Supro reissues the Ozark, Jimi Hendrix’s first electric guitar

Supro has stepped back in time to reissue the Ozark, an axe best known for its association with Jimi Hendrix – it was his first electric guitar. Also a hit with slide players, this late-50s model has been re-imagined with vintage specs along with modern improvements.

On the period-accurate side of things, the reissued Ozark retains the original’s body dimensions, 25-inch scale length and the classic pinstripe line art sketched around the body. Contemporary features, on the other hand, include a string-through hardtail bridge as well as a glued-on maple neck. The bridge is directly mounted onto the Ozark’s familiar steel control plate, and is intended to improve intonation while retaining the guitar’s signature sustain.

The aforementioned maple neck is glued onto the guitar’s mahogany body at the 14th fret, a specification that’s not only period-correct, but also enhances playability and tuning stability. Also notable is the neck’s black satin finish, which complements the dark pau ferro fingerboard.

The original Ozark featured a single Valco humbucker, which has its roots in lap steel pickups from the 40s. To recreate this vintage tone – featured on records by Aerosmith, Jackson Browne and Ry Cooder – Supro teamed up with boutique pickup makers Lace Music to produce a custom Aluma 90 humbucker. And, like the original model, the Aluma 90 is also wired to master volume and tone controls.

Check out a demo of the reissued Ozark below:

Retails at $899. More info at suprousa.com.