THE INNOVATORS
Music is built on in equal measure on innovation and inspiration. Every now and then, a player comes along with the perfect balance of the two: the inspiration to do something different, and the ability to pull their vision off.
The lucky ones go on to change the way the rest of us approach the instrument. It happened in the ‘50s and ‘60s when thousands of players began throwing out their low E string, shifting the remaining strings down a slot and using a banjo string for the high E, before light-gauge guitar string sets were a thing.
It happened when thousands of players realised that turning an amp up to the point of distortion was actually a positive thing, instead of something to be avoided.
And it happened when the following players brought new approaches to the instrument – approaches that were both different enough to turn heads, and accessible enough for the average player to incorporate into their own shredding.
Meet... The Innovators.
JIMI HENDRIX THE FUZZLORD
HISTORY
Between 1966 and 1970, Jimi Hendrix redefined what the guitar is. That he could do so much in such a short timespan speaks volumes for his talent, and his death in 1970 left the rock world with perhaps its greatest ‘what if?’ moment: If Hendrix could go from the rock of “Foxy Lady” (recorded in late ‘66) to the science fiction soundscapes of “And The Gods Made Love”
