Jimi Hendrix’s Sound City One Hundred
According to Roger Mayer (with whom one of our visitors had the chance to talk – see comments below), Jimi used a 1967 Sound City 100 Master Volume amp extensively on the Axis album.
On Tour
Jimi used a single Sound City One Hundred amp (likely the same one from the Axis session) briefly during the latter part of the 1968 North American tour, from around mid-March to April/May (see Miami Pop photos). The amp seemed to have been used together with one of Jimi’s old Marshall JTM 45/100s.
He started using this setup after a short stint with Fender Dual Showman amps that broke after a few gigs at the beginning of the tour, followed by an endorsement deal with Sunn amp – that Jimi apparently hated so much that he requested for his old Marshall to be shipped from the UK.
In fact, a lot of things kept going and finally, Hendrix sent for Sound City and Marshall amps from London, his favorite ones and ended up with all the odd gear anyway.
Hugh Hopper, 1968-02-09 Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California USA, Crosstown Traffic
Jimi’s Sound City Amp Today
There have been numerous cases of people coming out claiming that they own the Hendrix Sound City amp. However, so far, not one amp can for sure be traced back to Jimi.
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As was told to me by Roger Mayer who was at ALL the UK recordings. Jimi used the early proto-type 67′ Sound City 100 Master Volume with the clear plexi badge logo and gold font. Not the L100 Mark 1-2-3 versions . He used these amps on the Axis album. It was NOT the Marshalls on Little Wing, Castles Made of Sand or any of the rhythm tracks as everyone thinks. It was the Sound City 100 Master volume proto-type. Jimi used the Marshalls for the solos only.
The sound city 100 was the amp used by both Pete Townshend and John Entwistle, later by Jimi, and also more or less the same design followed over to the Hiwatt CP103. 4 volumes, treble / bass and a master volume.
I know he also used Fender twins some . I have a white covered 68 sound city that “can” sound similar to hendrix clean sounds, but so can my 65 twin. I can play parts of his songs decently but cant sound like him much, . however. Folks miss he was such a funk/ soul player, with great timing and rhythm, few white guys can cop. I saw the experience 4-11-69, with fat mattress as opening band, one of their last shows . .