A Super-Rare Factory Black 1969 Maple-Cap "Hendrix" Stratocaster.

This super rare 'custom color' "Hendrix" Stratocaster is the only factory black maple-cap Strat that we have ever seen. Solid alder body, contoured on the back and lower bass bout and weighing 7.60 lbs. One-piece maple neck with a nut width of just under 1 5/8 inches, a scale length of 25 1/2 inches and a wonderful medium-to-thick neck profile. Super rare maple-cap fretboard with 21 original frets and black dot position markers. Large headstock with decal with Fender logo in black with gold trim, "Stratocaster" in black beside it, "With Synchronized Tremolo" in black beneath it, and two patent numbers in black below that: "PAT. 2,741,146 3,143,028." "Original Contour Body Patented" on the ball end of the headstock. Single 'butterfly' string tree with nylon spacer. Fender "F" closed-back tuners with octagonal metal buttons. Four-bolt neckplate with the serial number  "280042" between the top two screws. The end of the neck is stamped in green "22 09 018 B" and the underside of the neck is stamped in black "09018". Three light-gray-bottom single-coil pickups with staggered polepieces and balanced outputs of 7.37k, 7.42k, and 7.31k, respectively. Each of the pickups is stamped on the underside in black "7179". Four-layer plastic pickguard (white, black, white, plus mother-of-pearl "mother-of-toilet-seat" underneath) with eleven screws. Three controls (one volume, two tone) plus three-way pickup selector switch, all on treble side of pickguard. White plastic Stratocaster knobs lettered in green. Fender "Synchronized Tremolo" combined bridge/tailpiece. The potentiometers are all stamped "137 7002" (CTS January 1970). There are a few minor dings and surface marks which are mainly confined to the edges of the body. The original frets (and fretboard) show very little sign of playing wear. This "Hendrix" Strat is in excellent plus (9.00) condition and is an exceptional player. Complete with the original white plastic tipped tremolo arm. Housed in its original Fender black hardshell case with orange plush lining (9.25).

Everyone knows that 'Maple-Cap' Stratocasters are notoriously rare - over the years we have seen a very small number of sunburst guitars, two Olympic White examples and that is it!

This Black Maple-Cap guitar is the very first Custom Color Stratocaster that we have ever handled - truly a great rarity! And it plays, sounds and looks like a dream…

"As the close of the sixties loomed, Strats took a much bigger boost when an inspired musician by the name of Jimi Hendrix applied the model's sensuous curves and glorious tones to his live cavorting and studio experiments… Hendrix got his first Strat in 1966 - he'd already tried a couple of Duo-Sonics and a Jazzmaster or two - and almost instantly made it his own. He may have been influenced in the choice by one of his heroes, Curtis Mayfield, who played a Strat. In the first few years of his career, Hendrix generally played new rosewood-board models, mainly in Sunburst, Black, or Olympic White finish. In the final period of his life, between 1968 and 1970, he played two Strats, both new '68 maple-board models, one in Black and the other Olympic White… All Hendrix's Stratocasters were regular guitars that he would flip over and re-string to accommodate his left-handedness." (Tony Bacon, The Stratocaster Guitar Book, pp. 56-57).

"Contrary to popular belief, the famous white maple neck Stratocaster was not Jimi's favourite guitar, his favourite was this black one. Photographic evidence of Jimi's last European tour shows that this guitar was chosen by him in preference to others available to him (including the famous 'white’). According to Monika, Jimi told her that this 'black' was his favourite, and that when he went to jam with other musicians (or collected a guitar for playing in his hotel), this one was always his first choice.

FOOTNOTES:

#1. June 1968 saw the Fender Company introducing a much bolder black logo known as the C.B.S logo (the Fender factory having been taken over by the Columbia Broadcasting system on 5 January 1965).

#2. A glued on maple board is distinguished from a one piece maple neck by the absence of both a walnut spot above the nut and a contrasting skunk stripe on the back of the neck. Stratocasters with maple fingerboards were not manufactured in great numbers between 1967 and 1970.

#3. Currently, Jimi's black Stratocaster is stored in an undisclosed location (and no, the guitar is not for sale). Hopefully, the guitar will at some point go on public display...."  (Len Jones, Jimi Hendrix's Black Beauty - First published Univibes #10, MAY 1993).

Jimi used his black maple-cap Strat (serial number 222625) right up to his death on September 18th, 1970. His last performances were at at the Isle of Wight Festival on August 31st, 1970, Berlin, Germany on September 4th, 1970, and finally his last concert on the Isle of Fehrman (Germany) September 6th, 1970 - just 12 days before his untimely death.

Isle of Wight 08/31/70  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWL5oqPlxFo

Berlin, Germany 09/04/70   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUtyuL_y93Y

Isle of Fehmarn 09/06/70   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jywEz7evMLc

Old Gray Whistle Test (the Lulu Show 1969)   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4abTwWOoDM