Jimi Hendrix Amp Settings & Guitar Tone
Jimi Hendrix invented modern electric guitar tone. His cranked Marshalls, Fuzz Face, wah pedal, and Uni-Vibe created a psychedelic sonic palette that nobody has fully replicated in over 50 years.
Signature Sound
Hendrix's tone is built on a cranked Marshall Super Lead and a Strat played by the most expressive hands in guitar history. He pioneered the use of feedback as a musical element, the wah pedal as a tone filter, and the Fuzz Face as a lead sustain tool. His right-handed guitar played left-handed (with reversed strings) gives his bends and vibrato a unique character. Every element of his tone is larger than life.
Featured Tone
Voodoo Child (Slight Return) (1968)
1968 Fender Stratocaster (Olympic White, right-handed played upside down) → Marshall 1959 Super Lead 100W Plexi
Thick, aggressive, wah-saturated fuzz with singing sustain and harmonic overtones. Ferocious, almost vocal quality. Reversed Strat adds unique brightness.
Typical Gear & Settings
Average Amp Settings
Amplifiers
- Marshall 1959 Super Lead 100W Plexi
- Marshall 100W-style tube head into 4x12 (inferred from Hendrix’s core studio rig in the 1967 era; not explicitly documented for this track in sources consulted)
Guitars
- 1968 Fender Stratocaster (Olympic White, right-handed played upside down)
- 1968 Fender Stratocaster (Olympic White)
- 1960s Fender Stratocaster (exact year not documented in sources consulted)
Pickups
- single coil
Effects & Pedals
wah
Vox V846 Wah-Wah (1 song), Vox V846 (1 song)
fuzz
Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face (germanium) (1 song), Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face (1 song)
octave
Roger Mayer Octavia (1 song)
vibrato/tremolo
Univox Uni-Vibe (1 song)
rotary
Studio rotary/Leslie-style processing (inferred) (1 song)
reverb
Studio plate/room reverb (inferred) (1 song)
Playing Style
Jimi Hendrix Song Tones
Voodoo Child (Slight Return) (1968)
Marshall 1959 Super Lead 100W Plexi
All Along the Watchtower (1968)
Marshall 1959 Super Lead 100W Plexi
Little Wing (1967)
Marshall 100W-style tube head into 4x12 (inferred from Hendrix’s core studio rig in the 1967 era; not explicitly documented for this track in sources consulted)
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