Jimi Hendrix, in my mind, was the greatest guitar player of all time. It is my mind so I can think like this. I am sure others have a widely divergent view on this. To each their own.Jimi Hendrix so loved his guitars that he once proclaimed, "The time I burned my guitar it was like a sacrifice. You sacrifice the things you love. I love my guitar."
There are two burned guitars floating around. The first of these is the one that is to be auctioned on 4 September 2008. This guitar is a 1965 Fender Stratocaster and was set alight by Hendrix during a gig at the London Astoria on 31 March 1967. This particular guitar is expected to sell for about AUD 1,000,000.
Hendrix repeated the guitar burning routine in June 1967 at the Monterey International Pop Music Festival. This guitar ended up in the hands of Frank Zappa and then ultimately passed to Dweezil Zappa. However, this guitar has been restored although some scorch marks remain. The photo of this burning is the one above.
In contrast, the Astoria guitar has not been restored and is in the same burnt condition as it was in 1967. Apparently, it has been stored in the garage of the parents of Hendrix's former press secretary, Tony Garland.
The auction will be held at the Idea Generation Gallery (although I have read that the auction is to take place at the Fame Bureau) in London.
