Fred Sonic Smith

Fred's most famous guitar used during the MC5

I had traded the Silvertone for a Fender Esquire, which is the same as a Telecaster except it had one pickup. Finally, we got the manager to spring for another bank loan and I got a Gibson ES-335, and Fred Smith got a Gretsch Tennessean, and the bassist, a Fender Precision.

Another famous guitar used by Fred. Featured on the cover of "Kick out the Jams"

Bought by Deniz Tek of Radio Birdman in the early seventies after the MC5's disbandment.

Early Orange used by Fred in this video.

Marshall Superlead used by both Fred and Wayne in this video.

Fred Smith and I got 100-watt Vox Super Beatle amplifiers. Before the Beatles they were just called AC-100s. They were really great; nothing in America had 100 watts. The biggest amps were Fender Dual Showmans at 65 watts with two 15? speakers. The Super Beatles were 100 watts with four 12? speakers and two high-frequency horns mounted in a tubed frame cabinet you could tilt back. It was a huge piece of machinery and very intimidating because it was black. We had two of them; a T60, the transistor bass amplifier with a 15? and 12? speaker and two Vox columns for our PA system with six or eight 10? speakers mounted on chrome stands that went on each side of the stage. In those days, that was the state-of-the-art PA system; there was no such thing as monitors or side-fills.