While last year’s edition was dedicated to Enzo Ferrari, this time Montblanc turned to the world of Rock n’ Roll, paying tribute to the legendary Jimi Hendrix – arguably one of the greatest guitarists of all time, whose creativity has taken electric guitar performances to new heights.
But wait, before we go any further with the article, do yourself a favor and get in the mood: pour some of that good whiskey into a glass, cue up one of Jimi Hendrix’s most memorable solos to play, throw yourself in the armchair and enjoy a Montblanc Great Characters edition that will stir up a little nostalgia.
When you’re a genius you don’t need much time to prove it, such is the case with Jimi Hendrix, widely recognised as one of the most creative and influential musicians of the 20th century, who in only 4 years of his career moved the world of Rock n’ Roll music with some of the most impressive electric guitar performances. Even though he left us far too soon, Jimi Hendrix revolutionised the music world by taking the electric guitar to a new level and wowing the crowds at every concert with astonishing guitar sounds.
Today, more than 50 years later, the famous guitarist’s music still resonates and his persona is honoured by the recent special collection released by Montblanc.
Made up of three editions – Montblanc Great Characters Jimi Hendrix Special Edition, Montblanc Great Characters Jimi Hendrix Limited Edition 1942 and Montblanc Great Characters Jimi Hendrix LE99 – the new collection features some of the most iconic symbols for which Jimi Hendrix is remembered today such as his emblematic Fender Stratocaster in cream or the tremolo bar behind his dramatic solos.
Montblanc Great Characters Jimi Hendrix Special Edition
Made in shades of black and white with platinum-plated elements, the special edition features subtle motifs such as the cream-coloured precious resin on the cap inspired by the colour of the iconic Fender Stratocaster or the date”18-06-1967″ finely engraved on the barrel ring reminiscent of Hendrix’s spectacular performance at the Monterey Pop Festival, during the “Summer of Love”.
The cap of the pen is adorned with some cool motifs as well: a pattern inspired by Hendrix’s embroidered guitar strap, a tremolo bar clip and the artist’s debut album title Are You Experienced engraved on the clip top, as a finishing touch.
Those who have closely watched Jimi Hendrix’s performances know that he loved experimenting with sound effects using the wah-wah pedal – an electronic device used to manipulate the sound of an electric guitar, which is why the surface of this pedal is reflected in the structure of the black precious resin barrel, and the cone is imprinted with the word ‘WAH’. The red precious resin inlay you see at the end of the cone parallels in colour the pilot light of a Marshall Super Lead amplifier, a detail connoisseurs will greatly appreciate.
A signature detail of Montblanc, the portrait of Jimi Hendrix is finely engraved on the rhodium-coated 14k gold nib.
Prices:
Montblanc Great Characters Jimi Hendrix Special Edition Fountain Pen: €1.060,00
Montblanc Great Characters Jimi Hendrix Special Edition Rollerball Pen: € 880,00
Montblanc Great Characters Jimi Hendrix Special Edition Ballpoint Pen: € 825,00
Montblanc Great Characters Jimi Hendrix Limited Edition 1942
Limited to 1942 copies commemorating the year of Jimi Hendrix’s birth, this edition shares the same design DNA with the aforementioned collection, featuring a few different details and a more spectacular colour scheme in gold, red and black, an homage to the cover of the 1968 album Electric Ladyland performed by The Jimi Hendrix Experience – a milestone in rock music.
The cap’s textured black surface replicates the cover of Hendrix’s preferred Marshall Super Lead amplifier while the tremolo bar clip in a yellow gold coating this time has the famous album Electric Ladyland engraved around its top. The date imprinted on the yellow gold-coated barrel ring “10-05-1968” refers to another emblematic performance of Hendrix at the Joshua Light Show in New York City, made famous by its pioneering liquid light effects.
The gradient lacquer on the barrel, which fades gradually from red to black, is inspired by the look of the album cover – as are the bold stripes of the yellow gold-coated skeleton. The 18k gold nib is also engraved with the guitarist’s portrait.
Prices:
Montblanc Great Characters Jimi Hendrix Limited Edition 1942 Fountain Pen: €3.600,00
Montblanc Great Characters Jimi Hendrix Limited Edition 1942 Rollerball Pen: €3.250,00
Montblanc Great Characters Jimi Hendrix Limited Edition 99
By far the most impressive of all, the last edition is limited to 99 copies and refers to the 30th anniversary of Woodstock in 1999, when Hendrix’s posthumous album Live at Woodstock was released. The design of this edition draws inspiration from the 1969 Woodstock Festival, one of the pivotal concerts in Jimi Hendrix’s career that made him legendary and spread his guitar playing skills around the world.
A cream-coloured lacquer reminiscent of the Fender Stratocaster guitar he played at the concert is used on the cap while an engraved Au 750 solid white gold plaque is etched with the names of the songs from his Woodstock set. The cap top showcases a skeletonised Au 750 solid white gold overlay carved out with the peace sign and the Montblanc emblem to reveal the blue transparent dome underneath.
The hot pink headband Hendrix wore on stage at Woodstoock in 1969 became a source of inspiration for the lacquer ring beneath the dome. The name of the iconic Woodstock is engraved around the top of the tremolo bar clip as a symbol for the place that made Hendrix famous. The cool feature of this edition is the is the barrel that functions as a cap, so instead of removing the cap to reveal the nib, one unscrews the barrel to write. Thus, what appears to be the cap top serves as the cone and vice versa. It was Hendrix’s ability to reinvent music and sound, as well as his habit of turning right-handed guitars over for left-handed playing, that inspired designers to conceptualise this interesting feature of the writing instrument.
The two-tone 18k gold nib is decorated with Jimi Hendrix’s portrait while the Au 750 solid white gold grip section features his signature alongside the same geometric pattern that decorated the artist’s guitar strap at Woodstock.
Price: € 40.000,00
