Remembering Jimi

BlueMDPicker

This has quickly become on of my favorite Jimi Hendrix photographs. Terence Donovan captured this image in 1967. What I find remarkable (as an amateur guitarist) are Jimi's fingers. The distance between his knuckle and first middle/index finger joint has to be in the neighborhood of 4"!

tat

Yep...gotta have big hands to manhandle the longer scale of Fenders. And the longscale is critical to the distinct tone of Strat/Tele's. I started on a Gibson scale and could runaround it nimbly within months. Now I love Strats but I cant do half the stuff I can do (often easily) on Gibsons. That 3/4" is a huge difference, and the higher tension only adds to the challenge. He was effortless on the Strat, some of that is mere dimensions and the torque/reach those long fingers gave him.

Musicians and boxers have a lot in common in that they had to deal with total scumbag managers and business people in those industries. Jimi hadn't even fully grown into his lanky frame when he died. Such a shame, but what magic he manifested.