The Grail Guitar

In The Grail Guitar: The Search for Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze Telecaster, Chris Adams takes readers on a fascinating mystery tour to determine whether a Fender Telecaster bought secondhand in a London music store in 1973 was the one used by Jimi Hendrix to record "Purple Haze" in January 1967. The only clues are its left-handed tuners and the salesman's chance remark that the guitar was brought into the shop by a Hendrix roadie. But these are enough to set the author off on this intriguing journey into Hendrix history.
With firsthand details from model Linda Keith, who discovered Hendrix in New York, Adams recounts how the rising star left for London with a white Stratocaster belonging to Keith Richards. The man who made Hendrix's pedals explains how this Strat failed to make the "Purple Haze" recording session and how it was replaced by a borrowed Telecaster. As Adams tracks down the surviving musicians, they shed light on the fate of that Telecaster and gradually the two guitars begin to merge into one. Throughout, Adams weaves his own story as a rock musician and tells how, against the odds, he managed to hold on to this remarkable instrument.
Here is a riveting story of one man seeking the truth about a cultural artifact that changed rock history, a story for rock fans and guitar aficionados, treasure hunters and antique dealers, as well as anyone who likes a detective story.

Chris Adams was the driving force behind the early 1970s folk-rock band String Driven Thing, which toured extensively in Europe and the United States, regularly opening for Genesis. Later, opening a recording studio, Chris Adams earned his living as a songwriter. In the early 1990s he reformed the band and they are active both on the live and recording fronts. He lives in Glasgow, Scotland.

Part 1: Sifting Fact from Fiction
Chapter 1: The Backup Guitar
Chapter 2: Purple Haze Rumors
Chapter 3: Ruby Tuesday
Chapter 4: Enter Svengali
Chapter 5: Jamming
Chapter 6: Experience Counts
Chapter 7: A Kentish Lad
Chapter 8: The Purple Haze Session
Part 2: Following The Tele Trail
Chapter 9: Psychedelic Makeover
Chapter 10: Travels with the Grail Guitar
Chapter 11: Dreams Realized
Chapter 12: Sam
Chapter 13: Isle of Wight Connexions
Chapter 14: The Hendrix Expert
Chapter 15: Last Rays
Part 3: Outcomes
Chapter 16: A Shot of Rye
Chapter 17: The Crew
Chapter 18: Holy Relics
Chapter 19: Tele-photo!
Chapter 20: The Examination
Part 4: Conclusions
Chapter 21: Exit Lines
Chapter 22: Return of the Grail Guitar
Chapter 23: Lonely Intersections
Chapter 24: Closing Arguments
Postscript: The Man Who Said 'No' to Jimi
Notes on Key Players