Actually he got his first Strat only in 1966. But that doesn't mean much - he was playing Jaguars and Jazzmasters before, which weren't shoddy.

But to an electric guitar player, the amps and effects are as much part of the gear as the guitar itself. His "rock gear" really came together in 1966-67.

Yes, I'm still confused as well. By the phrasing, it sounds like HenryTheHorse is saying Yehudi Menhuin and Joshua Bell are different than Jim Hendrix (Menhuin and Bell are better?), but that seems to go against the first sentences.

Hendrix's music is not even nearly as technical and perfectionist as classical music. The former was not a perfect instrumentalist, but his overall singing, composition and style made him the figure he is, whereas the latter is valued on a mostly technical basis.