Many musicians play the guitar. Few are able to give it their own sound. Starting in 1971, London-born, globally-raised artist Phil Manzanera did just that, first through the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Roxy Music, and later as both a solo musician and the lead guitarist for the short-lived band 801.
Today, the super-producer and guitar hero is selling a collection of gear from his very own Gallery Studios in The Official Phil Manzanera Reverb Shop.
Manzanera's Gallery Studios, founded in 1978, was not only the center of Roxy Music's final studio albums and singles, but played host to artists like Duran Duran, David Gilmour, Cliff Richard, and more. The gear in Phil Manzanera's Reverb Shop comes straight out of the storied studio. "Every piece of equipment and every instrument tells a story," Manzanera says.
Included in the shop is an Ampex MM1200, the workhorse of Gallery Studio that recorded a crucial part of Roxy Music’s discography, from the band’s single "Over You" and their famous cover of John Lennon’s "Jealous Guy" to their last and biggest-selling studio album, Avalon, as well as Flesh as Blood. As Gallery Studios began to be used by other artists, the multichannel tape recorder was also used to capture Duran Duran’s first UK number one record, "Is There Something I Should Know?" As well as parts of Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits, and other works by David Gilmour, Paul Weller, Robert Wyatt, Héroes del Silencio, and many more.
"Now is the time for change, as the methods of recording studios have changed," Manzanera says. "Goodbye to lots of analog equipment that hasn't been used, for one reason or another, for years. We’re looking for new homes for them."
Additionally, The Official Phil Manzanera Reverb Shop includes:
- A Euphonix CS2000 desk that has been used on records from Robert Wyatt, fellow Roxy Music bandmate Brian Eno, Chrissie Hynde, Annie Lennox, all of Manzanera’s studio albums, and additional parts for David Gilmour’s On an Island and early production sessions for Rattle that Lock.
- Original Mellotron Tapes. Played on classic albums Roxy Music, For Your Pleasure, Stranded, Country Life, and more.
- A Gibson Firebird X, one of the remaining survivors of Gibson's divisive, cutting-edge 2011 model.
- Guitar Backline from the Roxy Music tours, including Roland, Marshall, and Peavey amps and a Blade Strat guitar used on the 2001 World Tour.