According to the Guitar News Daily, the 1959 Fender Duo Sonic Guitar that Jimi Hendrix used for around 6 months while playing with the Isley Brothers is up for auction in the UK. The auction will take place on Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010. This was the first Fender guitar that Jimi Hendrix’s used.
Here is a great picture of him and his Fender Duo sonic when he was with The King Kasuals.
The article states that Jimi payed about $160.00 US for his Fender Duo Sonic. I got one when I was living with my parents in the 70’s and mine was around the same price as well. The estimate price of Hendrix’s Duo Sonic is pegged anywhere from $235,000 to $285,000 (Can). I don’t think that mine will fetch this price but it doesn’t hurt to dream now does it!
The Auction company is called Cameo Auction and the guitar will be sold in Lot # 429.
Description: MEMORABILIA: Hendrix: Jimi’s Blond (tan) ’59/ ’60 Duo-Sonic Guitar.
During Jimi nine-month stint from March to November 1964, with the Isley Brothers, when he was known as Jimmy James, Hendrix got his first Fender guitar – a blond (tan) ’59/ ’60 Duo-Sonic. The one Jimi used was manufactured as a short scale guitar 22 ? inches long, selling in those days for $160. The common blond (tan) finish was discontinued in 1964. He found the Duo-Sonic affordable and that it worked great for the funky rhythms he played while working as a backing musician with the Isley Brothers backing band.
Jimi had at one stage fitted his Duo-Sonic with an EpiPhone (Maestro) Vibrato unit but had later taken it off. The rumour is that this guitar went missing whilst on tour in the USA but contrary to this Jimi just tired of using it and it was put away for a while and resurfaced years later in Chas Chandler’s London studio. Chas discovered and managed Jimi. Chas later sold the guitar in 1982 for ?400 to Rod Weinberg, who in 1983 reunited the Animals for a world tour. In 1956, Fender introduced the Music Master and Duo-Sonic guitars as affordable “3/4-size” short-scale student models. The Duo Sonic was always a student level guitar. The Duo-Sonic is considered rare and has displayed growing collector value.
The Music Master and Duo-Sonic were essentially the same guitar, with the addition of another pickup (in the bridge position) and a toggle switch on the Duo-Sonic. Cameo specialist Auctioneers Lot Description
My electric Fender Duo-sonic, just like Jimi’s, is a short scale (sometimes referred to as a student model) electric guitar. Anyone who has ever played it raves about it. The neck is made of rosewood and very small (great for all you speed freak guitarists out there), ultra light and the single coil pick ups are tailor fit to obtain that ultimate funky sound! Another great guitarist who owns one is my high school mentor Scott Merrit. I stupidly sanded mine down while Scott cut out this neat hole in the upper part of the guitar that he used as a handle, it is really neat!
Keep on Jammin’
