Which guitar is called Izabella?

When the greats of this world use a particular guitar from their collection time and again, they often develop a special bond with it. The instrument will often end up with a name or nickname, and a real cult following can grow around it. In this blog, we dive into the story of a special electric guitar: Izabella, Jimi Hendrix’s iconic white Fender Stratocaster.

Woodstock

The original Woodstock music festival, held in 1969, can be seen as a genuine cultural turning point. A new generation was emerging that believed in the power to inspire and bring about positive change. This was underlined by the more than 400,000 hippies who were present at this worldwide phenomenon. The festival was a true melting pot of styles. Santana delivered their unique fusion of Latin and rock, Sly and the Family Stone brought plenty of soul/funk, and Ravi Shankar made his sitar properly rumble. Due to numerous unexpected delays in the schedule, Hendrix’s performance was moved from Sunday to the early hours of Monday morning. Despite that, this concert would go down in history as one of the most memorable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwIymq0iTsw

The highlight of the set was his version of The Star-Spangled Banner. Never before had the American national anthem been played with so much passion and expression. With the Vietnam War in full swing, his tremolo effects—like dive bombs and siren-like sounds—suddenly took on a very meaningful edge. The guitar Jimi used during this legendary performance was his Stratocaster: ‘Izabella’.

1968 Stratocaster

Izabella is a 1968 Fender Stratocaster in Olympic White. This model has an alder body with a 2-piece maple neck, without the so-called skunk stripe. The serial number on the neck plate is 240981. A striking detail—or perhaps not—is that all the hardware and pickups were completely stock. This model has the larger Stratocaster headstock, with the Fender logo designed by Bob Perine. Because Hendrix flipped the guitar over, that reverse headstock became one of his instantly recognisable trademarks.

His favourite

Jimi Hendrix used (and abused) many Stratocaster models throughout his career, but this Olympic White Strat was something special to him. He even has a song titled Izabella, which also featured in his Woodstock set. Izabella was also the last guitar he used during his final performance. True fans can view Izabella at MoPOP (formerly known as the EMP Experience Music Project) in Seattle, Washington, USA.

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