Editing Pete Townshend (section)

== Equipment ==
{{BLP sources section|date=July 2012}}
{{See also|The Who's musical equipment}}

=== Guitars ===
[[File:BouncingTownshend.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Townshend leaping into air in concert]]
Throughout his solo career and his career with the Who, Townshend has played a large variety of guitars—mostly various [[Fender Musical Instruments Corporation|Fender]], [[Gibson Guitar Corporation|Gibson]], and [[Rickenbacker]] models. He has also used [[Guild Guitar Company|Guild]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/guitar/guild12.html|title = Guild F-612XL 12-string acoustic guitar &#124; Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear &#124; Whotabs}}</ref> [[Takamine Guitars|Takamine]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/guitar/takamine.html|title = Takamine Guitars &#124; Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear &#124; Whotabs}}</ref> and [[Gibson J-200]] [[Acoustic guitar|acoustic]] models, with the J-200 providing his signature recorded acoustic sound in such songs as "[[Pinball Wizard]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.musicradar.com/reviews/gibson-montana-sj-200-standard|title=Gibson Montana SJ 200 Standard review|website=[[MusicRadar]]|date=5 May 2018}}</ref>

In the early days with the Who, Townshend played an Emile Grimshaw SS De Luxe and 6-string and 12-string Rickenbacker semi-hollow electric guitars primarily (particularly the Rose-Morris UK-imported models with special f-holes). When the excited audience responded enthusiastically after he accidentally broke the head off his guitar on a low ceiling during a concert at the Railway Hotel pub in [[Wealdstone]], west London, he incorporated the eventual smashing of his instrument into the band's performances.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/p/pete-townshends-guitar/|title=Pete Townshend's Guitar|first=Online Museum|last=Victoria and Albert Museum|date=3 May 2011|publisher=Victoria and Albert Museum|access-date=12 May 2019}}</ref> However, as [[Smashing guitars|instrument-smashing]] became increasingly integrated into the Who's concert sets, he switched to more durable and resilient (and, importantly, cheaper) guitars for smashing, such as the [[Fender Stratocaster]], [[Fender Telecaster]] and various [[Danelectro]] models.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/guitar/danelectro.html|title=Danelectro Guitars &#124; Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear &#124; Whotabs|website=Thewho.net}}</ref> On the Who's ''[[Smothers Brothers#The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour|The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour]]'' appearance in 1967, Townshend used a [[Vox (musical equipment)|Vox]] Cheetah guitar,<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.guitarplayer.com/technique/10-things-you-gotta-do-to-play-like-pete-townshend-tab|title=10 Things You Gotta Do To Play Like Pete Townshend|first=Jesse|last=Gress|website=GuitarPlayer.com|date=12 May 2023 }}</ref> which he only used for that performance; the guitar was destroyed by Townshend and Moon's drum explosion. In the late 1960s, Townshend began playing [[Gibson SG]] Special models almost exclusively. He used this guitar at the [[Woodstock]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/the-who-s-guitar-is-smash-hit-of-woodstock-display-6754706.html|title=The Who's guitar is smash hit of Woodstock display|newspaper=Evening Standard |date=12 April 2012}}</ref> and [[Isle of Wight Festival|Isle of Wight]] shows in 1969 and 1970, as well as the ''[[Live at Leeds]]'' performance in 1970.

By 1970, [[Gibson Guitar Corporation|Gibson]] changed the design of the SG Special that Townshend had been using previously, and he began using other guitars. For much of the 1970s, he used a [[Gibson Les Paul#Deluxe|Gibson Les Paul Deluxe]], some with only two mini-[[humbucker]] pick-ups and others modified with a third pick-up in the "middle position" (a [[DiMarzio]] Superdistortion / Dual Sound). He can be seen using several of these guitars in the documentary ''The Kids Are Alright'', although in the studio he often played a '59 [[Gretsch 6120]] guitar (given to him by [[Joe Walsh]]),<ref name="auto"/> most notably on the albums ''[[Who's Next]]'' and ''[[Quadrophenia]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/the-secrets-behind-pete-townshends-tone-on-the-whos-wont-get-fooled-again|title=The secrets behind Pete Townshend's tone on The Who's Won't Get Fooled Again|first=Chris|last=Gill |website=Guitarworld.com|date=8 July 2019|access-date=4 February 2020}}</ref>

During the 1980s, Townshend mainly used Fenders, Rickenbackers and Telecaster-style models built for him by [[Schecter Guitar Research|Schecter]] and various other [[luthier]]s. Since the late-1980s, Townshend has used [[Eric Clapton Stratocaster|Fender Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster]]s with [[Lace Sensor]] pick-ups,<ref name="auto"/> both in the studio and on tour. Some of his Stratocaster guitars feature a Fishman PowerBridge piezo pick-up system to simulate acoustic guitar tones. This piezo system is controlled by an extra volume control behind the guitar's bridge.

During the Who's 1989 tour, Townshend played a Rickenbacker guitar that was ironically smashed accidentally when he tripped over it. Instead of throwing the smashed parts away, Townshend reassembled the pieces as a sculpture.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.guitarplayer.com/players/pete-townshends-smashed-rickenbacker-takes-more-than-78k-at-auction|title=Pete Townshend's Smashed Rickenbacker Takes More Than $78K at Auction|first=Christopher|last=Scapelliti|website=GuitarPlayer.com|date=17 May 2023 }}</ref> The sculpture was featured at the ''Rock Stars, Cars And Guitars 2'' exhibit during the summer of 2009 at [[The Henry Ford]] museum.

[[File:Pete Townshend 2007.jpg|thumb|upright|Townshend playing a Fender [[Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster]]]]

There are several [[Gibson Guitar Corporation|Gibson]] Pete Townshend signature guitars, such as the Pete Townshend SG, the Pete Townshend J-200, and three different Pete Townshend Les Paul Deluxes. The SG was clearly marked as a Pete Townshend limited edition model and came with a special case and certificate of authenticity, signed by Townshend himself. There was a Pete Townshend signature [[Rickenbacker]] limited edition guitar of the model 1998, which was his main 6-string guitar in the Who's early days. The run featured 250 guitars that were made between July 1987–March 1988, and according to Rickenbacker CEO John Hall, the entire run sold out before serious advertising could be done.

He also used the [[Gibson ES-335]], one of which he donated to the Hard Rock Cafe. Townshend also used a [[Gibson EDS-1275]] double-neck very briefly circa late 1967, and both a [[Harmony Company|Harmony]] Sovereign H1270<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/equipment/guitar/equip-harmony12.html |title=Pete's Equipment, Harmony Sovereign H-1270 12-string acoustic guitar, Whotabs, Pete Townshend |website=Thewho.net |access-date=15 May 2011}}</ref> and a [[Fender Electric XII]] for the studio sessions for ''[[Tommy (rock opera)|Tommy]]'' for the 12-string guitar parts. He also occasionally used Fender Jazzmasters on stage in 1967 and 1968<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/guitar/fenderjazzmaster.html|title=Fender Jazzmaster &#124; Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear|website=Thewho.net|access-date=12 May 2020}}</ref> and in the studio for ''Tommy''.

=== Amps ===
Over the years, Townshend has used many types of amplifier, including [[Vox (musical equipment)|Vox]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/guitar/voxamps.html|title=Vox amplifiers &#124; Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear |website=Thewho.net|access-date=12 May 2020}}</ref> [[Henri Selmer Paris|Selmer]], [[Fender Musical Instruments Corporation|Fender]], [[Marshall Amplification|Marshall]], and [[Hiwatt]], sticking to using Hiwatt amps for most of four decades. Around the time of ''[[Who's Next]]'', he used a tweed [[Fender Bandmaster]] amp (also given to him by Joe Walsh in 1970<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/guitar/fenderbandmaster.html |title=Pete's Gear: 1959 Fender Bandmaster Amplifier|access-date=4 January 2016}}</ref>), which he also used for ''[[Quadrophenia]]'' and ''[[The Who by Numbers]]''. While recording ''[[Face Dances]]'' and the collaborative album ''[[Rough Mix]]'', Townshend made use of a [[Peavey Electronics#Noteworthy products|Peavey Vintage 4×10]] amplifier in the studio. Since 1989, his rig consisted of four Fender Vibro-King stacks and a Hiwatt head driving two custom made 2×12" Hiwatt/Mesa Boogie speaker cabinets. However, since 2006, he has only three Vibro-King stacks, one of which is a backup.

Townshend figured prominently in the development of what is widely known in rock circles as the "[[Marshall stack]]". He ordered several speaker cabinets that contained eight 12" speakers in a housing standing nearly six feet in height with the top half of the cabinet slanted slightly upward. These were too heavy to move easily, so [[Jim Marshall (businessman)|Jim Marshall]] cut the massive speaker cabinet in half, at the suggestion of Townshend, with each cabinet containing four 12-inch speakers. One of the cabinets had half of the speaker baffle slanted upwards and Marshall made these two cabinets stackable. The Marshall stack was born, and Townshend used these as well as Hiwatt stacks.

He has always regarded his instruments as being merely tools of the trade<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/Pete_Townshend_On_Guitar_Smashing_Regrets_Stylistic_Evolution_and_Becoming_a_Gear_Aficionado|title=Pete Townshend: On Guitar-Smashing Regrets, Stylistic Evolution, and Becoming a Gear Aficionado|newspaper=Premier Guitar|date=11 March 2010|access-date=12 May 2019}}</ref> and has, in latter years, kept his most prized instruments well away from the concert stage. These instruments include a few vintage and reissue Rickenbackers, the Gretsch 6120, an original 1952 [[Fender Telecaster]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/guitar/52telecaster.html|title=1952 Fender Telecaster &#124; Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear|website=Thewho.net|access-date=12 May 2020}}</ref> Gibson Custom Shop's artist limited edition reissues of Townshend's Les Paul DeLuxe models 1, 3 and 9 as well his signature SG Special reissue.

=== Keyboards ===
Townshend played keyboards on several Who songs. On ''Who's Next'', he began to work with [[analogue synthesizer]]s, using the [[ARP 2600]] model that he first encountered at [[Cambridge University]].{{sfn|Giuliano|2002|p=95}} He had this to say about the instrument: "I like synthesizers because they bring into my hands things that aren't in my hands: the sound of an orchestra, French horns, strings. There are gadgets on synthesizers that enable one to become a virtuoso on the keyboard. You can play something slowly and you press a switch and it plays it back at double speed. Whereas on the guitar you're stuck with as fast as you can play and I don't play fast, I just play hard. So when it goes to playing something fast I go to the synth."{{sfn|Giuliano|2002|p=96}}

The synths Townshend was referring to included the EMS [[VCS3]] and ARP 2600, some of which modified a [[Lowrey organ|Lowrey TBO Berkshire organ]]. Current photos of his home studio also show an [[ARP 2500]]. Townshend was featured in ARP promotional materials in the early 1970s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/guitar/arp.html|title=ARP 2500 and 2600 synthesizers &#124; Pete Townshend's Guitar Gear &#124; Whotabs|website=Thewho.net|access-date=12 May 2020}}</ref>

Since the late 1980s Townshend has predominantly used [[Synclavier]] Digital Audio systems for keyboard composition, particularly solo albums and projects.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://www.synclavier.com/about/ |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=Synclavier |language=en-CA}}</ref>