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Independent research by truerecs. Not affiliated with, endorsed or verified by Joy Division. Every item links to its public source.
33 items · Last checked

What gear does Joy Division use?

Ian Curtis was seen with a Vox Phantom VI Special, and Bernard Sumner with a Shergold Masquerader through a Vox UL730. Peter Hook has said he played a Hondo bass through a Hiwatt 100 and Vox TB18 cab, and Stephen Morris has said his first drum synthesizer was a Synare III.

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AllTop 5Ian Curtis: vocals and guitarBernard Sumner: guitar and synthsPeter Hook: bassStephen Morris: drums
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Where to start with Joy Division's gear.

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What gear Joy Division uses: a sourced gear guide

Independent research by truerecs: every item links to the public source it comes from.

Ian Curtis: vocals and guitar

2 items

Bernard Sumner: guitar and synths

10 items

Peter Hook: bass

12 items

Stephen Morris: drums

9 items
Questions

About Joy Division's gear.

What guitar did Ian Curtis play?

A 1967 Vox Phantom VI Special, bought in 1979 by manager Rob Gretton. Guitar World says Curtis used it extensively on the 1980 European tour and on the studio recording of Heart and Soul, and it appears in the Love Will Tear Us Apart video. Mixdown says he played through a Yamaha G100 2x12.

What bass did Peter Hook play in Joy Division?

Peter Hook has said he had a Hondo Rickenbacker copy with a little curl on the top, through a Hiwatt 100 and a Vox TB18 cab, and a Shergold Marathon 6-string bass is heard on Closer. Later he moved to Yamaha, starting with a BB600 and then the BB1200S.

What guitar did Bernard Sumner play in Joy Division?

A custom Shergold Masquerader and a 1960s Gibson SG, through a Vox UL730 head, per Mixdown. Sumner has said his Joy Division stage amp was a Vox U30, half-valve and half-transistor, and that later he used a Gibson ES-335 most.

What drums did Stephen Morris play?

Mixdown says he played a Rogers concert kit with a Gretsch snare, Zyn hi-hats and Zildjian crashes, and a Synare drum synth on She's Lost Control. Morris has said his first drum synth was a Synare III, and after Closer he got a Boss Dr. Rhythm DR-55.

JD
Joy Division
About this guide · Last checked

Joy Division were the Manchester band of Ian Curtis, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook and Stephen Morris, behind Unknown Pleasures, Closer and Love Will Tear Us Apart. This guide covers the whole band's documented gear: Curtis' Vox Phantom VI, Sumner's Shergold Masquerader and Vox amps, Hook's Hondo and Yamaha basses through a Hiwatt, and Morris' Rogers kit and Synare drum synth.

truerecs put this guide together from public videos, interviews and posts. Each item says how we know and links to the source. Joy Division didn't write it or choose anything on it. How we source gear guides.

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truerecs gear guides are independent research from public sources, not made or approved by the artist. Store buttons on this page may be affiliate links: truerecs may earn a commission when you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Joy Division isn't paid for them. Report an error or ask for removal. Full disclosure.