Jimi Hendrix’s Guild Thunderbass Quantum Amp

According to Dave Weyer, Jimi Hendrix used this Guild Thunderbass amp during his early days with The Jimi Hendrix Experience and possibly later as a preamp (Jimi Hendrix’s Wah-wah Pedal and Amp in J. Levine’s New Year’s Day Auction). To what extent the amp was actually used in Jimi’s sound remains unclear, but it’s likely it didn’t play a significant role in shaping his tone.

The discovery of the amp comes with an intriguing story. A user named “tubezarmy” posted on the LetsTalkGuild.com forums about purchasing a Thunderbass amp at a pawn shop, where he noticed “J H EXP” stenciled on the bottom. The amp was later sent to Dave Weyer, a technician known for working on Jimi’s gear, who confirmed that this was the same amp he had modified for Jimi in the late 1960s.