MusicRadar

Jimi with Stratocaster: an iconic combination

View in gallery

Jimi Hendrix was almost certainly the coolest man ever to walk the earth. Unfortunately, cool is something that's not available in any shops. However, if you want to try to emulate the man's extraordinary guitar sounds, we can point you in the direction of plenty of products that will get you in the right ballpark.

In his all-too-brief career, Jimi was known to use a variety of guitars and amps, but there's one combination that stands out as the iconic Hendrix rig. Take one 1968 Stratocaster, plug in to a 100-watt Marshall Super Lead stack, sprinkle liberally with Fuzz Face, wah-wah, Uni-Vibe and Octavia. Then turn up very loud indeed.

Of course, few of us play the kind of festival stages required to get the most out of a set-up like this on a regular basis. Happily there are some modern all-in-one solutions for Jimi devotees that don't require either industrial-strength earplugs or incredibly tolerant neighbours.

Digital haze

DigiTech Jimi Hendrix Experience pedal £199

Now available for considerably less than its £199 RRP, the DigiTech Jimi Hendrix Experience pedal models sounds from seven classic Hendrix tracks and was designed in conjunction with Electric Ladyland engineer Eddie Kramer. So all you need is a guitar, an amplifier, and this pedal and you are ready for Woodstock.

Kramer explains: "We spent two years working on this thing. We worked very hard to keep the sounds as accurate as possible. Basically, I got the original tapes and we just took 10 or 12-second samples of the key songs – the rhythm sound and the lead sound. Then DigiTech mapped those samples and put them on the DSP chips."

Read the full review here.

IK Multimedia AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix Edition £159

If computer recording is your thing, the Jimi Hendrix Edition of the popular AmpliTube modelling plug-in is just the ticket. Giving you access to a virtual library of Jimi's amplifiers, cabinets and effects, it's also possible to go way beyond the presets and create exciting new sounds of your own.

One for the more tech-savvy amongst you, it's the only way to recreate the guitar sound from The Star Spangled Banner with just a Strat and a laptop.

Read the full review here.