Instruments: Early Shows II [06.11.1972 - 12.05.1974]
Information > Instruments on tour > Early shows II
When the band got the contract with Trident Sound Productions, it was
quite a turning point for their equipment. After they recorded the first
album, the next concert (arranged by Trident in the famous Chelsea club
Pheasantry) John had noticeable different instruments and Freddie for the
first time in Queen's history played piano on stage. As Freddie didn't
have a piano of his own, he just used what local promoters or concert
organisers supplied.
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Brian bought a third Vox Ac30 amplifier for his Red Special, it
cost him 60 pounds (they were sort of trendy by then). For the first
time he used a back-up, which was a pre-CBS Fender Stratocaster,
which he played, for instance, at the famous Rainbow gig on 31st of
March 1974.
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John acquired a 1967 Fender Precision bass in sunburst finish, which he
plugged to an Orange amplifier. Orange is a British brand which was quite
popular at the time (Jimmy Page used some of those too, and remember that
Queen were quite heavily influenced by Zeppelin in those days)
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Ludwig drum kit: 13" x 9" rack tom, two floor toms (16"x 16" &
18"x 16") and 26" x 14" bass drum. The bass drum logo was a black crest on
a white background.
A cowbell (probably New Era) was mixed in the kit (for Liar). Cymbals could be either Zildjian or Paiste. During some numbers Freddie played a New Era tambourine. Roger used four Shure mics: one for the bass-drum, two further ones placed panoramically to expand the drum-kit, and one for his vocals. |
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Freddie used what he was supplied with. At both Pheasantry and Marquee he used a beautiful white Bechstein D 9 ft 2 in Concert Grand, rented from Jacques Samuels piano store in Edgware Road, London (they'd got a contract with Trident Productions). |
| As for the rest of the concerts, they depended on whatever local promoters supplied them with (mostly Bechstein's, Steinway's, Yamaha's and Baldwin's). The piano was amplified by placing one or two mics at the end of the strings, that's why it'd got to be opened up. Freddie played it in Doin' All Right. | |
| During concerts where Freddie played piano, he'd got two mics depending on whether he was playing or not. Otherwise just one, and both Roger and Brian had one vocal mic each. They were all Shure. |