A Brief Glance At The Musical Equipment Of Jimi Hendrix The Legend
Just about any fan of classic rock music will tell you that one of the best guitarists of all time is Jimi Hendrix. His music truly was different from anything that anyone had heard before. It was totally unlike all the pop music that stuck to a specific formula. Further, it was distinctly electric which created visceral reactions in those who listened. Part of this was due to the musical equipment of Jimi Hendrix. Here we will look at Jimi’s life and career as well as the equipment that gave his music such unique qualities.
Jimi hailed from Seattle, Washington, born in 1942. He served briefly in the United States Army and then proceeded to perform several low paying gigs during the early to mid 1960s. This would not be so for long. Things exploded for him in 1967 with the release of his “Are You Experienced” album. The album is considered among the greatest debut albums in history.
As we touched upon earlier, Jimi created music on stage that was unlike anything else. A big reason was he was utilizing musical technology that was cutting edge.
First, we will look at the guitar. He chose a Fender Stratocaster. He got notes out of it like nobody else. This guitar was nothing new at the time. But what were new were the things he did with it. If you have ever watched footage from Woodstock, or actually attended the event, you are probably familiar with his rendition of the national anthem. The interpretation of this song was so different from any other.
It should not be surprising that loud is preferable when it comes to rock and roll. One way to give this to the fans is amplifying the guitar. To amp up his, Hendrix used a Marshall lead 100 watt plexi. Many others used this Marshall including Pete Townshend.
A lot of Jimi’s music had a bit of a distorted sound. This was a key part of his unique style. The equipment that created these distortions were the Fuzz Face fuzz pedal to make the sound fuzzy and the Octavia octave up pedal to give it the wah-wah effect.
The musical equipment of Jimi Hendrix certainly contributed to his fame. But do not forget his natural playing ability was transcendent. His cuts are still popular with young music audiences today, forty-one years after his passing.
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