The British rock bands have their own legacy that they have spread all across the globe. With only a little different from the American rock culture, British rock successfully maintains a unique identity in the world of music. Also, British rock bands have been quite creative with their music and performances. Bands like Super Furry Animals, the Jam, T. Rex, Black Sabbath, Queen, and Pink Floyd have left their mark in history by giving us classic albums and also some unique instruments to ponder upon. These instruments may not have originated in the UK, but they became iconic when the UK bands used them in their historical performances.
A left-handed Hofner violin bass guitar
This not so unique violin bass used by Paul McCartney himself in several of his performances became a really iconic instrument. Sir Paul used this instrument for a period of his performances when his playing style was filmed from start to end, which helped giving violin bass a degree of recognition. Many may think it was a tribute to the instrument, but the sources tell us they the Beatles chose to use it just because it was lighter than its alternative.
Gibson Les Paul Standard
The production of these unique guitars began in the late 1950s. These guitars were fitted with frets, machine heads, pickups, and many other things. These guitars were thought to be just like any other guitar until Eric Clapton plugged his into a Fender Bassman amp and almost maxed out the volume. It became a perfect device for the blues, and soon every guitar hero had one for themselves.
The tea-chest bass
This weird and unique instrument, known as tea-chest bass, may not be available anywhere in the market today. When it came out, it was a complete musical instrument. In the 1950s, when this instrument was first introduced, it looked more like a washboard that is played with thimbles. Lonnie Donegan was the one who brought this instrument into the mainstream.
The Vox AC30 guitar amp
This is the most favourite amplification system of Brian May of the Queens. In fact, he has stored plenty of them to make a wall. When the known guitar players like Ringo and Charlie Watts were using the rare but expensive instruments, Brian Mary and Keith Moon went ahead with these unique amps that were perfect for careful and dedicated players.
The Mellotron
Mellotron is an instrument that first became famous with the Beatles during their psychedelic pomp. Later, every rock band wanted to try out the sound of a full orchestra using a single instrument. This was one of the first samplers that were successful among the top brands in the UK. Today you can find mellotron on the DAWs and phone apps, but they will be nothing like their ancestor.