There’s a particular kind of gravitas that follows equipment owned by musicians of genuine historical weight. Too often, it ends up sealed behind glass or inflated into untouchable relics. That is precisely what John Paul Jones is trying to avoid.
The bassist and multi-instrumentalist best known for his work with Led Zeppelin is auctioning off a substantial portion of his personal studio equipment, with the sale being handled by UK specialists Soundgas. The emphasis, notably, is not on heritage value, but usefulness.
“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 explained. “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.”
That framing matters. This isn’t a nostalgia dump or a cash-in. It’s a quiet passing-on of tools from someone who understands that sound only lives when it’s made.
Among the most eye-catching items is a Guild Thunderbass amplifier, dating back to a company founded in 1952 and later sold to Fender in 1995. Jones used the amp during his time with Them Crooked Vultures, but its story comes with a slightly less pristine footnote. The amp was left at Dave Grohl’s house while on loan, and when it was eventually returned, the speakers had been blown.
Even so, or perhaps because of it, the untested amplifier is expected to fetch between £1,200 and £1,400. It’s a reminder that imperfection, in rock equipment at least, is often part of the appeal.
Elsewhere in the auction is a dense cross-section of serious studio hardware: rack-mounted processors, a pair of AKAI digital samplers, 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. That last piece is currently listed at £4,817.587, a price that reflects scarcity rather than celebrity association.
Soundgas has also been clear that none of the equipment listed was used in Led Zeppelin sessions. These are tools from Jones’ private studio life, the quieter, more experimental side of a career that has never stopped evolving.
That evolution continues this week with the premiere of a 20-minute song cycle written by Jones for mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly, commissioned by the Philharmonie de Paris and debuting at Wigmore Hall.
“You might be surprised to know that I’ve been a Led Zeppelin fan since my youth,” Connolly said 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.”
In that context, the auction makes perfect sense. This isn’t about closing a chapter, it’s about lightening the load so the next one can keep moving.
