According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix was the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music.  He was one of the pioneers of utilizing guitar amplifier feedback artistically, and helped to popularize tone-altering pedals like fuzz distortion, wah-wah, and Uni-Vibe.

“Jimi Hendrix 1967-cropped waist” by A. Vente is licensed under CC BY 3.0.

Here are some facts you might not know about the “Purple Haze” artist. 

His name was changed as a child. 

Born Johnny Allen Hendrix in 1942, Hendrix’s name was changed to James Marshall Hendrix in 1946 in honor of his father, James Allen Hendrix (“Al”), and Al’s late brother, Leon Marshall.

He started playing on a ukulele with one string. 

Hendrix first got his hands on a string instrument while helping his dad with a side job. The client allowed Jimi to keep an old, one-stringed ukulele that was among the items being removed from her home – and he taught himself by ear to play Elvis Presley songs.

He was left handed. 

“Jimi Hendrix Experience-‘You Got Me Floatin”-1967″ by scottallenonline is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

One of the most famous left-handed guitar players of all time, Hendrix adapted by playing his guitar upside down. 

He played backup guitar for some huge stars. 

Hendrix started his professional career by playing guitar for some big names, including Sam Cooke, Little Richard, Wilson Pickett, Ike and Tina Turner, and The Isley Brothers. At that time, he was playing under the name “Jimmy James”. 

He jumped out of planes while serving in the U.S. Army. 

Hendrix served in the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division as a paratrooper, enlisting in 1961.  He was even awarded the Screaming Eagles patch in 1962 – however, he disliked being in the military, and later that year was granted a general discharge under honorable conditions. 

Known for their massive hits like “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and “Welcome to the Jungle”, Guns ‘n Roses made a huge impact on rock music as we know it and inspired countless other musicians. 

Here are some random facts you might not know about them: 

• Guns ‘n Roses was formed in 1985 when two Los Angeles bands – Hollywood Rose, which had Izzy Stradlin and Axl Rose as members, and L.A. Guns founding members Tracii Guns (lead guitar), Rob Gardner (drums), and Ole Beich (bass) decided to combine into one band. 
• Rejected names for the combined band included “Heads of Amazon” and “AIDS”.
• Appetite for Destruction, the band’s debut album and the best-selling debut album of all time in the U.S., was one of the last albums to be “handmade” – meaning it was mastered for vinyl, edited with a razor blade on two-inch tape, and was mixed on a non-automated mixing board. 
• Growing up, GNR guitarist Slash was a champion BMX rider. 
• Slash’s signature top hat is almost as iconic as his playing style. He said in 2010 that the hat helps with his natural shyness. “You can pull it down, pull your hair down over your face and just sort of hide behind that,” he said. “I’ve always been a little nervous in front of crowds,” he added, “and that made it – made me – feel a lot more comfortable.”
  

  “Slash en Vivo!” by Edvill is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Playing guitar – like any hobby – can produce a decent amount of waste. From disposing of old strings, to getting rid of instruments once they’re past their prime – here’s how to recycle your guitar parts in an environmentally-friendly way.

Strings 

You should be changing your guitar strings regularly – but what do you do with the old ones?

Guitar strings, with the exception of nylon strings, are made from metal, and can be recycled. You can take old strings to your local scrapyard to be recycled, and you might even make some money off of it, since many scrap yards offer compensation for metal junk. Your best bet is to save up a collection of old strings and recycle them all at the same time. 

D’addario also offers a string buyback program, which lets you take your old and unwanted to strings to one of their partner locations for recycling. Click here to learn more. 

Amps/gear 

Every guitarist has gone through some destroyed amps, fried pedals, and other broken gear. Instead of tossing it, consider putting it for sale on sites like Reverb or Craigslist. Even broken gear has a market – Reverb has a special category for non-functioning gear. Enterprising tinkerers might be able to repair the gear for sale, or else use parts for projects. 

If you don’t get any bites, you can also take the gear to a scrap yard. 

Unwanted/broken guitars

Unfortunately, guitars don’t last forever. If you find yourself with old, unwanted guitars, here are a few things to do with them: 

Donate them: Many programs, including Guitars Not Guns, Music is Art, and Guitars 4 Vets collect used instruments and put them in the hands of those who need them. Most organizations accept only functional used guitars, so if yours is damaged or broken, check with the organization’s guidelines. 

Sell them: There’s likely someone out there who wants the challenge of fixing up an old guitar – or who needs parts! 

Trade them in: Several retailers offer buyback programs for used gear. Check out these options (but make sure to read all of the details):

• Apple GiveBack Program
• Microsoft End-of-life Management Program
• Walmart Electronics Trade-in Program
• Amazon Trade-in Program

Get crafty: There are plenty of cool ways to repurpose an old guitar – as a planter, birdhouse, and more! Check out this guide to guitar crafts. 

Recycle them: Electric guitars are e-waste. Check your local government’s guide to recycling e-waste in your area. 

How old is the guitar, exactly?

Stringed instruments, played with two hands, pre-date written history. Two of the main forebears of the guitars we know today are the oud and the lute. 

The oud dates back to ancient Persia (originally called the barbat), and was used throughout the Middle East. The oud has a pear-shaped body, a fretless fingerboard, and a short neck. Its name in Arabic, ūd (“wood”), refers to its body, made of aloe wood.

“Oud (Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris)” by dalbera is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

The lute is descended from the Middle Eastern oud, brought to Europe through Spain in the 8th and 9th centuries. During the Medieval Period, the lute usually had five strings that were played with a quill as a plectrum. In the late 15th century, lutists mostly abandoned the quill and plucked with their fingers, as sixth (sometimes more) strings were added. 

“File:A Woman Playing the Theorbo-Lute and a Cavalier MET DP145907.jpg” by Gerard ter Borch is marked with CC0 1.0.

By the 16th century, Spanish musicians started to use string instruments that more closely match the curved guitars we recognize today. They were known as baroque guitars and featured five “courses” (strings) and movable frets. 

These guitars, known as Baroque guitars, effectively replaced the lute as the go-to stringed instrument for musicians from about 1600 to 1750. Further refinements, such as five courses of gut strings and moveable frets, made these instruments easier to play.

“Tielke baroque guitar” by Jo Dusepo is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

By the 1790s, a sixth course was added to Spanish guitars, and a standard body type was established (although it was smaller than modern guitars). 

In the mid-1800s, Spanish musician and luthier Antonio de Torres Jurado created the guitar design that resembles the modern classical guitar. It featured a wider body, a thinned belly, and had machined heads instead of wooden tuning pegs. The strings were split evenly between gut (now plastic or nylon) and metal-spun silk. 

In the United States, the guitar continued to develop. Christian Frederick Martin, who was born in Germany, created the flat top acoustic guitar in the U.S. in the 1830s, which was designed to handle the extra tension caused by modern steel strings. 

The harder, tighter steel strings required musicians to change up their playing style from the delicate, plucked melodies of a classical guitar. Many started using picks, which helped to popularize chord-driven music. 

 Despite the popularity of picking, early guitars still often got drowned out in the mix during the big band jazz era. Innovative musicians tried to use attached microphones or telephone transmitters to increase the volume of the guitar. The first commercially available electric guitar – as we know it today – was released in 1931. 

The Rickenbacher A-22 Electro Hawaiian – also known as the “Frying Pan” was created by George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacker. The guitar included an electromagnetic device that changed the strings’ into a clear resonant sound. Although Rickenbacher and Beauchamp won the first patent for the electric guitar, there were plenty other inventors who worked on electrifying guitars – including        , who designed the solidbody design for Gibson Guitars, Leo Fender, who created the Fender Telecaster in 1951. 

“File:Rickenbacher Frying Pan (clone), short scale, 22 fret – 2011 TSGA Jamboree.jpg” by brad_bechtel is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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Sources: 

Musicians Institute: Guitar History: How the Guitar has Evolved

Britannica – Guitar 

Metropolitan Museum of Art – HEILBRUNN TIMELINE OF ART HISTORY – ESSAYS

Yamaha Corp – The birth of the classical guitar