Pete Townshend, Jimi Hendrix, and the advice that inadvertently created a star

Pete Townshend says he inadvertently helped Jimi Hendrix develop his famously powerful guitar sound by advising him on equipment shortly after Hendrix arrived in London. The story matters because Townshend later saw Hendrix use that setup to overwhelm the other performers on a shared bill.

Hendrix’s manager brought him to meet Townshend at a recording studio and asked what equipment to buy. Townshend recommended combining a Sound City amplifier, which he described as a Marshall substitute, with a Marshall for a “slabby” sound; a few weeks later, at the Saville Theatre in June 1967, Hendrix played at an immense volume and stole the show.