This post is part of GroundGuitar’s Tone Breakdowns - short, focused guides on the exact gear used in iconic songs and performances.
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Jimi Hendrix’s Woodstock Gear – Guitars, Amps, and Effects Explained
Quick Answer: At Woodstock 1969, Jimi Hendrix played a white 1968 Fender Stratocaster through a stack of 1969 JMP model 1959 Super Lead amps. His effects setup consisted of a Vox V846 wah, a Shin-Ei Uni-Vibe, and a Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face pedal.
If you’re here to dig deeper, this article breaks down all the gear Hendrix used during the famous Woodstock Festival performance, from his guitar and amps to the pedals and signal flow.
Gear Used by Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock
Guitars
On August 18th, 1969 at Woodstock, Jimi Hendrix used his 1968 Olympic White Fender Stratocaster, strung with .010–.038 gauge strings, lighter than what’s typically in most modern sets. The guitar had a maple neck and a large headstock, and it was completely stock aside from being restrung for left-handed playing, which included turning the nut around.
Jimi typically brought multiple guitars to gigs, but at Woodstock, he relied entirely on the white Strat. A second white Strat was present as a backup, but wasn’t used during the performance.
Amps
Jimi’s amp rig at Woodstock consisted of a pair of Marshall JTM 100 Super Lead heads, powered by three 12 AX7 and four EL34 valves, each pushing into Marshall 4×12 cabinets loaded with Celestion speakers. The Marshall 1959 Super Lead was introduced in 1965, initially as part of the JTM range, and over time transitioned into the JMP era.
The amps were likely dimed, meaning all knobs cranked up, which was Hendrix’s usual setup. He controlled the dynamics directly from his guitar’s volume and tone knobs.
Valve Marshall made in the U.K., a ‘1959’ JTM 100-watt super lead with no master volume or channel switching, powered by three 12 AX7 and four EL34 valves [tubes] – the so-called ‘Plexi’ amp. Behind him Jimi had 16 speakers in four Marshall cabinets, which he likened to ‘a couple of great refrigerators.
Paul Balmer – The Fender Stratocaster Handbook
Effects / Pedalboard
As far as Jimi Hendrix’s pedalboard at Woodstock, it consisted of a Vox V846 Wah – used for tone shaping and solos, a Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face – his go-to distortion pedal, and a Univox Uni-Vibe – used for that swirling, phasey sound you hear on “Message to Love” and “Machine Gun.”
Based on the footage and the photos of the concert, Jimi’s signal chain at Woodstock was: Guitar → Wah → Fuzz Face → Uni-Vibe → Amp.
Although there’s some debate on the exact model of the wah pedal Jimi Hendrix used at Woodstock, according to Dave Weyer, who worked on Jimi’s equipment at the time, it was a modified Vox V846, manufactured in the Sepulveda factory in California.
Jimi had a box of wah pedals, and I had, over the course of the year, worked on every one. But Jimi’s favorite was the yet-to-be-seen by the public, Sepulveda model with the TDK inductor and the high beta Motorola transistors. It can be identified by the lack of a Vox logo on the front, the relief where the logo was supposed to be glued on, a West Coast sticker on the bottom, and Jimi’s signature on the inside of the casing wall, applied at a difficult angle, but identifiable nonetheless — and, of course, the things he loved the most, the low noise and the sharp sweep, clearly audible in the Woodstock recordings.
Jimi Hendrix’s Wah-wah Pedal and Amp in J. Levine’s New Year’s Day Auction
Regarding the Fuzz Face, this was an early version of what you can buy today in stores, and it has germanium transistors in it. The modern Dunlop Fuzz Face reissues more commonly use silicon transistors (e.g., BC108 or BC109), unless specifically marketed as germanium models.
A vintage germanium Fuzz Face sounds warmer, smoother, and more responsive to playing dynamics than a modern silicon version, which is brighter, harsher, and more aggressive.
A primitive but effective mini amp, acting as a pre-amp stage to overload the Marshall’s front end, generating a rich harmonic distortion. The germanium transistors were either two NK275s or AC128s. This detail was important, as was the matching of these wayward early transistors: a good, well-matched pair sounded terrific, but if poorly matched, they sounded like a mistake.
Paul Balmer – The Fender Stratocaster Handbook
Want to explore each part of Hendrix’s rig in more detail?
We’ve broken down all of these on our Jimi Hendrix Gear Page, from his white Strat to every single pedal he used. Click any link below to dive deeper into each:
- 1968 Fender Stratocaster
- Marshall Super Lead
- Vox V846 Wah
- Univox Uni-Vibe
- Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face
Other Band Members’ Gear
We should also mention the guitars an gear used by the other Gypsy Sun and Rainbows band members.
As far as amps, there were a total of six Marshall heads on the stage at Woodstock. Three were Model 1959 Super Leads, two of those were used by Jimi, and one of used by Lary Lee.
Right between them, there were two more amps, and these didn’t have the “Jimi Hendrix Exp” branding on the back, which means they probably belonged to the Woodstock festival organizers. They seemed to have been used by Billy Cox, who played bass guitar, so that could indicate they were Marshall Super Bass 50W (Model 1986).
If you happen to know for sure what these were, please leave a comment at the bottom of this page.
Interestingly, there was another amp sitting sideways on the floor (see photo below), but it looks like this amp was not used by anyone, as it doesn’t appear to be turned on.
Other Band Members’ Guitars and Gear
Larry Lee, who played rhythm guitar, played the Woodstock gig on a 1955 Gibson Les Paul Custom, featuring a Bigsby tailpiece and a replaced P90 neck pickup. According to Lee, Hendrix gave him the guitar in 1969, just before Woodstock, when Lee joined Gypsy Sun and the Rainbows and didn’t have an instrument.
Billy Cox, who played bass, played on a 1969 Fender Telecaster Bass with a single-coil pickup.
Mitch Mitchell played a Black Panther-finish Ludwig drum kit during the Woodstock performance. The setup included a 24″ x 14″ bass drum, a 13″ x 9″ rack tom, 16″ x 16″ and 18″ x 16″ floor toms, and a 14″ x 5″ snare drum. His cymbal setup featured 14″ hi-hats, a 16″ crash, an 18″ crash/ride, and a 20″ riveted ride.
Juma Sultan and Jerry Velez both played a pair of congas.
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