Pete’s Gear: Pete Townshend’s Home Studio Instruments
Pete Townshend’s home studio musical instruments.
‘Tracking Townshend’ – New interview with Pete on his studio work, in EQ Magazine
An in-depth new interview with Pete, conducted by Grammy-winning producer and one-time Who keyboardist J.J. Blair, appears in the August issue of EQ Magazine.
Read it at eqmag.com (offline).
Studio, Wardour Street, 1966
Ca. 1966, home studio in Wardour Street, with Fender Telecaster with rosewood neck and Lowrey organ of unknown model or vintage.
Home studio, Wardour Street, ca. 1967
- Grampian spring reverb unit (as used on stage ca. 1966–1968)
- Danelectro Long Horn Bass
- Classical acoustic (unknown)
Ca. 1967, home studio, recording with the Harmony Sovereign H-1270 12-string; C-style capo unused at the headstock.
Home studio, Twickenham, ca. 1969
- Vox Continental MkII organ
- 1967 or 1968 Coral Hornet (two-pickup, non-vibrato)
- Banjo (unknown)
- 1960s Harmony Sovereign H 1270 12-string acoustic (with metal tailpiece)
- Classical acoustic (unknown)
- 1968 Gibson J-200 acoustic
- Premier drumkit (from Keith Moon)
Click to view larger version. Pete’s home studio, with brothers Paul on drums and Simon on guitar.
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- Drums:
- Premier kit (from Keith Moon)
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- Guitars:
- Simon: Fender Jazzmaster (unknown vintage)
- Pete: Gibson SG Special
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- Amplifiers:
- Top: Vox?
- Bottom: 1968 or 1969 silverface Fender Princeton Reverb Amp amplifier
Ca. 1969, upright Marshall & Rose C. Bechstein piano.
Click to view larger version. Ca. 1969, upright C. Bechstein piano in home studio, Twickenham.
Click to view larger version. Ca. 1969, Sho-Bud pedal steel guitar in home studio, Twickenham.
Click to view larger version. Wider view of home studio control room, Twickenham, ca. 1969. Danelectro Long Horn bass visible in center front.
Home studio, Twickenham, ca. 1970
- 1967 or 1968 Coral Hornet (two-pickup, non-vibrato)
- 1960s Harmony Sovereign H 1270 12-string acoustic
- 1968 or 1969 silverface Fender Princeton Reverb Amp amplifier
- Wurlitzer EP-200A electric piano
- 1968 Lowrey Berkshire Deluxe TBO-1 organ (e.g., Baba O’Riley and Won’t Get Fooled Again)
- EMS VCS3 mk1 (aka “The Putney”) synthesizer (e.g., Won’t Get Fooled Again)
- EMS DK1 (aka “The Cricklewood”) monophonic keyboard for use with VCS3
- Classical acoustic (unknown)
- Gibson SG Special
- Premier drumkit (from Keith Moon)
- Fender Jazzmaster (unknown vintage)
Ca. 1970, alternate view of home studio, Twickenham.
Ca. 1970, home studio, Twickenham, EMS VCS3 mk1 synth, atop Lowrey Berkshire Deluxe TBO-1 organ.
Studio, Twickenham, ca. 1972–73
Click to view larger version. ARP 2600 synthesizer
1982
Bösendorfer 7′4″ grand piano, acquired around 1972.
Studio, Twickenham, ca. 1999
- ARP 2600 synthesizer (e.g., Relay)
- ARP 2500 synthesizer (e.g., Going Mobile)
- 1968 Lowrey Berkshire Deluxe TBO-1 organ (e.g., Baba O’Riley and Won’t Get Fooled Again)
- Kurzweil K2000 digital synthesizer/sampler.
- Mandolin (unknown)
- Violin (unknown: Amati copy?)
- Rickenbacker 12-string (either 330S/12; 360/12 OS; or Rose, Morris, Co., Ltd., 1993), Fireglo finish, flat trapeze tailpiece.
- Rickenbacker Rose, Morris, Co., Ltd., 1998, with vibrato bar removed.
2016
Click to view larger version. Ca. 2016, Pete at his studio promoting the Fender Custom Shop Limited Edition Pete Townshend Stratocaster®, with, from left, Gretch Chet Atkins, Fender Vibro-King, Fender Acoustic SFX and Fender Eric Clapton Stratocaster.