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BLOG: When is a 'Strat' not a Strat?
When it's an 'Authentic Hendrix' Gibson
Michael Leonard, Tue 22 Sep 2009, 9:06 pm UTC
Authentic Hendrix... by Gibson. Yes, that does appear to be a picture of Jimi playing a Fender on the box
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.
This, pictured, is the new Gibson / Authentic Hendrix design. 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.
User comments (35)
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Can't believe what I'm seeing!!!!! Is it the 1st of April again so soon? It must be a sick gag surely????
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Wow, I hadn't seen these.
Gibson= the company that milks it's brand till dry as often as possible. The company that goes after anyone who makes a product even remotely similar to their's.....with a vengeance! Hendrix family - the same ilk.
The two together = a union made in heaven....between two greedy bastid$. Perfect!
There's a real irony though - that Gibson does the near fender rip-off after attacking others for copying their creations. Even with headstock change....it's still a fender rip-off. LOL,
Better get one if you can! They're gonna be a big-time collectible one day, hahahaha.
Funny stuff.
Jim P. -
What next? Are Burns going to bring out a Hank Marvin tribute Stratocaster?
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I agree with you, Shrexter.
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The fact is Gibson is going for the dumbass kid who puts no time into looking for a guitar and just buys that starter kit because it has a picture of Jimi on it.
Really I think Gibsons way out of line and Janie Hendrix, for lack of better words, needs to stop whoring out Jimi's legacy. -
I would not even buy this guitar. I would buy a real Strat, not a knock-off. Trust me, Gibson will put out a limited edition and cut their losses with EH>
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Presumably if it's a Fender / Gibson hybrid then it'll be called a 'Fib-son'?
(will the only colour available be 'little-white-lie'?)
Just 'cos you can, doesn't mean that you should - I just can't decide whether it's 'so bad it's funny' or 'so funny it's bad'. -
I hope this is just the result of Gibson having a breakdown following the recent loss of the legendary Les Paul. I'd hate to think they had lost their common sense too.
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This is 100% the worst guitar related idea I have ever seen.
It has destroyed the respect I had for the Gibson brand as a whole and I wouldn't be surprised if it damages their reputation in the serious guitar buying marked.
As an example I have seriously been thinking about investing in a 59 VOS Les Paul but this has put me right off the idea.
Think I'll go and get a nice White 62 Reissue Strat and a 52 Reissue Tele instead - and still have change to go down the pub and erase this ridiculous idea from my brain. -
Greed & Stupidity ... but mostly greed!
If you want an Authentic Jimi guitar, but a white strat, turn it upside down and play left handed ... that's what he did and you wont get more authentic than that. Or buy a Gibson Flying V and turn that upside down. I think the decision to do this is ill advised on the part of Gibson and reveals the true motives of the care takes of Hendrix legacy. Ultimately it will be the guitar playing community who decide if this was a good decision or not. If enough people buy one Gibson / Hendrix will be vindicated.
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