John Paul Jones Auctions Personal Studio Gear, Including Vintage Guild Thunderbass Amp
Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones has teamed up with Soundgas to auction off over 50 pieces of gear from his personal studio, including preamps, digital samplers, and drum machines. The auction, which ends on January 18th, is taking place so others can enjoy the gear.
“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,” Soundgas writes on the auction page. “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.”
While most of the gear is vintage recording equipment and none of it was used with Led Zeppelin, there’s one piece of bass gear with some history: a Guild Thunderbass amp.
Built in the mid-60s, the Thunderbass had inputs for bass or guitar. Like the Fender Bassman, it was designed as a bass amp but became popular with guitarists. It was fitted with 8147 power tubes, which are similar to 6L6’s, although they were more common in hi-fi equipment.
Jones’s Thunderbass includes the 2×12 cabinet, but the state of its speakers is currently questionable, as per Soundgas.
“Used with Them Crooked Vultures and left at Dave Grohl’s house. Apparently someone borrowed it and when it was returned to JPJ the speakers were blown – we will test and check and report back,” the listing explains.
The bid for JPJ’s Thunderbass amp is $1,227 as of this article. You can find more details on the amp and the rest of the bass icon’s gear on Soundgas.
John Paul Jones Guild Thunderbass Photos:
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
