The world isn’t fair to lefties, even when they’re rock gods. Jimi Hendrix had a hard time finding left-handed guitars, so he flipped over and restrung standard right-handed Fender Stratocasters. That changed the string tension and microphone location and produced Hendrix’s signature mix of bright highs and delicate lows. This month Fender is releasing a Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster (for $900) that will mimic the legend’s modifications. Here’s how it works:Media Platforms Design TeamA: The rear pickup on the traditional Stratocaster is slanted to capture the higher strings near their base, where they have a more piercing tone. On Hendrix’s guitar it catches the higher strings farther up, so instead of shrieking, they sing. Media Platforms Design TeamB: Guitar pickups are like a set of mini-microphones, with a pole magnet aligned below each string. The distance between the magnet and the string varies for each string. By reversing the orientation of the traditional Stratocaster, Hendrix changed which strings were closest to their magnets and, consequently, most prominent in the mix. Media Platforms Design TeamC: For the same reason, Hendrix’s low strings were comparatively tighter, which made them sound less booming and twangy. Media Platforms Design TeamD: On a traditional Strat, the highest strings (E, B) are longest. Upside down they become the shortest, so they don’t have to be pulled as tight to be in tune. For Hendrix that made them easier to bend, crucial for songs like “All Along the Watchtower.” Media Platforms Design TeamE: Fender’s headstock design makes every string a different length, so restringing the guitar upside down changed which strings were longest. This altered the subtle overtones produced by vibrations on the unplayed part of the string above the top of the neck, near the tuning keys. Media Platforms Design TeamThis story appears in the November 2015 issue of Popular MechanicsKevin DupzykKevin is a writer and editor living in Brooklyn. In past lives he’s been an economist, computer salesman, mathematician, barista, and college football equipment manager.
