A range of studio equipment belonging to Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones is being auctioned off. The sale is being organised by Soundgas, a UK company who specialise in the sale and servicing of vintage and exotic electronic instruments and recording equipment.
“John is still very active musically – writing, recording and performing – but no longer requires so much studio equipment – most of which he has owned from new,” say Soundgas. “He feels it should be in the hands of people who will put it to good use, so it is offered here without formal provenance, with the intention that it continues to be used as intended.”
Among the items up for grabs is a Thunderbass amplifier, made by Guild, a US company that was founded in 1952 and sold to Fender in 1995. The amp, which was used by Jones during his stint with Them Crooked Vultures, was left at Dave Grohl’s house and went out on loan, but when it was returned to Jones, the accompanying speakers had been blown. Even in this perilous state, the untested amp is expected to fetch £1,200 to £1,400.
Other items up for grabs include a wide range of rack-mounted equipment, a pair of AKAI digital samplers, a pair of classic Yamaha NS-10M speakers, a rare Simmons SDS V electronic drum kit, and an even rarer Arbiter Soundimension mechanical echo unit from the 1960s. The latter is available now for just £4,817.587.
According to Soundgas, the listed items are from Jones’s private studio and were not used by Led Zeppelin.
In related news, this week sees the first performance of a 20-minute song cycle written by John Paul Jones for mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly. The piece, which was commissioned by the Philharmonie de Paris, will premiere at London’s Wigmore Hall on Wednesday.
“You might be surprised to know that I’ve been a Led Zeppelin fan since my youth,” Connolly told the Telegraph in 2018. “They’ve written some really fantastic music, so inventive and passionate. John Paul is a really gifted composer, and I can’t wait to hear what he has come up with.”
