JPJ part 1

[James Page <james-page@xxxxxxx>]

John Paul Jones is one of the world's most admired rock musicians. 
As a founding member of Led Zeppelin, his musical contributions to 
their sound were unique, and he helped create a style that thousands 
of musicians have since copied. While Robert Plant and Jimmy Page 
remain very recognizable characters to their audience, the rhythm 
section of John Paul Jones and John Bonham has achieved a status 
of mythic proportions. Bonham is still rated as rock's greatest 
drummer, and Jones is classified as hard rock's greatest all-purpose 
musician.

  John Paul Jones is obviously recognized as a bass player as much 
of Led Zeppelin's music displays his satisfying bass work. However, 
he is a versatile multi-instrumentalist whose keyboard work added 
incredible depth and mood to Led Zeppelin's records and shows. His 
talents allowed Led Zeppelin the freedom that George Martin gave 
the Beatles - to expand beyond the traditional rock format of 
guitar/bass/drums. In doing so, some of Led Zeppelin's most 
interesting work was created; "Kashmir", "Stairway to Heaven", "No 
Quarter", "Trampled Underfoot" and many more.

  Before joining Led Zeppelin, Jones had already established himself 
as a top-notch session musician. He was fluent on guitar, bass, and 
other stringed instruments, but could also arrange for orchestral 
ensembles. Some of the most prominent examples of his work from 
this period are the Donovan single "Mellow Yellow" (which he 
produced) and his piano track on The Kink's "You Really Got Me". 
Fellow session guitarist, Jimmy Page, asked him to join their new 
group - the "new" Yardbirds. Originally, Page had put together a new 
version of this classic group to fulfill some live dates in Europe and 
Scandinavia. However, during the tour, they had decided to change 
the name to "Led Zeppelin" and present themselves as a new entity. 
With John Paul Jones essential contributions, this quartet would go 
on to become one of the most successful bands of all time.

  Throughout their career, his keyboard work became increasingly 
important to their sound. On the earliest tours, there were no 
keyboards at all. 10 years later, on the final tours, Jones was playing 
almost HALF the set from his keyboards. This article explores his 
keyboard work from the Zeppelin catalog; the instruments he played 
both live and in the studio.

_____________________________________________________________________
HOHNER ELECTRA-PIANO

This Hohner electric piano was Jones' first contribution to the keyboard
sounds of Led Zeppelin. The first track with keyboards was recorded in October
1969, during the making of their first album. Jones used his Hohner during the
recording at Olympic Studios near London. This ElectraPiano model is unusual
because it was built in the style of a small spinet piano, with a tube amp and
4 speakers mounted inside. This is a late '60's product of the Hohner electric
piano line (not to be confused with RMI's all-electronic ElectraPiano of the
same period). He preferred recording with the Hohner instead of the popular
Rhodes and Wurlitzer pianos, as he liked its stiff keyboard action better.
Internally, the ElectraPiano is similar to both these keyboards: It has
striking hammers (like the Rhodes) and a vibrating reed to create the sound
(like the Wurlitzer). John Paul Jones didn't use the Electra-Piano live only
in the studio. This is because its wooden casing was more like home furniture,
and was not too portable. It's sound was not a clear live - "It didn't really
cut through, plus - it wasn't really built for road work. It was the sort the
sort of thing you'd have in your front room. I think that's what it was
designed for."

  "Stairway to Heaven" is Led Zeppelin's most famous track, and the Hohner
piano is played in a subtle, supporting role beginning at 2:14. Jones recalls
playing direct into the console and using the Hohner for the piano chords with
left hand bass. The part is very subtle, a supportive texture underneath the
guitar tracks that follows the chord progression. Following "Stairway to
Heaven" on the 4th album is "Misty Mountain Hop," a bouncing heavy rock song,
based around a strong syncopated ElectraPiano riff. The riff continues
throughout the song, and is heavier-sounding than the "Stairway to Heaven"
piano, as it was recorded through its amp and speaker, not direct.

Led Zeppelin's most obvious "keyboard" song comes from the "Houses of the
Holy" album; the song "No Quarter". Beginning with a long electric piano
instrumental, this song was John Paul Jones' featured solo section in the live
show for many years. The Hohner is processed through an EMS VCS3 synthesizer
to create a "wobbly" sound. For many years, this song was John Paul Jones'
live solo section, extended with improvisation and duets with Jimmy Page on
guitar. "Down By the Seaside" from Physical Graffiti, is another Hohner
ElectraPiano song, with Jones playing a traditional country-pop style piano
arrangement

_______________________________________________________

HAMMOND ORGANS:
HAMMOND M-100:

The Hammond M-100 was smaller than the classic B3 model, and is 
one of the smaller "spinet" organs. The Spinet organs are related to 
the larger B3 and C3, but have shorter keyboards, built-in amplifiers, 
and fewer pedal options. These small Hammonds are more portable, 
and were used by many famous groups: Procol Harum's "Whiter 
Shade of Pale" (M-100), Booker T and the MG's "Green Onions" 
(M3), and early Pink Floyd (L-100). The spinet Hammonds generate 
sounds like the B3/C3 series of organs - mechanical "tonewheels" 
spinning inside the organ generate sounds. While other organ 
companies used electronic oscillators or vibrating reeds to create 
notes, the Hammond tonewheel system creates a warm, rich sound 
that has become THE classic organ sound of the '60s and '70's.

  John Paul Jones used his own M-100 for the first Led Zeppelin 
record, on "You Shook Me" and "Your Time Is Gonna Come". "You 
Shook Me" features the M-100 organ on the solo beginning at 2:07. 
The most interesting aspect of this track is the lack of a Leslie 
speaker; considered standard practice for Hammond recording, the 
Leslie speaker adds a spinning effect to the organ tone. Instead of a 
Leslie, Jones used the M-100's built-in Vibrato setting to create this 
effect. Throughout the solo he changes the Vibrato/Chorus rate and 
depth, which effectively creates a similar effect to the Leslie. The M-
100's Vibrato/Chorus tone shares the same circuitry as the larger B3 
and C3, so is slightly superior to many other spinet models (like the L-
100). 

   "Your Time is Gonna Come" begins with two different tracks of 
organ playing simultaneously - very similar to the effect used on 
"Thank You" from the next album. Instead of the blues organ style 
used earlier, Jones displays his training as a church organist. The 
style is very plain, and the intro sound uses a plain tone, with no 
vibrato or percussion settings. Only on the song's choruses, does he 
turn on the Vibrato feature, and it adds the same Leslie-style effect as 
used on "You Shook Me".

HAMMOND C3/B3 - For most organ parts on their albums, Jones 
used a larger Hammond, the C3 model. In England, the C3 model 
was very common, and groups like Deep Purple, Fleetwood Mac, and 
Keith Emerson of ELP used the C3. The C3 was identical sonically to 
the B3, but with a different wooden casing. On the C3, the casing 
surrounded the organ on all sides. Instead of solid wooden sides, the 
famous B3 had legs supporting the organ, making it somewhat lighter 
and more portable. 

John Paul Jones often recorded with a Hammond C3, and it was a 
common instrument on many of their early tours. Led Zeppelin's most 
memorable organ track, "Thank You", was recorded in 1969 at 
Morgan Studios in London. On "Thank You", Jones' beautiful organ 
parts are the main support in the verses. On this song, his style 
reflects his many years playing organ in church as a boy. The organ 
is restrained, with no vibrato or distortion, and so avoids sounding like 
a blues or jazz organ. A tape delay, which echoes the organ track in 
the opposing speaker, creates an echo effect that enhances the 
"church" mood. At the same studio sessions, "Since I've Been Loving 
You" was recorded, but was not released until the Led Zeppelin III 
album a year later. 

"Since I've Been Loving You" became one of Led Zeppelin's most 
outstanding songs. Its extreme dynamics and fascinating chord 
progression show how Led Zeppelin were able to modify the 
traditional 12-bar blues. They would play it at nearly every concert for 
the next 10 years, and it seemed to exemplify both the subtlety and 
power that the band possessed. Jones' Hammond organ is the 
perfect choice for this track, as its expression allows for subtle, quiet 
support parts in the verses and strong, exciting power in the 
choruses. By carefully working the volume (or "swell") pedal, Jones 
takes the organ from clear, pure organ tones to a more distorted 
heavy overdrive that matches and enhances the powerful climaxes. 
The Leslie speaker is recorded with two microphones, panned wide 
apart for stereo; the main microphone sound is bright and sharp, and 
clearly indicates the textural changes of the track. The other 
microphone channel is almost entirely without treble and is panned to 
the left to fill in the "space' behind the guitar track. This creates a 
wide full sound without interfering with the balance between organ 
and guitar on opposite sides. Also, the "bass" track is Hammond 
organ as well, recorded separately for clarity.

"Night Flight" from Physical Graffiti is another traditional organ sound; 
the Hammond is fed through the Leslie, slightly distorted. During the 
song, Jones plays basic chord changes, using the Leslie speed 
changes to add excitement to the choruses.

 On the early Led Zeppelin tours, there was often a C3 or B3, and it is 
likely that these heavy instruments were made available at each 
show, rather than carrying one from city to city. (At the time, 
Hammond organs we very commonly used, and many halls had one 
available.) The Hammond was a common sight on Jones' side of the 
stage from 1970 until 1975. The Hammond was always run through a 
Leslie speaker, which has become the traditional way to amplify a 
Hammond. The Leslie speaker contains an amplifier and "spinning 
speaker" system that give the sound animation and energy. 
Unfortunately, the Leslie amp was only 45 watts, not enough to be 
heard clearly on the loud stages of Led Zeppelin. So, the band would 
put the Leslie offstage in the dressing room and place microphones in 
the room to send sound to the mixer. Unfortunately, this clever 
arrangement created problems on a few occasions: According to 
Jones - "Unfortunately, people used to go in to the dressing room and 
shout things over the microphones. It would come over the P.A. 
(laughs)..." By the 1977 tour, Jones was regretting not taking the 
Hammond on tour, but admitted that there were already too many 
keyboard instruments covering the stage - there was not enough 
room for it.

EMS VCS3-

The Electronic Music Studios of London, England produced 
synthesizers that were not widely distributed, but were used on many 
great albums. Their Synthi and VCS3 (variations on a simple 3-
oscillator design) were used on classic rock records, such as "Dark 
Side of the Moon" (Pink Floyd) and "Who's Next"  (The Who). John 
Paul Jones used his VCS3 on many important Led Zeppelin tracks, 
as well. 

The VCS3 was a semi-modular analog synthesizer; that is, it had 
patchable routing using a small matrix panel. The player would insert 
metal pins in this panel and connect sections of the synthesizer 
together. With careful design, a creative synthesist could make 
incredibly complex sounds from only a few components. The VCS3 
has 3 oscillators, a lowpass filter, a noise generator, a ring modulator, 
envelope generator, and reverb. At the bottom of the unit is a joystick 
that allows the player to control several parameters simultaneously. 
Jones liked the VCS3, and used it often, although he said it was 
"murder to keep in tune" and "wasn't sophisticated enough to sound 
like a synthesizer" (which he liked!)

He used the VCS3 to create the underwater "wobble" efect on "No 
Quarter". He ran the audio signal of the Hohner piano through the 
filter, and mosulated the filter with a sine-wave LFO. This made the 
filter rise and fall rapidly, creating a shifting tone not unlike a phaser 
or Leslie speaker. (This is similar to Pete Townshend's use of the 
VCS3 on "Won't Get Fooled Again, where a Hammond was 
proceesed through the synth to create the pulsing organ tone.) The 
VCS3 has no standard keyboard, but it can be used with an external 
keyboard controller, the DK1.

"The Crunge" from "Houses of the Holy" contains the VCS3, which 
makes strange hornlike parts. These parts were overdubbed 
separately to create a polyphonic "brass section". The song was 
created mostly live in the studio as an improvisation, so the added 
overdubs not only reinforced the "James Brown" dance feel, but also 
added structure to the long repetitive jam.

"In the Light" from Physical Graffiti" begins with a Middle-Eastern 
guitar drone piece, and a strange reedlike instrument solos over this. 
This melody is played by John Paul Jones on the EMS synth, and 
makes excellent use of its joystick to create a pitch-bend, similar to 
the expression used by Arabic musicians. The strangeness of the 
sound is enhanced by a delay, which creates a distant, hazy sound.

The VCS3 is also used for special overdub sounds in "Four Sticks", 
"The Rain Song" and a small overdub at 6:54 in "Achilles' Last 
Stand". On the transition from "Friends" to "Celebration Day", a VCS3 
drones, with subtle filter sweeps. The EMS reverb, an old spring-type 
reverb (like found in guitar amps) is clearly audible between the two 
songs.


BASS PEDALS: DUNN, FENDER, MOOG TAURUS

John Paul Jones unique combination of bass and keyboard talents 
was a great benefit, but it made live performance somewhat difficult. 
Often, a song would be recorded with drums, guitar, and keyboard, 
but the bass would be overdubbed later. Performing these types of 
arrangements proved difficult live, as Jones would be playing the 
keyboards with both hands. To make the sound fuller, he often used 
various bass pedals, played with his feet. These pedals were made 
by different companies, with slightly different sounds and features, 
but all based upon the same idea: the traditional organ pedal set has 
a standard piano keyboard, but made larger and longer to 
accommodate the feet. Typically, these pedal sets are only an octave 
or so long, which limits the player. They are almost always tuned to 
the low bass octave, although modern MIDI bass pedals allow any 
octave to be controlled. As Jones said in his 1977 Keyboard 
Magazine interview "I also like instruments that you can play on your 
own without needing anybody else. The organ was always great for 
that because you didn't have to rely on some terrible bass player to 
try and follow you. Your pedals were there and all you needed was a 
drummer. I picked up on using bass pedals from playing in church." 
At one point in 1977, Jones was touring with four sets of pedals 
onstage, so that he could play bass with his feet no matter which 
instrument he was playing!

Jones main pedal set was a custom-built unit, made by Bill Dunn of 
London. Dunn's organ service (particularly Hammond organs) was 
well-known in England and was the service center for the top rock, 
jazz, and pop stars of the day. Jones had Dunn build pedals that 
were very similar in tone to a Hammond bass pedal tone, but more 
mellow. His control box for the Dunn pedals would sit on top of the 
Fender Rhodes piano, and he was often seen adjusting the volume of 
the pedals during shows. Also, Jones used an old set of Fender 
pedals from the 1960's that were similar to the Dunn set - a portable 
octave of pedals that generated low bass tones. They could be set for 
immediate attack and release (as an organ-type tone) or a "string 
bass" sound that decayed away instead of sustaining. 

  From the 1975 Physical Graffiti tour (and after), Jones would use 
Moog Taurus pedals. The Moog pedals were similar to the others, 
only with a more powerful, flexible analog synthesizer attached. The 
pedals created a huge, heavy sound, if needed, and were often 
featured while Jones played acoustic guitar during the sets. These 
pedals are now commonly referred to as "Taurus 1", because Moog 
later issued a second unit, called the "Taurus II". Many feel that the 
Taurus 1 has better tone, while the Taurus II has more features.
_____________________________________________________

HOHNER CLAVINET -

  Some of the most exciting Led Zeppelin tracks were created when 
Jones played the Hohner Clavinet, such as "Trampled Underfoot" 
from Physical Graffiti. The Clavinet is a stringed keyboard instrument 
built by the Hohner company, a German company well-known for its 
harmonicas and accordions. In the 1960's, Hohner inventor Ernst 
Zacharias created several keyboards to replicate the traditional 
Baroque instruments, especially those as used by Johann Sebastian 
Bach. However, Zacharias' instruments were used for new musical 
forms, rarely for classical music, as intended. 

  The Clavinet was related to the Clavichord of the late 1700's, a 
favorite instrument of Bach. The Clavinet uses a fairly simple 
mechanism, whereby a tilting key strikes a string inside the 
instrument. The string is pushed down onto a metal bar, like a fret on 
a guitar, causing the string to vibrate. A simple electromagnetic 
pickup senses the vibration and converts it to a musical waveform 
that is output to the amp.

 John Paul Jones used the Clavinet D, a model released in the mid-
1970s. Stevie Wonder and Billy Preston had already made the 
Clavinet a standard pop keyboard, using the earlier Model C. Unlike 
the C, the Clavinet D had more control of the tone, by using a more 
complicated pickup and preamp system. The Clavinet D has switches 
on the left hand side of the keyboard. By selecting different 
combinations, the player can choose between different pickup 
sounds, in or out of phase with each other. This can make the sound 
rich and full, or thin and biting. There are also adjustments for overall 
brightness, plus a volume control and a mechanical "mute" 
adjustment.

  JPJ used the Clavinet on the Physical Graffiti album, and his use of 
the clavinet became a rock standard, copied by many other clavinet 
players. It first appears on "Custard Pie", where the clavinet sounds 
like a very percussive guitar track. "Trampled Underfoot" is Jones 
classic clavinet track, and it was one of their best songs when played 
live. The clavinet part begins the song and its heavy driving "stomp" 
rhythm pushes the song throughout. Played is fairly simple, but 
leaves room for the fascinating guitar effects. The solo is an 
energetic, busy chordal clavinet improvisation. As the solo plays, a 
second clavinet track is added, a dark, muted sound that was created 
by running the clavinet through a wah-wah pedal set back to a very 
low range. On the studio version, Jones played electric bass, but live, 
the steady bass part allowed him to replicate this on floor bass 
pedals. "In the Light" (also from Physical Grafitti) uses the clavinet as 
a harpsichord-like sound during the breaks at 3:54 and 6:35.

 Jones recalls recording most of the clavinet parts "direct" (using a 
D.I. transformer box directly into the mixer). Live, however, he used 
Fender Dual Showman amplifiers for all the keyboards. Most of the 
keyboards sounded quite bad through the Fenders, and he was 
happy to change to a better system in 1977, but he felt the clavinet 
had sounded best through those earlier guitar amps. 
________________________________________________


FENDER RHODES 73 AND 88 ELECTRIC PIANOS

For many loud rock bands in the 1970's, using an acoustic piano was 
a difficult problem. It was heavy, had a tendency to go out of tune, 
and was difficult to amplify without feedback. In the 1970's, the most 
reliable touring piano sound was obtained with a Fender Rhodes 
electric piano. While the Fender Rhodes sounded more like bells or a 
celeste than a stringed piano, it was easy to amplify, and easy to 
move. It also had weighted keys that respond similarly to a real piano, 
and it had a sustain pedal, which the Hohner Pianet did not. The 
Fender Rhodes became the classic live piano instrument for Led 
Zeppelin on the 1971 tour, and would remain in the backline until 
1978. The sight of John Paul Jones' behind his Rhodes became a 
very familiar site to many fans. 

  There were different versions of the Rhodes available, they were 
used on various tours. The Rhodes 73 "Suitcase" model has 73 keys 
and the "Suitcase" is the large box that sits below the keyboard. This 
box contains two amplifiers, and two pairs of speakers. It allows a 
self-contained unit that amplifies the piano and supports it, so no 
stand is needed. Unfortunately, the amplifier is not very loud, and the 
piano is often too quiet. The 73 Suitcase was used on the early Led 
Zeppelin tours from 1971 to 1973, often with a covering showing 
Jones' famous "rune" symbol over the speaker box.

  In 1973, the suitcase model was replaced by a "Stage 73" model, a 
similar piano, but with no speaker box. Instead, it ran to external 
amplifiers (1960's Fender Dual Showman amplifiers) and had chrome 
legs to support it. The Stage 73 is the Rhodes seen on the famous 
"No Quarter" portion of the "Song Remains the Same" film. The 
Rhodes Stage 73 was used on the 1973 and 1975 tours. For the 
1977 tour, a third model Rhodes was used - the larger "Stage 88". It, 
too had chrome legs for a stand, but had a full-length keyboard with 
88 notes, the same number of keys as a standard piano. Jones had 
the Rhodes pickup setup modified to make it less heavy and mellow. 
He preferred a sound that was sharper and "a bit harder". For this 
tour, the Rhodes (and other keyboards) were run to a small mixer 
made by the Mavis company of England. From there, they were fed 
to the house system and his personal monitors, which were Showco 
C4 cabinets.

   To create the swirling "underwater" sound of "No Quarter" live, John 
fed the Rhodes through the classic early Maestro "phase shifter". This 
phaser, the "PS-1A", was a simple, but large pedal effect, with speed 
and on/off controls. It was developed by Tom Oberheim of Oberheim 
Electronics, who later produced the famous analog synthesizers. The 
colorful switches turn the phaser on and off, as well as selecting one 
of three preset speeds of cycle. During live concerts, Jones placed it 
on top of the keyboard, where it could be operated by hand. John 
Paul Jones preferred to play both keyboards and bass with no 
effects, but needed the Maestro to recreate the mysterious piano 
sound of the album. He called it "gloriously simple to work, with just 
three positions. That's how I like it; who wants to sit there 
programming something for half the night?"
____________________________________________________

MELLOTRON MK.II/M400/Mk.V

Jones' arrangement skills were put to use for the studio tracks of 
"Stairway to Heaven" and "The Rain Song". On "Stairway" the song 
begins with 4 overdubbed recorders (wooden flutes) that add a 
beautiful chamber ensemble setting to the single guitar intro. To 
recreate this arrangement live, a new instrument was introduced, 
beginning with the Japanese Tour of 1972. Later, it would be used in 
the studio to create very memorable arrangements. This instrument, 
the Mellotron, would become one of the high (and low) points of 
Jones' work with Led Zeppelin. 

The Mellotron was developed in England in the 1960's, based upon 
the Chamberlin, an American instrument. Both the Mellotron and 
Chamberlin operated on the same principle. An organ type keyboard 
would control many tape players underneath, giving the musician the 
opportunity to play "samples" of the recorded sounds. Contrary to 
popular belief, the Mellotron does not have tape loops, but fixed 
lengths of tape 8 second long. When the tape reaches the end, it 
stops and rewind to prepare to play the note again. 

  The first Mellotrons were called Mk. I's, and soon were upgraded 
with new sounds to be called Mk. II's. These Mk.II's became famous 
instruments in the hand of the Beatles (Strawberry Fields) and the 
Moody Blues (Nights in White Satin). It was this Mellotron MkII 
instrument that was used for Led Zeppelin's records. The MkII has 
two keyboards, the one on the right having instrument sounds, such 
as flute, piano, mandolin, and saxophone. The left hand keyboard 
(rarely used on pop albums) was designed as a "rhythm section" with 
recorded ensembles playing in different styles, such as jazz, foxtrot, 
waltz, etc. Jones used the MkII for the beautiful string arrangement in 
"The Rain Song" from Houses of the Holy.  The Mellotron violins are 
strangely haunting, and have limited fidelity. They are also difficult to 
play smoothly, as the sounds begin and end with a instantly. To 
overcome this, Jones used a volume pedal to swell the entrances and 
exits of the string lines to make them more realistic. He describes his 
process for recording a simulated orchestra with keyboard: "The 
secret of successful keyboard string parts is to play only the parts that 
a real string section would play. That is, one line for First Violins, one 
line for Second Violins, one for Violas, one for Cellos, one fo Basses. 
Some divided parts (two or more notes to a line) are allowed but keep 
them to a minimum. Think melodically."

  Many people consider "Kashmir" to be Led Zeppelin's greatest 
record. It's heavy Arabic flavor was incredibly unique, and very well 
executed. The blend of hard rock and orchestral instruments was 
perfect, and remains a classic example of arrangement skill. Jones 
arranged "Kashmir" both for real strings and Mellotron strings. It is 
difficult for many to hear the differences between the "real" and 
simulated strings, which is a tribute to the clever performance and 
arrangement of John Paul Jones. The Mellotron strings are most 
easily heard in the bridge, during the Gm and A chords. 

  For the live concerts, they used the Mellotron for the flute intro to 
"Stairway to Heaven" and strings on "The Rain Song" and "Kashmir". 
The model used for live work was an M400, a smaller white version of 
the old MkII design. The M400 was more compact, and but had fewer 
sounds. It was more reliable than the MkII model, but still prone to 
trouble: "To walk up to the Mellotron, not knowing if it was going to be 
in tune or what it was going to do, was a terrifying experience." 
Indeed, many Mellotrons had badly design motor control cards (not a 
difficulty with earlier or later M400's). This would cause the instrument 
to drift in pitch and sometimes fail. 

  For the 1977 tour, Jones played Jimmy Page's Mk.V Mellotron, a 
rare model that was actually two M400's in one unit. It was wide and 
black, and allowed twice as many sounds inside. Having two 
keyboards also allowed greater performance options, as two sounds 
could be played simultaneously. Unfortunately, the MkV was no more 
reliable than the M400, and it was replaced with synthesized strings 
on the 1979 tour.

______________________________________________________
STEINWAY GRAND PIANO

  For their 1975 American tour, Zeppelin decided to add a real piano 
on stage, as their budget allowed for even bigger, more extravagant 
shows. A Steinway grand piano was chosen, a common instrument 
for both pop and classical artists. Steinway, the most recognized 
name in classical pianos, has a long history. Known for their excellent 
tone and construction, the Steinway has become one of the most 
widely distributed piano makes. Therefore, it becomes a common 
choice for touring professionals, as service and parts are available in 
most cities.

 Having a real acoustic piano allowed a truer sound, but created new 
problems with tone, feedback, and tuning. To prevent microphonic 
feedback, a Helpinstill piano pickup system was used. The Helpinstill 
system was very common in the 1970's and used a long magnetic 
pickup to sense string vibration, like on a guitar. However, Jones felt 
that the Steinway was "never right" during the tour - he was 
constantly plagued by sound and mechanical problems. "...I had such 
a terrible time... always looking over my shoulder and shouting 'Turn 
it up, turn it down...It's hard to play when you're shouting 
instructions." 

  For the next World Tour (in 1977) they hired a new keyboard 
technician, Ed Kolakowski, who had worked preparing live pianos for 
many artists (including classical pianist Artur Rubenstein and former 
Beatle Paul McCartney). Rubenstein spent a great deal of time 
preparing Jones' piano setup and monitoring, and Jones felt the 
piano was "spot on" every night........