Jimi Hendrix' Gear and Mods at West Coast Organ and Amp

[daveweyer]

Speaking of Hiwatts, the Foundation wants to do a Hiwatt, and Hiwatt also wants to do a Hendrix Foundation Hiwatt. I even got to speak to the CEO on the phone for a few minutes--he said they would even do a 1959 SL if we wanted!
Wouldn't that be fun??? Well why not, Jimi played Hiwatts too, and I modded them too! In those days, I modded every amp that came in the door! So, a West Coast Hiwatt? Who knows what might come out of this? But for all the work you guys have done on West Coast mods, I kinda want to show off your stuff.

[shakti]

Jimi played Hiwatts? That's new to me...unless you mean the Sound CIty One Hundred which he did use extensively in late 67 and early 68. Those amps were made by Dave Reeves.

[daveweyer]

Yeah, Jimi played Hiwatts. Gary Rowles told me that when he did the Olympic sessions with Jimi in April of 70, Jimi was playing a Hiwatt. Well it's a Dave Reeves amp anyway, at least that is what I have been told, and Hiwatt has gotten all the original designs back through a long process. Supposedly there is some original stuff coming, and some reissues and so forth.
They're all cool to me.

[Xplorer]

I read somewhere that Jimi saw Pink Floyd playing and he was interested by Gilmour's Hiwatts, but i didn't know if he recorded with it.

[shakti]

Don't know if this is old News by now, but in the new reissue of the Fillmore East concerts ("Songs for Groovy Children"), there is a photo inside the booklet which shows the band soundchecking/setting up gear. On the back of Hendrix' amps you can clearly see a white oblong sticker on each amp.

Interestingly there is a combo behind Billy Cox' speaker cabs which looks like maybe a Twin Reverb, but with no speaker.

[daveweyer]

Shakti I think we got the best out of Jimi's equipment for the later Filmore East concerts. On the better recordings I hear the most of what I had hoped to do with Jimi's sound, and Jimi had adapted to getting his tones in the new way, actually the way he wanted to evolve based on stuff he was hearing from other artists who were copying him.
Those little oval stickers keep showing up. I have said before that I didn't want to put them on Jimi's equipment because I thought they looked cheesy, but Jerry Sanders insisted I put them on. If they hadn't shown up in these various photographs, I bet I could not have convinced you guys that West Coast was real and had a hand in Jimi's sound.

Here is an interesting tidbit: The Jimi Hendrix Foundation (the charity Jimi wanted and that his dad finally set up in 1988), has trademarked "West Coast Organ and Amp Service" for their own use, and have even gotten that phone number which was on the original tags. One of these days you will be able to call that same number and actually get ahold of West Coast Organ and Amp Service! And, if all goes according to plan (ha ha) you will be able to get the same mods and equipment Jimi had. They are even talking about offering kits, sort of like George did on this site.

I know it all sounds kinda dreamy, but if Joe (CEO) has his way, it will come to pass.

[yladrd61]

Just got the new BOG "Songs For Groovy Children" currently having mind re expanded by the BOG songs, yes many reissued, much new material, if you don't have it yet, get it

[Tazin]

Don't know if this is old News by now, but in the new reissue of the Fillmore East concerts ("Songs for Groovy Children"), there is a photo inside the booklet which shows the band soundchecking/setting up gear. On the back of Hendrix' amps you can clearly see a white oblong sticker on each amp.

Interestingly there is a combo behind Billy Cox' speaker cabs which looks like maybe a Twin Reverb, but with no speaker.

Is it possible to post that photo?

[shakti]

I searched but couldn't find it online. I've never seen it before. My box is in the car, but when I remember I can try to take a photo.

[Tazin]

I searched but couldn't find it online. I've never seen it before. My box is in the car, but when I remember I can try to take a photo.

That would be much appreciated.

[shakti]

There's nowhere to post attachments, is there? I PMed you Tazin.

[shakti]

I'm having trouble attaching them here...

[Tazin]

There's nowhere to post attachments, is there? I PMed you Tazin.

I forgot about the board not accepting attachments anymore.

[JimiJames]

Question for the experts: Why did Jimi sometimes (Noel as well), plug into Volume 1's lower input to play a Live concert as much footage clearly shows this. Other footage shows that it might be chained to other heads from Volume 2 high input to the next heads Volume 1 lower input. Then out again Volume 2 high and so forth. IOW The first input being Volume 1 lower.
What I am trying to also understand is why Noel would need to. Jimi is the one who has the pedals. Maybe it is for that, perhaps he liked the way it articulated his sound?

[FloPoeKo]

One question on silicone fuzz-faces, maybe someone here can end my misery: It has been bugging me for a while is that I can´t get Q1 to read lower than 1.2V on the collector. I tried everything gainwise, below 100 Hfe, between 200-300...raising the resistor way above 33k, it doesn´t seem to make a dent...What am I doing wrong here? Is this how it´s supposed to be? What should I read and how can someone get this ever to work properly with two transistors in the 300 Hfe-Range...
Germanium fuzzes, no big deal...with a 100k trim for Q1 and a 25K for Q2 I can bend the cirquit to almost any transistor, but this?!