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Jimi Hendrix’s stage-used Fender guitar cabinet goes up for auction

The cabinet is expected to fetch between $60,000 and $80,000.

Jimi Hendrix at the Newport Pop Festival

Image: Vince Melamed / Getty Images

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A 1968 Fender Dual Showman 2×15 guitar cabinet that the legendary Jimi Hendrix once used at his 1969 Newport Pop Festival show is going under the hammer.

The cabinet is one of the headliners of the latest Julien’s Music Icons sale, and sits among other high-profile items like a Kurt Cobain stage-smashed Fender Stratocaster.

Featuring a pair of 15-inch JBL 130 speakers, instead of the original stock Fender speakers, the Dual Showman was acquired by the late guitarist prior to his 1968 American tour with the Jimi Hendrix Experience in preparation for the large stadiums and outdoor venues where they would be playing.

Jimi Hendrix Fender Dual Showman Guitar Cabinet
Image: Julien’s Auctions

According to Julien’s, Hendrix originally used the cabinet — alongside five other Dual Showmans — in its stock Fender-speaker form for a couple of shows in February 1968. After it broke down during a gig at the Anaheim Convention Center in California, the cabinet was sent to Fender for servicing, where it was then installed with heavier duty JBL speakers capable of providing the power Hendrix needed.

In the video below, the cabinet can be seen on stage with Hendrix during his performance at the 1969 Newport Pop Festival.

With an estimated value of $60,000 to $80,000, the cabinet begins with a minimum bid of $15,000 and is set to be auctioned on 19 May.

Dressed in black Tolex with Fender and JBL badges on the grille, the cabinet bears Fender service stamps in its interior, dating repairs and modifications to 1968. Photos of Hendrix with the cabinet at the 1969 Newport Pop Festival will also be included in the purchase, along with the unit’s original black vinyl Fender slip cover.

Learn more at julienslive.com

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