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Post subject: jimi hendrix stratocaster review
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2015 7:29 pm
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Received my new Jimi Hendrix strat today with the Blassbreaker 007. For $899 this MIM is a great guitar. The neck feels nice. The vintage 65 pickups nail the late 60's sound. I think I like them better than the custom 69(my favorite fender pickups). I am not crazy about the 70's headstock would have preferred a regular one. Great strat at a resonable price. One thing if you are thinking about a new guitar or a amp go with the new Bassbreaker it probably the best gain circuit fender ever made and I only have the 7 watt one.

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Post subject: Re: jimi hendrix stratocaster review
Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2015 9:16 am
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spotmfd wrote:
Received my new Jimi Hendrix strat today with the Blassbreaker 007. For $899 this MIM is a great guitar. The neck feels nice. The vintage 65 pickups nail the late 60's sound. I think I like them better than the custom 69(my favorite fender pickups). I am not crazy about the 70's headstock would have preferred a regular one. Great strat at a resonable price. One thing if you are thinking about a new guitar or a amp go with the new Bassbreaker it probably the best gain circuit fender ever made and I only have the 7 watt one.


I am wondering why Fender did not choose to use a left handed body for the right handed version (and vice versa for the leftie, if they make one) to achieve not only the sound but the complete look of Jimi's guitar??? Using the reverse neck imitates the look correctly but the body doesn't. I realize that the bridge pickup is slanted the opposite way but it's just not authentic. I think if I wanted to imitate the Jimi guitar I would just buy an opposite hand guitar, rework the electronics and flip it. :? :roll:


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Post subject: Re: jimi hendrix stratocaster review
Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2015 2:29 pm
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Indeed, but then you would have all the inconvenience of playing a cack handed guitar.

What Fender have done here is address the elements which may influence a Jimi tone but without the inconvenience of playing an upside down guitar.

If you want to pretend you are Jimi buy an upside down guitar, and look at yourself in a mirror to complete the illusion. If you just want "the sound" this would seem like a good starting point.

I hope these don't hang around too long as I can't sit on my hands forever. :-)

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Post subject: Re: jimi hendrix stratocaster review
Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2015 3:48 pm
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John Sims wrote:
Indeed, but then you would have all the inconvenience of playing a cack handed guitar.

What Fender have done here is address the elements which may influence a Jimi tone but without the inconvenience of playing an upside down guitar.

Your points are valid and well taken but I think you missed mine.
If you want to pretend you are Jimi buy an upside down guitar, and look at yourself in a mirror to complete the illusion. If you just want "the sound" this would seem like a good starting point.

I hope these don't hang around too long as I can't sit on my hands forever. :-)


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Post subject: Re: jimi hendrix stratocaster review
Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2015 7:32 pm
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You'd be a fool buying this guitar. This is nothing more than a regular Strat with a reverse headstock and Jimi neckplate. I'd rather buy a lefty Strat and strung 'em just like Jimi did. More authentic. They should call this the Nuno Bettencourt Strat.

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Post subject: Re: jimi hendrix stratocaster review
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 5:39 am
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80sGuy wrote:
You'd be a fool buying this guitar. This is nothing more than a regular Strat with a reverse headstock and Jimi neckplate. I'd rather buy a lefty Strat and strung 'em just like Jimi did. More authentic. They should call this the Nuno Bettencourt Strat.

My point exactly 80'sGuy :wink:


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Post subject: Re: jimi hendrix stratocaster review
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 6:16 am
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80sGuy wrote:
You'd be a fool buying this guitar. This is nothing more than a regular Strat with a reverse headstock and Jimi neckplate. I'd rather buy a lefty Strat and strung 'em just like Jimi did. More authentic...


Well obviously you could if you want to look like Jimi. On the other hand, if you are only interested in the subtle tone that Jimi's guitar had, being strung upside down, without the inconvenience of playing an upside down guitar (and the stigma of looking like a Jimi wannabe) then this seems like a great buy.

It's a tone tool not a dressing up pretending to be Jimi tool.

I really don't care if the neck isn't the same profile as Jimi's or that it isn't a 60's Strat strung upside down etc, etc, etc; the tone subtlety comes from the inverted pups and head configuration, not from what it looks like.

I haven't played one, but what I have heard of the various reviews on Youtube there does seem to be a subtle nuance to the tone which, I guess, may come from the configuration.

You might not like, or understand, the concept of the guitar but don't rudely slag down an instrument that someone has bought with their own hard earned money and then taken the effort to tell you what they think about it. I don't like Strats with humbuckers but if someone goes to the trouble of doing a NGD post I'm not about to tell them I don't like that guitar and they should have bought something else.

Of course if you just want to dress up like Jimi this isn't going to be the guitar for you.

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Post subject: Re: jimi hendrix stratocaster review
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 10:54 am
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Does the pickup is just the same as AVRI 65?


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Post subject: Re: jimi hendrix stratocaster review
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 2:32 pm
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John Sims wrote:
80sGuy wrote:
You'd be a fool buying this guitar. This is nothing more than a regular Strat with a reverse headstock and Jimi neckplate. I'd rather buy a lefty Strat and strung 'em just like Jimi did. More authentic...


Well obviously you could if you want to look like Jimi. On the other hand, if you are only interested in the subtle tone that Jimi's guitar had, being strung upside down, without the inconvenience of playing an upside down guitar (and the stigma of looking like a Jimi wannabe) then this seems like a great buy.

It's a tone tool not a dressing up pretending to be Jimi tool.

I really don't care if the neck isn't the same profile as Jimi's or that it isn't a 60's Strat strung upside down etc, etc, etc; the tone subtlety comes from the inverted pups and head configuration, not from what it looks like.

I haven't played one, but what I have heard of the various reviews on Youtube there does seem to be a subtle nuance to the tone which, I guess, may come from the configuration.
instrument that someone has bought with their own hard earned money and then taken the effort to tell you what t
You might not like, or understand, the concept of the guitar but don't rudely slag down an hey think about it. I don't like Strats with humbuckers but if someone goes to the trouble of doing a NGD post I'm not about to tell them I don't like that guitar and they should have bought something else.

Of course if you just want to dress up like Jimi this isn't going to be the guitar for you.
I apologized for being a little harsh with my words. You've got a point, but others might or might not agree. Isn't it what the 'signature series' supposed to be? And in no way one becomes a 'wannabe' if they are seeking something that are as identical as possible to the original. It is called being an original or for lack of a better word 'purist'. I am one of those people. I wouldn't buy an SRV Strat as well as the YJM Strat if it weren't done right in the first place - which I think they did a great job on them almost right down to the core. Not sure if you know this but back in '96 or '97 Fender DID released a limited number original Jimi Hendrix Strats - a REAL left-handed guitar in Olympic White strung for right-handed players, of course this was also lefty heaven for unconventional players.

Aside from Fender guitars, I remembered seeing boatloads of Randy Rhoads original (Sandoval) Polka Dot V being released by Jackson, Fernandes and what have you, while they are convincing for those that don't know guitars but they were horrible - the dots were out of place, too many or too little and the headstock was totally incorrect. Some might argue and share the same view as you but I totally disagree with the RR polka Dot V. Recently, some custom-shop has gotten it right, including Karl Sandoval himself finally start reissuing his much beloved original Polka Dot V - done right 100% if you have $10,000 or more to spare.

Again, back on topic, we all know sounds can be altered/corrected by replacing the right pups, but the a big part of the deal has also to do with components of the wood. There you have it, I'm just disappointed at this particular reissue. Hope others will assess the argument and make proper decisions whether they want it or not.

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Last edited by 80sGuy on Fri Nov 20, 2015 5:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: jimi hendrix stratocaster review
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 5:19 pm
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I agree with you entirely in respect of replicas and, indeed, Fender has several levels of Signature guitars for some artists, even including being assembled by the stars luthier at the top of the tree.

But that isn't what this guitar is about. It is so far from being an attempt at a replica (in looks) that I don't believe anyone would confuse it as such.

I agree that Fender perhaps muddy the water with the Hendrix association but then it is perusing a Hendrix tone and vibe. A true replica would be a right hand guitar strung upside down with banjo strings.

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Post subject: Re: jimi hendrix stratocaster review
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 7:20 pm
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Here it is...clip ad from the April 1997 issue of Guitar World.
Image

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Post subject: Re: jimi hendrix stratocaster review
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 7:43 pm
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80sGuy wrote:
Here it is...clip ad from the April 1997 issue of Guitar World.
Image


True, but if you recall they also had the Hendrix VooDoo Strat, which was a right-handed body with a lefty neck and the reversed bridge pickup. Similar specs to the current model, but the old USA one had a Reissue-style neck (vintage truss rod for one). And after Janie Hendrix & the family (I believe this was before they wound up setting up the "Experience Hendrix" entity) pulled out of the deal Fender kept making the "VooDoo" model under a non-Hendrix-y name like the "'68 Reverse Strat Special" or something similar.

I suspect the current one is what Janie Hendrix/Experience Hendrix and Fender landed on, and they figured that the MIM was a better price point. So basically this is what Janie thinks would sell, not what Jimi's legacy should rate.


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Post subject: Re: jimi hendrix stratocaster review
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2015 8:12 pm
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^^Yup, I remember seeing those. It's got the weird Fender transition logo with the mini Stratocaster decal. Didn't look quite right overall. The 'Experience' strat I posted was the closest except, again, while the decal is correct but for some reasons they had to 'reversed' the entire logo. I think Fender did this to distinct from people, so that they can't just flip any regular Strat and try to call it a Fender Hendrix Experience Strat.

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Post subject: Re: jimi hendrix stratocaster review
Posted: Sat Nov 21, 2015 3:44 am
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80sGuy wrote:
... while the decal is correct but for some reasons they had to 'reversed' the entire logo. .


Well (you were the one who demanded authenticity), if you are going to produce a mirror image of a right handed Strat flipped to play left handed (then mirrored for r/h use) then the logo should be mirrored as well. I assume they didn't go all out and reverse the pots and knobs as well although, by the same argument they should.

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Post subject: Re: jimi hendrix stratocaster review
Posted: Sat Nov 21, 2015 9:08 am
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John Sims wrote:
Well (you were the one who demanded authenticity), if you are going to produce a mirror image of a right handed Strat flipped to play left handed (then mirrored for r/h use) then the logo should be mirrored as well. I assume they didn't go all out and reverse the pots and knobs as well although, by the same argument they should.

Don't forget links screws and a reversed truss rod.

And where would you find reverse wound strings? The optimal angle of attack (perpendicular to the spiral of the winding) will be slightly different for a left-handed versus a right handed player, unless the strings are reverse wound.

So someone wanting to play an "authentical" Hendrix strat would either have to play sinister like Hendrix, or reverse everything to play it right-handed.
And even then, it wouldn't be authentic, because of the right-hand rule for magnetic field generation, sending the electrons in the wrong direction.


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