Some viewers may find this axe and its accessories a bit garish or ostentatious, and that is true; however, there is a method to the guitar’s madness. This project was meant to be more than a standard looking Strat with certain 60s specs, only to be called a Hendrix tribute (enough of those floating around). Rather, the idea was to take it to the extremes (as did Jimi’s music), just like Big Daddy Ross’s Rat Fink dragsters, the painted buses at Woodstock, Jimi’s ‘pimped out’ clothing, or the psychedelic and eye-numbing artwork on Axis: Bold as Love.
Every part of the guitar has something about Jimi, from the Star Spangled Banner strap locks to the embedded pick in the headstock; and the package was coordinated further with a leather strap and hardshell case that did not attempt to re-create what already existed among Hendrix memorabilia, but to compliment a new creation as myself and other artisans visualized the project.
And least we not forget, as we Keep on Truckin’ Mr. Crumb, just how colourful and sometimes outlandish the 60s were... its style and presentation far different than what it is today, as we now tend to be more at home with the sleek and modern space-age-looking concepts that slowly are burying the legacy of the Age of Aquarius. No, this guitar is not meant to reflect the tastes of today, of flame-topped maple and ‘active’ pickups, but represents the 60s in concept and form that would have been celebrated along with the hand-made clothes, beaded necklaces and analog recordings that nearly seem as much in the past and ‘illusionary’ to the younger generation as the Roaring 20s, the Great Depression, and Leave it to Beaver.
Few people, musicians or not, deserve an ever-lasting legacy, and the Voodoo Child tribute guitar is but a small contribution to reminding people the importance and influence that Jimi Hendrix had on the world, an unfortunate realization that existed only after his untimely demise.
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