Buy a Jimi Hendrix Strat Fender Stratocaster
Fender Stratocaster guitars are legendary and desired by many.
One of the reasons is product association - some of the best and most influential rock guitarists of all time play-played Strats.
So what happens when you look at this equation ?
Auction + guitar + Jimi Hendrix = ?
You’d expect ? to equal - a fortune - and rightly so but no !
An original guitar set on fire by the great man himself sold for only £280,000 at auction.
I say only but really for something so iconic it seems reasonable - especially when art modern art and Banksy et al are considered.
The Guitar Sold at Auction
I’m not the only one that thought it was worth more, the auctioneers themselves had an estimate of half a million on it and the buyer himself said later he would have paid more and indeed expected to do so.
Perhaps it’s a sign of the financial times we are in, certainly The Beatles memorabilia in the same auction sold way below estimate, that said those estimates appeared somewhat bullish to my, albeit, untrained eye.
On the presumption that the provenance was solid I would happily have paid that were I in a position to do do !
Presuming you had £300,000 to spend merely on an indulgence what would you spend it on ?
Regards
Rod
Witches of Eastwick said,
September 5, 2008 @ 10:35 am
Rod,
We merry band of Witches have seen some breath taking works of art but would probably spend our £300,000 on a little pad in the South of France rather than a painting or a trashed/burnt guitar. We are quite content to view valuable art but have no great desire to own it.
If we were to give you a similar object with the same value, would you keep it or sell it?
WoE
p.s. sometimes we dream that we’ve found an original Shakespeare script….. by the way if we ever do, who should we contact first?
Rod said,
September 5, 2008 @ 11:43 am
WoE
I’d keep such a guitar were it to fall into my lap - though a piece of artwork I would sell.
If you find a first folio Shakespeare then stick it on eBay - rather amusingly they turn up on there quite regularly !
Rod
Craig Knighton said,
September 6, 2008 @ 5:32 pm
I have no idea - I think I would feel guilty purchasing an inanimate object for such an amount.
Gregory49 said,
September 23, 2008 @ 9:38 pm
Rod, Great site. Love the fitness section as well! To answer your question what i would do with that kind of money? First I’d buy an Aston Martin : ) . Then A couple of vintage strats. I personally see no reason to purchase a guitar like this. I would rather spend the couple of thousand and get the special moneterey edition fender released.
Rod said,
September 24, 2008 @ 8:25 am
Hi Gregory
thanks for taking the time to comment, hope you ‘ll continue to do so.
I have to say I’m with you on the Aston front.
I used to have a vintage strat but sold it, being perfectly honest it wasn’t a great guitar.
That said I wish I’d kept it for investment purposes if nothing else
Thanks again Greg and pleased you like the site
All the best
Rod
Jack Donskoy said,
September 12, 2009 @ 9:27 am
I could hardly think of a more iconic, or historically relevant, or simply cool.
I would venture that it could be the centerpiece of any important Hendrix collection, and certainly belongs in “the museum in Seattle” whose patron I believe to be one Paul Allen. Need I say more?
I do realize some people just don’t connect, they don’t “get it.” I suppose it is just another one of those “human preference” deals.
Make no mistake, I would have practically sold my soul for the chance to own this guitar. And that price, I might just have. Then I could have made a nice profit and then buy my soul back.
This guitar happens to be the protagonist of a night to remember throughout the ages. Gosh, I was only 3 back then, I confess, when all this burning happened.
But in hindsight…..there is no electric guitar I’d rather own except for his white woodstock or black Isle of Man strats.
Hands down.
Count my vote as one please, but do know, there are many like minded peple out there. I can put my whole hand on a frying pan on that one. Not that any one cares. DOth anyone here care?
Rod said,
September 12, 2009 @ 11:41 am
Hi Jack,
thanks for the comment and welcome to the site.
I share your view as to the iconic nature and whilst I understand some people may not ‘get it’ it’s all in how you look at things - after all the Mona Lisa is nothing but oli paint on a wood panel ! But . . .
people think these guitars are fetching crazy prices - personally I think they’re still ‘cheap’ and those who have bought Sterats originally owned by hendrix for less than $500,000 will make a fortune not to mention have the joy of owning something truly wonderful
All the best
Rod
Johnny said,
October 30, 2009 @ 1:32 pm
I think it’s right so. We were mad before this recession and gave away too much money for any sort of things.
Now we are more cautious, and that’s how it should be.
But this is just my humble opinion.
MATTHEW BURNING WATER said,
January 16, 2010 @ 12:26 pm
G’day music lovers,
I was born the night Jimi Hendrix died. I was born at 7am, in Melbourne, Australia, 17/09/1970.
Hendrix has always been my guitarists’ guitarist…sure, there’s “Keef”, the Beatles, the Who, Led Zep, Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton…so many saints and legends. Jimi is still one of the very greatest listens (I’m listening to ‘Jelly 292′ on the “Hendrix Blues” album. I see he releases a new album in March, just six months shy of his 40th Anniversary in Heaven.
So what price can anyone ever place on this guitar, Jimi’s own…torched lovingly under lighter fluid. I played in a band with a Jimi clone, man, they are wild, crazy, mofo’s!! Chase the Dragon, or W-H-A-T! He rocks, like not very many others have ever done, gyitar-wise. Mind you, the babe in the picture’s nice too…does she come with the strings??? H
aha!