A 1967 Fender Stratocaster guitar owned by Jimi Henrix with a controversial past is now for sale after its owners settled with the late rock star’s estate.
The sunburst Strat is a right-handed one that was converted to left-handed use to accommodate Hendrix.
The owners, Rockstarsguitars.com, are asking $500,000.
The instrument, currently on display at the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville, was at the centre of a 2001 lawsuit. Disputed were claims by Experience Hendrix LLC that the guitar was stolen shortly after Hendrix’s death in 1970, or that it never belonged to him at all.
After two court trials and appeals, the estate settled with Rock Stars Guitars earlier this year for an undisclosed sum and an agreement that Experience Hendrix will give up its claim to the guitar.
As the story goes, Hendrix gave the guitar to roadie James “Tappy†Wright as a gift around 1968.
Rock Stars Guitars owners, Greg Dorsett of San Diego and David Brewis of England, said they bought it from Wright in 1999 for $60,000.
When the company tried to auction it on eBay in 2001, Hendrix’s estate halted the sale by questioning its ownership.
A lawsuit followed, ending with a verdict two years later that ruled in favor of the businessmen. The jury awarded the partners $131,000, saying Hendrix’s estate prevented them from getting market value on the guitar.
But after subsequent appeals, the case finally resolved in January with the settlement.
“I see this settlement as a complete vindication,†Dorsett said in a statement. “Hopefully the litigation experience has only added to this guitar’s unique history.â€
As posted the other day, the tan coloured Fender Duo Sonic, played by Hendrix before he was famous, fetched £164,675 at an auction today, over 400 times the price he originally paid.