Jimi Hendrix's 1964 Fender Jazzmaster
Musician
Jimi Hendrix
(American, 1942 - 1970)
Musician
Billy Davis
(American, born 1938)
Maker
Fender
(American, founded 1946)
Date1964
ClassificationsMusic
DescriptionJimi Hendrix's 1964 Fender Jazzmaster, serial number L24032, in Nitro finish, original 3-tone sunburst, maple neck, rosewood fretboard, clay dot markers, Kluson tuners, two large single coil pickups, volume and tone hat knobs, tortoise shell 3-ply pickguard with two wheels for V and T and a slide switch for lead or rhythm circuits. Fender tremolo vibrato tailpiece with numbers etched in and 2-pole bridge has a chrome cover.Guitarist Jimi Hendrix owned this guitar and gifted it to Billy Davis in 1969. A young Hendrix met Davis in Seattle in 1959 while Davis was playing with Hank Ballard & the Midnighters. Davis gave Hendrix guitar lessons and served as an influence for his flamboyant performance style. Davis was purportedly the first person to give Hendrix an opportunity to play the electric guitar.
The two remained friends until Jimi's untimely passing in 1970. Prior to his death, after one of their late-night get togethers in Manhattan, Davis and Jimi stopped by Hendrix's Greenwich Village apartment where Jimi graciously told Davis to take the guitar. Davis converted the guitar to its current right-hand stringing setup. He later used it during recording sessions with Lithofayne Pridgon, Hendrix’s former girlfriend and the presumed inspiration for the song “Foxy Lady.”
Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970) was a guitarist, singer, and songwriter who is often considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Hendrix began playing guitar at 15 and performed with bands in his hometown of Seattle before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1961. Hendrix served for one year before he was discharged in June 1962. After leaving the Army, Hendrix began performing as a backing musician, where he played with several artists including Sam Cooke, the Isley Brothers, and Little Richard on the R&B and blues circuits.
Hendrix then formed a short-lived band, Jimmy James and the Blue Flames, before he moved to London to start the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1966. Their first single, "Hey Joe," was met with critical acclaim. The band's debut album Are You Experienced? was released in May 1967 and was an immediate hit. Their June 1967 performance at the Monterey Pop Festival further cemented Hendrix's status as one of the best guitarists and live performers of the burgeoning rock scene. Hendrix and the Experience released two more studio albums, Axis: Bold as Love and Electric Ladyland, which were both critical and commercial successes. The Jimi Hendrix Experience broke up in June 1969, shortly before Hendrix headlined the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, where his performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner" became a catalyst moment in the counterculture movement of the 1960s.
Hendrix was at the height of his fame when he died on September 18, 1970 at 27 years old. He is remembered for his inventive guitar playing and his flamboyant stage presence, and is cited by countless musicians as an influence. He and the Experience were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
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