Alvin Lee

Alavin is asked what type of gear he uses in this Guitar World article, to which he replies "Mainly a Gibbo Gibson ES-335 and a Martin acoustic. I used a Wal bass and a Gretch baritone guitar for bass, as well as Pete Pritchard’s Music Man and a doghouse double bass called Charlie Boy. Amp-wise, I used a Wem 15 Dominator and a very old Yamaha I bought from Mick Abrahams. I also used the original Pod, which is better than the new ones, as a pre-amp into a Fender Champ and Mustang. Plus Guitar Rig and Amplitude and too many others to mention."

In the early days of Ten Years After, Alvin Lee played a 1955 Fender Stratocaster, as seen in the video "Ten Years After - I Can't Keep From Crying, Sometimes - FULL STUDIO" by Gun Clinger on YouTube. Influenced by The Shadows, Lee's use of the Stratocaster marked a significant phase in his musical journey.

In this interview with Guitar World, Alvin Lee says "...and a Line 6 Variax hanging on the wall, and they all get played regularly. The new Variax is very impressive."

Alvin's ES-335, nicknamed "Big Red" is probably his most recognizable guitar, he doesn't use it so much, as seen in this Guitar World interview:

"On the album's opener, the title track, you can immediately tell it's Alvin Lee on guitar—not just because of your note choices but also your sound. How would you say your sound has evolved over the years? Are you still using your Woodstock-era Gibson ES-335?

'I've still got the original Woodstock 335, but, sadly, I don’t use it these days as it has become too valuable. She’s now in a vault since some loony offered me half a million dollars for her.'"

In this Rolling Stone article about Alvin's death, you can see him performing with the Heritage H 535 in the photo used for this write up.

The Marshall Jubilee 2550 (50/100 watt) amp is listed as part of Alvin's official gear on his website.

Alvin Lee was known for using semi-hollow bodied guitars. Doing a simple search will reveal thousands of photos and videos of him with a red ES or Heritage. His photo on Wikipedia shows him using his signature "Big Red" Gibson ES-335.

In a live performance video from Nottingham, UK, circa 1991, Alvin Lee can be seen playing the Tokai Alvin Lee Model, equipped with a Kahler Tremolo System.

In the YouTube video "Alvin Lee & Ten Years Later - Live At Rockpalast 1978," Alvin Lee is seen using a custom-made Marshall JMP 1987 50W amplifier with four speaker outputs, connected to four Marshall 1982 4x12 cabinets (G12H30). This performance was recorded at the Grugahalle in Essen, Germany, on September 15, 1978, and is available from Repertoire Records.

Alvin Lee is confirmed to have used four Marshall 1982B 4x12 cabinets in conjunction with a JMP 1987 model amp head, custom made with four speaker outputs, during his performance at Rockpalast on September 15, 1978. This information is supported by video evidence provided by Repertoire Records in the full concert video "Alvin Lee & Ten Years Later - Live At Rockpalast 1978," available on YouTube.