jimi 1963 ::::> my touch with greatness

i remember going through the botanical gardens in atlanta ages ago looking at all these incredible species of plants and their ridiculously hard saying scientific names… and thinking wow, wouldn’t it be cool to be a plant expert, a botanist?! getting to know about the origins, the medical benefits, the ins and outs of plant life, and the correct pronunciation of aulacomnium palustre… (oh that’s ribbed bog moss for those who care). scratch that. wouldn’t it be cool to be just any expert?! wouldn’t it be awesome to love something so much that you know absolutely everything about it? the way spielberg knows films, the way mark twain knows writing, the way bobby flay knows cooking, or better yet… the way jimi hendrix knows the guitar. well, the sad truth is we all can’t be that great, so being around something or someone who is – is still pretty cool. so that’s why when the photo department of guitar aficionado sent me to shoot jimi hendrix’s 1963 white fender stratocaster (one of his first strats!) – i was pumped.

here’s me with the guitar:

here’s the shot of the guitar:

© van ditthavong

i was also fortunate to spend the day with the current owner of the guitar. he not only had a hendrix guitar but clapton, lennon, dylan, springsteen, bb king, keith richards, paul mccartney… you name it! unreal:

oh, speaking of spielberg – see those shark jaws there in the photo above – it’s signed by cast and crew. shishhh!

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