The Grail Guitar

In 1973, Adams bought a guitar from a music store in London. The salesman mentioned that the guitar had been brought in by one of Jimi Hendrix’s roadies. It was a maybe-it’s-true curiosity, and the author talked about the possible Hendrix connection from time to time as the years passed. Forty years later, though, he learned that a lot of Hendrix fans were debating the existence of a (possibly mythical) 'lost' guitar, one used by Hendrix at some London recording sessions that had disappeared in the early 1970s. Could Adams have bought that guitar? He was determined to find out. This endlessly fascinating account of his search for the truth is structured like a police procedural: Adams finds clues, follows leads, and interviews people who might know something. It’s the story of a guitar, sure, but it’s also the story of a music subculture, of a global fan collective whose devotion to a long-dead musician has shaped their lives. It’s not often that you can say about a music book that readers will be impatiently turning the pages, anxious to see how the story plays out, but that’s exactly what happens here. * Booklist, Starred Review *
Musician Adams's fascinating search for the provenance of his beloved and battered Fender Telecaster—which may or may not have been owned by guitar hero Jimi Hendrix—is equal parts cultural history and detective story, and it's completely compelling reading. Adams's quest for the history of his 'grail' begins almost 40 years after he found the guitar in 1973 in a London music store, where a salesman casually tells Adams he got it from 'one of Hendrix's roadies.' At the time, Adams was guitarist in the folk-rock band String Driven Thing, and his knowledge of the late 1960s music scene serves him well as he and a researcher friend—inspired decades later by rumors about 'Jimi's lost Tele'—comb through Hendrix biographies and Internet sites. They discover a few solid facts in the chaos of Hendrix history: that Jimi used a Telecaster on overdubs on the 'Purple Haze' recording, even though his guitar of choice was the Fender Stratocaster; that Hendrix bass player Noel Redding had procured the guitar from a friend for the session; that Redding ended up with the guitar after he had stopped playing with Hendrix; and that Redding had probably sold it to an actual Hendrix roadie. As Adams traces the guitar's journey through the 1960s—including a day-glo paint refinishing—he successfully rescues 'this little piece of rock history for posterity.' * Publishers Weekly *
Even 45 years since his death, Hendrix books still come thick and fast, most unable to provide much exciting new insight into the greatest guitarist the world has ever seen. But former String Driven Thing guitarist Chris Adams has a genuinely interesting tale to tell and produces a book that Jimi geeks ill salivate over.... Adams deftly weaves in Hendrix's story, from hitting the UK with the white Stratocaster Linda 'borrowed' from then-boyfriend Keith Richards, then the triumphs, nightmares, and dodgy business shenanigans which plagues Hendrix until his death and beyond. He emerges with a compelling book that manages to combine ace detective work, relentlessly diligent endeavor and, crucially, tantalising morsels of new information. Unreservedly recommended for Hendrix buffs. * Shindig! Magazine *
The growth and the development of the internet is responsible for many things, and one of the benefits of the possibilities of the world wide web is the existence of books like this, where something said over a 3rd hand telecaster can lead to the amount of detective work that would put a Raymond Chandler private eye to shame. If you add one of the most revered and iconic figures in rock history to the mix, then there will be a lot of interest, from fans of the guitar, rock music, and the Sixties and the Seventies. . . .There is a lot to be said for this book, both as a historical record of the bands and musicians who worked with Hendrix, and the times in the 1960s and 1970s and for shedding light on some of the musicians and players that plied their trade in the shadows of one of the giants of rock music. * Muso's Guide *
[The Grail Guitar: The Search for Jimi Hendrix’s Purple Haze Telecaster] makes for a interesting mix of musical history and detective novel that form this intriguing read. * My Big Honkin Blog *
In 1973 author Adams, at the time the guitarist for String Driven Thing, bought a used Telecaster in London after enduring an embarrassing on-stage incident where his only guitar failed on him during a show. Eventually Adams came to believe the guitar was previously played by Jimi Hendrix, and then the possibility came up that it could actually be the guitar that Jimi used on the recording of 'Purple Haze.' The book is the story of Adams' quest to find out the truth about the guitar and the tale is presented in a fun way that reveals insight about Hendrix and other rock 'n' roll luminaries as Adams meets and gleans information from various survivors of the scene. We won't reveal here what Adams determined about the provenance of the guitar but we will reveal that the reader will have a great time tagging along with him during the investigation. * antiMusic *
Rock and roll has a million stories of the love affair between men and gear. This one's a heart-breaker. -- David Hepworth, author of Never A Dull Moment
I was there the day that Chris Adams bought the battered old Tele, so I can vouch for the left handed tuners and the salesman's chance remark that it had been brought in by a Hendrix Roadie. But moving on from that point and building a case from scratch takes countless hours of detective work. And make no mistake! That's what this book is... an intriguing detective story with no clue left unfollowed and no lead left unturned. And by the way, that's what makes it a hell of a great read! -- Arnie Toshner, sound engineer for String Driven Thing