“I had that guy on the phone and said, ‘Give me one good reason why we should sell you the guitar?’ He said, ‘The money.’ I said, ‘That’s not a good reason’”: Why Uli Jon Roth turned down a $9 million offer for Jimi Hendrix’s iconic black Strat

Jimi Hendrix performing at Madison Square Garden, New York City, 18th May 1969.

While Jimi Hendrix may be best associated with “Izabella” – his 1968 Olympic White Fender Strat – another one of his favorites in his stable of electric guitars was “Black Beauty” – his iconic black 1968 Strat.

In fact, the iconic six-string was so important to Hendrix he was seen with it a day before his death. On September 17th, 1970, Hendrix's then-girlfriend, Monika Dannemann, took photos of him drinking tea and lovingly clutching the black Strat.