerboard glued onto the neck rather than the traditional single piece maple neck - hence the lack of a skunk strip on the back) and larger headstocks. What's interesting is that Stratocasters from that era are looked down upon by collectors, who insist on pre-CBS guitars (1965 and earlier). But it didn't matter to Jimi, he took whatever was the current model and made magic with it.

 

Thanks, I thought as much, but was wondering whether he was using the "Woodstock Strat" by then, or whether he had another he was using that night (or for that song).

 

That's one of Experience's finest recorded shows, IMO.

 

Late 60's Strats (and Fenders) are still desirable, but not as much as the pre-cbs ones. Also, the pickups in Hendrix's '68 Strats (both the black Band of Gypsys one, and the white Woodstock one) are highly revered strat pickups known as grey bottoms.

Curiously, the maple cap neck Strats like Hendrix had are very rare, and are more rare in colors other than Sunburst. I have often thought about how weird it was that both Hendrix and David Gilmour played maple cap, custom color (black) '68 Strats, in Hendrix's case for the 2nd half of his career, and in Gilmour's case, nearly his entire career and to this day (albeit with nearly the entire guitar replaced piece by piece, but still has the body and neck and middle pickups, I believe). I think they both bought them at Manny's in NYC, but why was Manny's ordering all of these maple cap custom color strats? Was Gilmour's a Hendrix reject???

Back to Hendrix, in this era he was using his sunburst '68 flying V, '69 SG Custom, and '55 Les Paul Custom pretty often for blues tunes, and more often in the studio for overdubs.

But Jimi is a strat guy through and through, even if he enjoyed his gibsons now and then.


However, I think he would've used his Flying V Gibson custom made for him and delivered in July '70 (as seen at Isle of Wight) much more often going forward. Unfortunately, this was not meant to be

 

Here's a pic from the show at Santa Clara (5/25) where he appears to be playing the Woodstock Strat...

 

According to this story from 1991 (about the release of Stages) there were no known photos of this show (at that time).

 

I had previously been under the impression that Jimi owned (and gave away or destroyed) dozens of guitars. Then I read somewhere that for his last two years he had two favororite guitars -- a white Strat (presumably the Woodstock Strat that was bequeathed to Mitch Mitchell) and a black Strat (presumably the BOG Strat that Monika Dannemann ended up with). So it very well may be the white Woodstock Strat on "Red House". Who knows..... well maybe Eric Barrett... that is if he can still remember. Here's an interesting article on Jimi's guitars & amps that I stumbled upon: http://www.rockprophecy.com/shop2.html

Ritchie Blackmore was another guitarist who had one of those late 60's Strats with a maple fingerboard (also a black one) which he favored and apparently used to record the iconic "Smoke on the Water". Fender makes an exact replica, which will set you back a mere $6,400! http://www.fender.com/guitars/strat...tribute-stratocaster-maple-fingerboard-black/

Indeed. The second Maui show in July of 1970 "Hendrix ... played a Gibson Flying-V instead of his near-trademark Fender Stratocaster, giving him a thicker guitar tone." http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-rainbow-bridge-concert-the-late-show-mw0000710957

 

The two Strats I keep finding pictures of from '69 are the Olympic white ("Woodstock") and the black strat (does anyone know what ended up happening to that one?).

As probably everyone knows, the Woodstock strat is now on permanent display at the EMP Museum in Seattle. I was there last month and took several pictures (though they came out blurry without the use of a flash).

 

Interesting article. I never really had a very good idea which one of the guitars Zappa had possession of, though I realized when I saw the chunk of the Monterey Strat at the EMP Museum that it must not have been that one.

 

Is the museum okay with cell phone "flashes"? Those have come a long way in recent years getting fairly decent pictures.

Although, if you wanted something good to blow up - gotta go with film, which you have no choice for flash.

The reason why I ask is that the wife and I are slated to visit the NW US in the following months and I never knew there was a museum up that way that had Hendrix memorabilia. That I'd love to see!

 

Oh absolutely. Jimi and Peter Green, it's downright spooky when those two guys are 'in the zone'.

Location is publicly unknown, at least according to this article: http://scottsparling.net/blog/entry/the_black_strat Though, it'd be perfectly fine with me if the great Uli Jon Roth has it.

 

First, here's the link for the EMP Museum, which just a short walk away from the Space Needle... and I would say that it is a MUST VISIT for Hendrix fans.

http://www.empmuseum.org/

The sign at the entrance says "no flash photography" and my phone camera is not great, so the pix didn't come out particularly good. Then again the angel of photographic talent passed over me before birth.

There is also the Hendrix Memorial and gravesite in Renton, which I visited and would also recommend. If you don't have access to a car it's still doable via public transportation (two buses from downtown Seattle).

http://www.jimihendrixmemorial.com/

 

Woah, that linked AMG review says this is/was a legit issue of material from one or both of the Hawaii "Rainbow Bridge" concerts? Really? Can somebody remind me exactly what parts (if any) of the Hawaii material has been issued legitimately?

20 years ago I knew the genesis of a mountain of Hendrix material (from some 50+ LP boots I bought in high-school and early in my college years in the late 80's), but I got rid of practically all of them over the years - and barely remember all those details. I also made VHS copies of every bit of footage I could get my hands on (and got a lot from mail-order trading circles, from ads in the back of Goldmine -- remember those days??!!)

Anyway, as I typed all this out on my phone, I'm now vaguely remembering that maybe the only legit issue of any of the "Rainbow Bridge" concert material was -- maybe? -- video on laserdisc from Japan? I seem to remember not a lot of footage in the actual film (which I last saw probably 20 years ago).

 

There was an audio release on Purple Haze Records in 2002, which apparently happened because of a pending court battle between the company and EH (which EH won, thereby making this release a boot).

http://www.discogs.com/Jimi-Hendrix-The-Rainbow-Bridge-Concert/release/1841888

http://www.discogs.com/label/76447-Purple-Haze-Records

 

Thanks for posting that article. I became a fan shortly after Stages came out and am still hoping for a reissue by EH.

 

No problem. My internet sleuthing skills have still not helped me find a photo from 5/24... the day before and the day after, yes, but not that day. Frustrating to say the least.

 

I found an extensive article about the San Diego concert, but unfortunately the photos accompanying the story don't appear (at least on my computer). But cool article nonetheless: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/sep/03/the-day-jimi-hendrix-came-to-town/#

 

Unfortunately they don't appear on mine, either, and the links seem to be broken. Thanks though!

 

Was this show ever officially released in its entirety ?

 

Not that I'm aware of... Stages had almost the whole show, omitting "Foxy Lady".

 

Forum member Old School said he heard they are going to release all of the shows on Stages possibly complete. The rumor is that the next Experience Hendrix release will be the Atlanta Pop Festival set from Stages.

 

Wasn't Fender sending Jimi free strats at some point?