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John Paul Jones - 1975 to 1980
Bass Guitars
Alembic 4-String
This bass guitar was used on-stage from April 1977 through 1988
Specs:
Body: Series II Omega, mahogany body, burl rosewood top
Finish: High gloss polyester
Neck: Mahogany
Fingerboard: Ebony
Frets: 24
Hardware: Gold Alembic-Gotoh
Pickups: SC-1 w/hx
Controls: Volume, low-pass filter with continuously variable Q for each pickup plus Pickup selector switch and master volume
Alembic 8-String
This bass guitar was used on-stage from April 1977 through 1988 for Achilles Last Stand and Nobody's Fault But Mine
Specs:
Body: Series I Triple Omega
Finish: High gloss polyester
Neck: Mahogany
Fingerboard: Ebony
Frets: 24
Hardware: Nickel-plated Alembic-Gotoh
Pickups: SC-1 w/hx
Controls: Volume, low-pass filter with continuously variable Q for each pickup plus Pickup selector switch and master volume
Arco Upright Bass
Used on-stage in the 1975 acoustic set
Specs:
Number of Strings: 4
String Compatibility: Double bass strings
Scale Length: 41.0 in. (104.1 cm)
Position Markers: No
Bowable: Yes
Back-of-the-neck Profile: No thumbstop
Body Support: Lower bout extension (knee support, etc.)
Built-in Electronics: Passive
Built-in Pickup(s): Magnetic
Tuning Machines: Fair
Balance while Playing: Fair
Fingerboard: Beech
Guitars
Harmony Florentine Mandolin
Used on-stage in the 1975 acoustic set
Specs:
Body: bound solid spruce top, maple back and sides
Neck: maple bolt-on neck has a truss rod
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Bridge: Rosewood
Finish: Sunburst
Ovation 12-String Acoustic
Manson Tripleneck Acoustic
Used on-stage from 1977 to the present
Keyboards
Fairlight CMI Series I
Used on-stage in 1980 for the intro of In The Evening
Specs:
Polyphony: 8 voices
Sampling: 8 bits at 16 kHz (mono)
Memory: 16 kB per voice, System: 64 kB
Processor: Dual Motorola 6800
Synthesis: freeform waveform via lightpen; dynamic harmonic control, waveform editing
Keys: 73 note unweighted velocity sensitive + slave keyboard
Sequencer: Basic keyboard sequencer, Musical Composition Language (MCL)
Video RAM: 16 kB (512x256 pixels)
Input: Two 8" Floppy Drives
Hohner D6 Clavinet
Used in the studio on Custard Pie and In The Light and both in the studio and live on Trampled Underfoot
Placed on top of the Mellotron in 1975 and used with screw-in legs at Knebworth
Specs:
Keys: 60 notes
Amplification: None, mono line out
Controls: 6 rocker switches for pickup arrangement and polarity (Brilliant, Treble, Medium, Soft, A/B, C/D), volume switch
Other: Requires a 9V battery for operation
Mellotron Mark V
Used on-stage in 1977
Specs:
Keys: 2 x 35 notes
Amplification: None, unbalanced line output via 2 circuit jack
Controls: re-positioned in front of the keyboards, a stereo headphone socket was provided, and there were two volume pedals sticking out from underneath. Left and right outputs were provided, and you could pan each keyboard's output between them. The controls were really just like two sets of Mellotron 400 controls. The whole machine is like a double 400, with the addition of reverb
Other: Finished in black tolex
Steinway Grand Piano
Used in the studio and on stage from 1975-77
A Helpinstill Model 175 6-channel pickup system was used to amplify the strings
Yamaha CP70B Grand Piano
Used on the 1979-80 tours
It could be broken down into two parts, one for the mechanical keys and hammers and one for the strings and harp frame
Specs:
Keys: 73
Strings: Two Yamaha Grand Piano strings per note for treble and middle notes. Specially developed single strings for bass notes that retain true grand piano character
Pickups: Independant piezoelectric pickup system
Controls: Overall Volume control, Bass, Middle and Treble tone controls, Tremolo On/Off switch, Tremolo Speed and Depth controls, Power On/Off switch and Indicator, Sustain/Damper pedal
Jacks: Two 600 ohm balanced XLR output jacks, one for each phase of the Tremolo, two standard phone jacks, unbalanced, containing the same output as the XLR jacks, In and Out jacks for plug-in effects
Other: Housed in a white wooden casing to look like a genuine concert grand
Yamaha GX1 Synth
Was purchased in the recording days for In Through The Out Door
Was used on In The Evening, Carouselambra, All My Love and I'm Gonna Crawl
It was used on-stage from 1979-80
Sold to Keith Emerson in 1981 and later sold to an Italian named Riccardo Grotto
Specs:
Keys: 2 x 61-note velocity sensitive keyboards, 3/4 scale pressure sensitive 37-note keyboard, 25-note pedalboard
Voices: 8 polyphonic tones, 1 monophonic, which can be shared, layered or split amongst the three keyboards
Controls: Organ-style drawbars, ribbon controller for tweaking the tones, additional programming buttons are hidden away under drawers and panels on the front panel, Two swell pedals, spring-loaded knee controller for sustain
Other: Original price tag was $50,000 and weighed nearly 1500 lbs.
Amplification
Fender Dual Showman Reverb
Used with the keyboards from 1975 to 1977
Gallien-Krueger GMT 600B
Used for bass on most of the Over Europe 1980 dates
Cerwin-Vega cabinets
Used for bass on most of the Over Europe 1980 dates
Effects
Aphex Aural Exciter
Used on-stage on the 1975 and 1977 US Tour with the Steinway grand piano.
From an 1977 Keyboard Player Interview
...As an E.Q. we used a thing called Aphex Aural Exciter. I'd suppose you'd say it was an emphasizer; it gave the piano sparkle. Otherwise it can sound very flat or dull through a pickup.
Moog Taurus 1 Bass Pedal
Used on-stage from April 1977 though Knebworth for the bass lines That's The Way and Ten Years Gone.
Resources
For More Information:
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar00/articles/yamahagx1.htm
http://www.ampwares.com/ffg/showman_reverb_sf.html
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