Jimi Hendrix’s Acoustic/Bartell “The Black Widow”

Jimi Hendrix acquired this Acoustic/Bartell “Black Widow” guitar in October 1968. According to the story, Harvey Gerst, a representative from Acoustic Control Corporation, was sent to assist Jimi at TTG Studios in Los Angeles with four Acoustic amps he had purchased.

I got a call on Saturday morning from steve Marks, the president of Acoustic, saying, “go down to TGG right now!” Why? “Jimi Hendrix just bought four of our amps and he’s having trouble with some of the controls.

Harvey Gerst – Tape Op Magazine

Harvey brought the guitar to TTG Studios when he went to assist Jimi Hendrix with the amplifiers. Gerst recounted that during a meeting, Hendrix expressed a strong interest in the guitar. After playing it, Hendrix humorously insisted it was now his, leading Gerst to trade the “Black Widow” for one of Hendrix’s white Fender Stratocasters (alleged story, sources needed).

History, Specs

Before discussing the guitar, it’s worth covering the company behind it. Acoustic Control Corporation, up until the early 1970s, primarily focused on producing solid-state guitar amplifiers. Their first official electric guitar, the Black Widow, was introduced in 1972.

Before 1972, however, their guitars were built by Bartell and labeled as “Acoustic.” Among these was the guitar Jimi owned. His Black Widow was heavily based on a Bartell semi-hollow model, with a few notable modifications.

The most striking feature of Jimi’s Acoustic-labeled Bartell guitar was its deep black finish. Additionally, it featured neck and body bindings, a different tailpiece and bridge, and control knobs sourced directly from Acoustic amplifiers.

Interestingly, the body of Jimi’s guitar appears to differ slightly from standard Bartell designs. The horns on his guitar seem sharper, and the contour appears more pronounced. This could be attributed to variations in manufacturing or differences between production years.

Usage

Hendrix used the “Black Widow” primarily in studio sessions. Notably, he played it on the song “Mojo Man,” which was recorded during his lifetime but remained unreleased until it appeared on the posthumous album “People, Hell and Angels” in 2013. After Hendrix’s death, the guitar changed hands multiple times, eventually becoming the subject of legal disputes over its ownership.

Legal Dispute

​The ownership dispute over Jimi Hendrix’s “Black Widow” guitar centers on claims that the instrument was improperly taken from the Hendrix estate and subsequently sold without authorization. Experience Hendrix LLC, the company managing Hendrix’s estate, filed a lawsuit in 2015 against Rainbow Guitars and its owner, Harvey Moltz, alleging that the guitar had been stolen by Sheldon Reynolds, a former member of Earth, Wind & Fire and ex-husband of Janie Hendrix, Jimi’s adopted sister and CEO of Experience Hendrix. The estate sought the return of the guitar, which was valued between $750,000 and $1 million, asserting that it was one of the few instruments that had been returned to the family after Jimi Hendrix’s death.

Moltz contended that he purchased the guitar in good faith from Brian Patterson, who had acquired it from Reynolds. Patterson provided a letter stating that Janie Hendrix had given the guitar to Reynolds during their marriage. However, Experience Hendrix disputed this claim, maintaining that the instrument rightfully belonged to the estate and had never been Janie’s personal property to give away.