The 1965 Fender Stratocaster guitar that Jimi Hendrix famously set fire to at the London Astoria on March 31, 1967 has been brought back from the dead.

After 40 years in storage the guitar will be put up for auction this summer.

It is believed to be the first guitar that Hendrix destroyed on stage, an act which would become his trademark.

“When I arrived there was a discussion about setting fire to his guitar,” said Hendrix’s former manager, Tony Garland. “So I went and got some lighter fuel and let them do what they wanted to do.”

“Jimi was sensational. I can still remember the way his hands moved across the strings. People can do the notes… it’s how you play them, the individual interpretation. He was a serious maestro.”

The guitar features on the cover of the forthcoming August issue of Guitar And Bass Magazine.