Red House

The recording

Recorded on December 13, 1966 at CBS Studios in London, Hendrix tracks the blues with a single guitar take, using his left‑handed 1966–68 Fender Stratocaster set to the neck pickup. The signal runs through a 1959 Marshall Super Lead 100 Plexi head into a matching 4×12 cabinet, with the amp's natural breakup shaping the tone rather than any effects, resulting in a warm, slightly compressed blues sound.

Reported gear

mid-1960s Fender Stratocaster

Guitar

Hendrix used his left‑handed, right‑handed 1966–68 Fender Stratocaster, playing through the neck pickup to achieve the warm, singing blues tone heard on the original 'Red House' studio take.

1959 Marshall Super Lead 100 Plexi

Amp

The guitar was recorded into a 1959 Marshall Super Lead 100 Plexi head, cranked to natural breakup for that edge‑of‑breakup crunch characteristic of the track.

Marshall 4×12 Cabinet (mid‑60s)

Cabinet

The Super Lead was paired with a matching Marshall 4×12 speaker cabinet, delivering the fat mids and rounded highs heard on the recording.

Alternatives

Fender Player Stratocaster

Modern equivalent · for the mid-1960s Fender Stratocaster

$500 to $700

Marshall 1960 4×12 Cabinet (reissue)

Reissue · for the Marshall 4×12 Cabinet (mid‑60s)

$900 to $1,200

Marshall DSL100

Modern equivalent · for the 1959 Marshall Super Lead 100 Plexi

$800 to $1,200

Practical playing approach

Recreation guidance, not a claim about undocumented studio control positions.

1. 1.Select the neck pickup for a warm, rounded tone.
2. 2.Roll back the tone knob on the Stratocaster slightly to tame high frequencies.
3. 3.Play with a hard attack to push the Marshall into natural breakup.
4. 4.Use the guitar’s volume knob to swell into notes for expressive phrasing.
5. 5.Incorporate wide, expressive bends and vibrato to capture Hendrix’s blues feel.