After a five-year break, the 2024 Experience Hendrix tour returned with a star-studded lineup featuring legendary musicians such as Zakk Wylde, Eric Johnson, Taj Mahal, and more. This year’s tour brought an extraordinary highlight: ‘Izabella,’ the iconic Fender Stratocaster played by Jimi Hendrix during his legendary 1969 Woodstock performance.
The guitar made its appearance on stage, introduced by Hendrix’s sister, Janie Hendrix, during the tour’s opening. Throughout the night, renowned guitarists like Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Aryon Jones, and Eric Johnson performed with the historic instrument.
“Having Izabella with us on stage for this tour is an amazing feeling,” said Janie Hendrix, who serves as President and CEO of Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. and Authentic Hendrix, LLC. “This guitar meant so much to Jimi that he even wrote a song about her. His lyrics, which talk about fighting for love, still resonate today, and that’s the message we’re sharing across the country.”
Izabella, originally purchased by Hendrix at Manny’s Music in New York, is built with an alder body, two-piece maple neck, and 1968-standard hardware. Hendrix used the guitar in several shows between October 1968 and September 1970. Over time, the Stratocaster shows signs of wear, with small marks on the body and a cigarette burn on the headstock.
Though Hendrix owned many Stratocasters, Izabella’s role in his unforgettable Woodstock performance solidified its legendary status. The Museum of Pop Culture reflects on Hendrix’s performance at the festival, noting, “The 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair was one of the era’s defining events, and Jimi Hendrix’s unprecedented version of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ became a defining moment of the festival.”
“With this guitar, Hendrix captured both the grandeur of America and the turbulent dissonance of the Vietnam War and the racial struggles of the time.”
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