See If You Can Follow The Logic In This: GIBSON To Produce Hendrix Stratocasters

[chefcraig]

Notice how the word Stratocaster is not mentioned once in this press release, nor on the guitar itself.

For a larger image of the black guitar and the source of the article, click here.

Jimi Hendrix Electric Guitar Packages

Now a part of the Gibson family of brands

Press Release, Tue 22 Sep 2009, 11:48 am BST

Authentic Hendrix LLC, a Jimi Hendrix Family Company, announced today the introduction of three branded Jimi Hendrix Electric Guitar Packages as part of an exclusive agreement between the Gibson Guitar Corp. and Authentic Hendrix properties.

Specifically chosen for its innovation, quality and global impact, Authentic Hendrix LLC began conversations with the Gibson Guitar Corp. in 2008 to develop guitar packages that would serve as a tribute to the musician who many have called the world's greatest guitarist of all time. The effort is also part of preserving his legacy so that generations to come could develop and appreciate his techniques and musicianship. Each guitar will have the Jimi Hendrix signature and logo on it and will come with special added value components only offered with the specific package.

Gibson Guitar and Authentic Hendrix LLC announced the launch of three exclusive Jimi Hendrix electric guitar packages.

The Jimi Hendrix "Experience" Electric Guitar Package is the ultimate tribute to the greatest guitarist who ever lived. The company has combed over historical details and taken the best from more than 100 years of guitar making so that every guitarist – from the beginner to the seasoned player – can find his or her inner Hendrix with this package. The "Experience" package will come with an official "Jimi Hendrix signature electric guitar" and all the necessary accessories and some fun extras including a Jimi Hendrix Signature "Voodoo Child" amplifier, a Foxey Fuzz pedal, a deluxe padded gig bag, an instructional DVD, an electronic tuner, two guitar cables, a Hendrix inspired strap, three picks and a USB drive containing exclusive Hendrix media content. In addition consumers will receive a Hendrix inspired tie-dyed tee-shirt and bandana. True to its name, this guitar package will give the music enthusiast the ultimate Hendrix experience. MSRP $449.99 USD.



Jimi Hendrix "Signature" Electric Guitar Package: It's been almost 40 years since Jimi Hendrix's death but he has continued to assert his tremendous legacy with the six strings of his guitar. In recordings and film footage, his mesmerizing showmanship lives on. In a fitting tribute to the man who famously played right-handed guitars upside down, Gibson and Authentic Hendrix have announced the Jimi Hendrix Signature Electric Guitar Package.

Designed in close collaboration with Janie Hendrix and Gibson engineers. The package inherited the best features from Jimi's original equipment so that Hendrix fans the world over can enjoy a deluxe guitar package the way Jimi would have liked it. This package comes with a "Jimi Hendrix signature electric guitar and all the necessary accessories, a Jimi Hendrix Voodoo Child amplifier, a deluxe padded gig bag, an instructional DVD, an electronic tuner, a guitar cable, a Hendrix inspired strap, three picks and a USB drive. MSRP $332.99 USD.



The third offering from this exclusive partnership is the Jimi by Jimi Hendrix "Little Wing" Electric Guitar Package which Gibson engineers and Authentic Hendrix LLC designed with one question in mind: "What if the world's greatest guitarist was still alive today, what guitar would he want to play?" Combining the historical authenticity and more than 100 years of precision guitar making the launch of the Jimi "Little Wing" electric guitar package has been launched.

This "Jimi" guitar package is equipped with three Voodoo Child Inspired by Jimi Hendrix pickups and comes with the new 10-watt "Max Feedback" amplifier so that the musician is all set to recreate Hendrix's unearthly playing style. The package also comes with an instructional DVD, which includes detailed lessons and a walk through of the components of the entire guitar package. In addition consumers will receive a deluxe padded gig bag, a 10 foot guitar cable, a nylong strap with the Authentic Hendrix logo on it and three Authentic Hendrix guitar picks. MSRP $249.99 USD.

"Creating this new guitar is continuing Jimi's practice of giving back to people. He would go to Manny's Music store in New York to make himself available to young musicians and invite them to his studio to watch him record. He also gave away guitars or bought them for young players," said Janie Hendrix, Jimi's sister and CEO of Authentic Hendrix.

"It was our own idea to approach Gibson in the beginning after the positive experiences we'd had with the Flying V's that they made based on Jimi's guitar some years back. Our excitement inspired their excitement, and here we are, creating these new branded musical instruments. This is just the tip of the iceberg."

[jackassrock]

Wow, that poor dead guy's family is doing everything possible to destroy his good name.

[Coyote]

Ultimate moneygrabs, part MCXLVII...

[Hardrock69]

BLASPHEMERS!

WHAT IN THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THESE GODDAMNABLE FUCKS!!!

JANIE HENDRIX IS A FUCKING DELUSIONAL MONEY-GRUBBING FUCKING KUNT!

This "Jimi" guitar package is equipped with three Voodoo Child Inspired by Jimi Hendrix pickups and comes with the new 10-watt "Max Feedback" amplifier so that the musician is all set to recreate Hendrix's unearthly playing style.

Voodoo Child Inspired By Jimi Hendrix pickups? What kind of fucking lame bullshit is that?

Wow...a 10-watt Max Feedback amplifier? Who the fuck is "Max Feedback"? Some fucking wino from the Pioneer Square district that Janie has been paying to assfuck her?

Time and time again, this fucking bitch has demonstrated she has nothing in her heart but using Jimi's name to make money, and crapping on the Hendrix legacy.

She took a proper step by selling the rights to the Hendrix catalog to Sony last month. Perhaps with her out of the way, at least the release of his music will be in better hands.

But she still has to keep on fucking shit up in the name of Jimi Hendrix, while claiming to be doing 'good'.

If she had a fucking clue, she would have created these packages with Fender Squires and Fender amps.

The truth is probably that Fender is tired of her ignorant ass, and wants nothing further to do with her.

Gibson likes to fuck people in the ass also. Perhaps it will be a marriage made in Hell.

God damn her to Hell!

[Hardrock69]

Note the comments from the source article, lol:

Jimi's STEP-sister should've known better, although judging from past performance, I suppose these "guitars" & "amp" shouldn't really come as any big surprise.

No No No No, Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong !!! jeez.....whatever next!

"What if the world's greatest guitarist was still alive today, what guitar would he want to play?"
Probably not one made out of Plywood... probably not one that is a complete cash in in the purity and innocence of music... probably not into a cheap chinese made 10 watt solid state amp...
And **if** he were to have a signature one made up - I'm quite sure the guy who suggested calling the package 'Little Wing' would have been fired on the spot.
For someone who spends her life pushing the message of Jimi Hendrix - she has certainly missed the message of Rock n Roll.
Janie Hendrix - you ARE the man. And I honestly believe that if he was alive today, your brother would be sticking it to you.

Hendrix's sister yet again cashing in on her brother's legacy, whilst Leon Hendrix gets next to nothing...

Should be a Fender

[chefcraig]

When is a 'Strat' not a Strat? When it's an 'Authentic Hendrix' Gibson

Michael Leonard, Tue 22 Sep 2009, 9: 06 pm BST

You may have missed this in our Press Release feed, but Gibson has announced a new range of Authentic Hendrix electric guitar packages. Yes, Gibson.

The late Jimi Hendrix did indeed play Gibson guitars: a few notable Flying Vs and even flipped-over right-handed Les Pauls, occasionally. So when it was recently announced that Gibson were to launch a series of 'Hendrix-endorsed' Gibsons, MusicRadar assumed it could only be based on one of these iconic designs?

But, no. Frankly, MusicRadar is lost for words.

This new guitar is apparently "part of preserving his [Jimi's] legacy".

It is, according to Janie Hendrix (Jimi's half-sister) "designed with one question in mind: 'What if the world's greatest guitarist was still alive today, what guitar would he want to play?'

Again. Lost for words. MusicRadar has contacted Gibson and Fender for any further statements, but both companies are currently declining to comment. MusicRadar was hoping to speak to Janie Hendrix 22 September, but she had to postpone.

Only "an idiot" could confuse?

There have been many 'copy' guitars over the years, of course. And sometimes, innovations have come out of that (Ibanez grew from a copy-merchant to a major player in the guitar-making business). What's startling here is... this is Gibson. Gibson is one of the world's longest-established guitar makers.

Gibson Guitar, you may recall, sued PRS in the early noughties over the latter's Singlecut design, claiming it breached design copyright. In that drawn-out case, Gibson finally conceded in 2006 that only "an idiot" could confuse a PRS Singlecut with a Gibson.

By Gibson's own logic, will only an idiot think this is a Fender Stratocaster, the model of guitar that Jimi Hendrix mostly played?

Don't think I'm anti-Gibson. Not at all. I love Gibson guitars. I love their use of fine woods, the roar of humbuckers, the glued-in necks, the neck binding (on some models), the neck profiles, the headstock designs. Fantastic, heritage stuff. Things that few other companies can match. Things that actually say 'brand' and integrity.

But everything I - and many others - love about Gibson-made guitars seems to be utterly absent from this 'Authentic Hendrix' instrument, from what I can see. I'm sure it's a decent-enough guitar, but...again, lost for words.

Gibson is a great guitar company. Jimi Hendrix is an icon. How the brains behind each legacy has come so-unstuck on this 'authentic' instrument, only time will tell.

Me? I'm not buying.

"If the world's greatest guitarist was still alive today, what guitar would he want to play"? asks the Hendrix estate. Big question, but I'd say if Jimi were alive and played a guitar that LOOKED like this, it would have two important words on the headstock...

Not "Jimi Hendrix". But "Fender Stratocaster".

One can imagine the conversations among players coming soon..

Player #1: "Check out my new Hendrix guitar!"
Player #2:: "Cool, is that a Hendrix Strat?"
#1: "Well, err, no - it's an 'Authentic Hendrix' guitar. But it's a Gibson."
#2: "But wait, it looks pretty much like a Fender Stratocaster. Like Jimi played, yeah?"
#1: "Yeah, kind of. But it's made by Gibson."
#2: "Jimi played Flying Vs, sure. But this is a Fender, right?"
#1: "No. It's an official Hendrix model. It's just made by Gibson."
#2: (walks off, utterly confused.)

The world of 'signature' guitars is a rum one, but is this a low? "Authentic Hendrix"? I personally don't think so.

Authentic Hendrix... by Gibson. Yes, that does appear to be a picture of Jimi playing a Fender on the box

BLOG: When is a 'Strat' not a Strat? | Musicradar.com

[jhale667]

Unbelievable.

[indeedido]

I don't even know where to start with this shit

[chefcraig]

Look what happens when you flip the guitar around to play it, just like Jimi would have.




Ooops!

[ELVIS]

Gibson ??

I don't see GIBSON on the headstock!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

This is so ridiculous, it's not even funny...

Jimi played a Stratocaster, so Gibson creates a replica.

Of course it makes sense.

Hell, everything today makes sense. It's the "fast-changing" world we live in, I guess.

'Scuse me, I'll go back to my little black hole and get away from the real world.

Hope you guys do't mind.

Cheers! :bottle:

[ELVIS]

Jimi played a Flying V (already recreated by Gibson) and a lefty SG (not recreated)...

This fake strat-crap is the lowest i've seen...

Fender made two awesome HENDRIX STRATOCASTERS in 1997!


PERIOD!

END OF STORY!

[Hardrock69]

I agree!

This is so wrong it is unbelievable.

[jhale667]

Surprised Fender isn't suing them blind already...

[chefcraig]

Ya know who would purchase this thing? Parents wandering around in a department store, looking for a first guitar in an all in one package for their kid. These folks have no clue as to tradition quite like us guitar snobs, nor do they see the irony in trying to sound like Jimi Hendrix while using a ten watt amp.

I could be mistaken, yet both the low pricing and the timing would seem to bear out this assumption. Coming to a WalMart or Target near you, just in time for Christmas.

[sadaist]

Who the fuck is "Max Feedback"?

Long lost brother?

[sadaist]

Surprised Fender isn't suing them blind already...

They can't really. They didn't patent the Stratocaster when they should have.

[jhale667]

Coming to a WalMart or Target near you, just in time for Christmas.

And ending up in your kid's garbage bin by New Year's....

[Diamondjimi]

What a fucking joke...

[Matt White]

I remember seeing JIMI playing a black Les Paul before......

[Hardrock69]

The Les Paul was used from May of 1968. I actually have a t-shirt with this image on it, taken at the Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland on May 30, 1968.




His SG Custom was the first Hendrix guitar I ever saw in person, when I was in London in the late 80s...it was on display at the Hard Rock Cafe.

He had 2 Gibson Flying Vs. One (Cherry color) had the psychedelic paint job, the other was a Gibsom Custom Shop left-hand model with Trini Lopez neck inlays...that is the one that was given to his roadie Eric Barrett, and ended up on display at the Hard Rock Cafe in Dallas for years and years.

He also owned 2 other Gibsons:

1968 Sunburst ES-335 with a rosewood neck
Les Paul bought at Manny's guitar store in NYC July 11, 1969, unknown color. Invoice has partial serial number on it (1042?)

[lesfunk]

Jesus, That's offensive.

[twonabomber]

They can't really. They didn't patent the Stratocaster when they should have.

i think it was more that they didn't sue anyone from making copies for years, and then wanted to stop it later. the court looked at Fender's not going after the early manufacturers as "approval."

[sadaist]

i think it was more that they didn't sue anyone from making copies for years, and then wanted to stop it later. the court looked at Fender's not going after the early manufacturers as "approval."

It's very sad. So many copies of Fenders and they don't get any props. Maybe it was a good thing in many respects. Having all those copies made people crave the real deal. It did for me anyways. From my first Hondo red Strat copy, I always wanted a real one.

[GAR]

I don't even know where to start with this shit

ditto

Janie really screwed the pooch this time.

[GAR]

It's very sad. So many copies of Fenders and they don't get any props. Maybe it was a good thing in many respects. Having all those copies made people crave the real deal. It did for me anyways. From my first Hondo red Strat copy, I always wanted a real one.

YAH and so then, you become an adult and get a job, you go to buy one the first thing you figure out is that a real Fender Stratocaster is nearly unplayable without a couple hours of setup adjustments and reintonation setting.. that you wind up just modding your original Hondo with better parts resulting in better-than-Fender strat.

If Fender could just build a strat the way people wanted without forcing em to fork over a premium for a proper setup, they wouldn't have to still have Fender Japan associated.

The 91 Korean strat I picked up for fifty then sold the body for that much, I loved the neck enough that I put the neck on my own Hondo body. It's sweet, feels better than a Highway 1 strat and I'm not out $700 bucks!

A strat is what you make of it, that's the EVH lesson we're taught 30 years ago and is still true today.

[ZahZoo]

Surprised Fender isn't suing them blind already...

I doubt the last of this hasn't been heard yet...

I'm just at a total loss of words with this bullshit... Hendrix LLC did pretty well with the Actual Fender Hendrix tribute guitars. Even the Digitech Jimi pedal was alright. This just takes the cake... WTF??

[chefcraig]

(Yeah, I wrote the same piece for two different sites, sue me. )

These are going to be my final words on this despicable product. I mentioned previously how I felt the project was entirely cynical, and to a degree I was mistaken. In order for that to be true, the kit would have included a bandanna and perhaps an Afro-wig. And what is next in the line of Hendrix "tributes" authorized by Janie Hendrix? According to a recent press release, more "unreleased" music. In her own words, a decade's worth.

The thing is, this package could (and should) be referred to as "Jimi In A Box". With that tag, perhaps people could come to understand the level of sheer exploitation that is being sold here. What is next, Hendrix costumes for Halloween available at your local department store? Don't laugh. As I pointed out before, take a closer look at the MSRP for those "Jimi In A Box" guitar kits. It is entirely imaginable to one day pick up the entire "Experience Hendrix", while shopping for bedding, home appliances and garden tools.

Keep your eye on this folks, as it really is fascinating to watch a genuine legacy get sold down the river, piece by piece.

[ELVIS]

There's not much left...

[GAR]

Jimi played a Stratocaster, so Gibson creates a replica.

Discombobulations of the original concept are seldom looked upon as the term "replica" as much as they are the term "crap."

Look at the lower bout, crooked. Look at the cutaway horns, misshapen and disequal. Look at the pickguard. The headstock. It's a joke!

It's just all wrong. This is a far cry from even a reverse-headstock Stratocaster, in fact, that headstock shares more legacy with the Gibson Firebird headstock such as the straight-shot line across the tuners than it does the Stratocaster.

That's all that's known about it, after all it is an electric guitar and priced as it is definately an import. Timed as it is, immediately after Back To School fall clothes purchasing season it surfaces just in time for that holiday shopping gift list.. how convenient!

What isn't known about it is how well it plays and what type electronics are configured in it. Could be really swell, but as most imports are, most probably Cheese Factor Number Five on a 1 to 5, 5 being most cheesiest and sleasiest.

Gibson's never been really good at figuring out the bolton-neck designs, even though it owns the Kramer name and has done nothing with that.. it's still fighting to be that empirically-structured "in house original design" concept they're famous for: trying to have their standards adopted as THE standard which never ever worked.

Gibson must stick with the set-neck designs. Fender tried doing that and bombed, they stick to what they do and make out why can't Gibson do what they do best and leave the knockoffs to the asian import brands?

[GAR]

...the Digitech Jimi pedal was alright.

Then why isn't it sold anymore? It was a processor-effect, Jimi played analogue effects:

Roger Mayer Vox wah mods
Roger Mayer Octavia
Roger Mayer-modded Fuzz Face distortion
Leslie rotational speaker cabinets
Fender spring reverb unit
Maestro EP-2 Echoplex
Maestro Fuzz distortion
Univox (Shin-Ei) Uni-Vibe

I didn't hear any of those effect simulations done well enough in the Digitech pedal to say "yeah this is how to get Jimi Hendrix sounds."

[jhale667]

My friend has one...cool in a toy way, not really something you'd gig with.

[Nitro Express]

Wow, that poor dead guy's family is doing everything possible to destroy his good name.

Jimi is such an icon all this does is show the money grubbing stupidity of the Hendrix family. This marketing atrocity will be a HUGE failure. I could see Gibson releasing a Flying Angel (Jimi's Flying V) or even the SG he played sometimes. We all know the Strat was Jimi's main squeeze and his use of Gibson equipment was limited.

[ZahZoo]

Then why isn't it sold anymore? It was a processor-effect, Jimi played analogue effects:

Roger Mayer Vox wah mods
Roger Mayer Octavia
Roger Mayer-modded Fuzz Face distortion
Leslie rotational speaker cabinets
Fender spring reverb unit
Maestro EP-2 Echoplex
Maestro Fuzz distortion
Univox (Shin-Ei) Uni-Vibe

I didn't hear any of those effect simulations done well enough in the Digitech pedal to say "yeah this is how to get Jimi Hendrix sounds."

As usual talkin out your ass and still can't distiguish it from a fuckin hole in the ground...

DigiTech® Jimi Hendrix Experience™

[GAR]

What we are doing here is taking a little piece of Jimi and putting it in a pedal that will stun the world.

I wasn't stunned.

[Hardrock69]

Wow, that poor dead guy's family is doing everything possible to destroy his good name.

Well, no. Jimi's family has been shut out of the running of "Authentic" Hendrix LLC.

Janie has done all she can to fuck Jimi's family in the ass, Leon in particular.

It seems, unfortunately, that Jimi's estate will not be in good hands until that kunt dies.

I wish she would go away, but it is quite obvious she will not stop fucking Jimi's corpse in the ass and destroying what's left of his legacy until she catches AIDS and dies, or is in a car accident or something.

On the day she dies, I will be one happy muffukker!