Hendrix reportedly bought the guitar after being discharged from the Army in 1962. In exchange for the Danelectro instrument he previously owned, he traded it in for the Epiphone Wilshire and paid $65 for it. This took place in early 1963 when he first started performing with King Casuals at Club Del Morocco.
If this guitar is sold at the requested amount, it will be the highest price paid for an instrument once owned by the rock musician. The Independent reported that in 2016, another guitar that Hendrix reportedly bought for $25 was purchased for more than $254,395.00 at an auction. Then in 2020, a non-branded Japanese sunburst electric guitar from the early Sixties that Hendrix once owned was sold for £171,080 ($217,492.29) at another auction. (Blackenterprise)
Instead as regards the first Fender Stratocaster, Hendrix had it as a gift from Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers guitarist.
Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, The Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers guitar icon, says that he was the mysterious source of young Jimmy James' first Strat, and was docked two weeks’ pay for the exchange
Jimi Hendrix's Stratocasters – where they came from, and where they went following the legendary electric guitar player's death, have long been the stuff of legend. (Guitarworld)
His first Strat, in particular, has up to this point had a mysterious origin story, with even lengthy investigations into its provenance unable to come up with any conclusive evidence as to where it came from.
Now though, we may just have finally received our answer to the mystery, from Jeff "Skunk" Baxter.
In a newly-published interview with Guitar Player(opens in new tab), the Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers guitarist said that he gave Hendrix – who then was going by the name Jimmy James – that crucial first Strat while employed at Jimmy’s Music Shop in New York City.
"This was at Jimmy’s Music Shop," Baxter explained(opens in new tab). "A gentleman came in with a beat-up Fender Duo-Sonic. He wanted to upgrade the instrument or get a nicer guitar. I had already customized a Fender Stratocaster for a left-handed player who wanted to play righty; I made some changes to the vibrato arm and a few other small things. But the guy never showed up, so I just traded Jimmy James the Strat for the Duo-Sonic.
"I got in trouble with Frank, one of my bosses," Baxter continiued. "He said, 'What the hell was that?' I said, 'Well, he seemed like a nice guy.' And for that, I was docked two weeks’ pay. One day after that, Jimmy James came back to the store and invited me to come down to a club to see him play."
"One night his bass player was late, so I got a chance to play a couple of tunes with him," Baxter said(opens in new tab). "We became friends – not deep, deep friends, but friends enough.
"We had some interesting conversations from then on. He was very kind and complimented my playing. Of course I loved his playing. I was just such a fan of Curtis Mayfield and Little Beaver [Willie Hale], and I could see how they influenced him. We had that in common."
