Instruments

How an engineer’s side project became the Minimoog, the compact synthesizer that put a solo instrument in the hands of every Prog keyboardist, from Wakeman to Emerson.

From the Precision to the Jazz Bass: how Leo Fender’s basses became the backbone of modern bass playing, and the Prog bassists who made them their own.

The story of ELP drummer Carl Palmer’s spectacular stainless steel kit: a 2.5-tonne, gong-and-church-bell-laden monster that pioneered the modern drum rack.

From Wendy Carlos to Keith Emerson: how the Moog modular synthesizer, with its patch-cables and ribbon controller, became the sound of Progressive Rock’s most spectacular solos.

From Hendrix to Van Halen’s Frankenstrat: the story of the most famous guitar in rock history, and how it shaped everything from Prog to shredding.

From church pews to Deep Purple: the story of the Hammond organ, its tonewheels and drawbars, and how it became Progressive Rock’s most iconic keyboard.

How Rick Wakeman commissioned a spectacular triple-neck bass in 1974, and how it ended up in Chris Squire’s hands, becoming the iconic instrument behind Yes’s ‘Awaken’.

The Mellotron’s forgotten rival: how Rick Wakeman poured his own money into the Birotron, and why it became one of the rarest instruments ever built.

Part two of the Mellotron story: the Mk V, the Novatron split, the fall to digital sampling, and the instrument’s revival decades later.

The first in a series on progressive rock’s iconic instruments: how the Mellotron was born as an illegal copy of the Chamberlin, and became the defining sound of ’70s Symphonic Rock.