Bass Drum Pedal
Throughout Bonham's career, he used Ludwig's SpeedKing bass drum pedal with tight spring tension. Bonham used a felt beater, switching to a wooden beater towards the end of his career. This pedal has been nicknamed the "Squeak King" because of the large amounts of squeaking it produces!
The squeak of the pedal is audible in the following Led Zeppelin recordings:
'Since I've Been Loving You', 'The Ocean', 'The Rain Song', 'Houses of the Holy', 'Ten Years Gone', 'Bonzo's Montreux' and the live version of 'I Can't Quit You Baby' on Coda and 'All My Love' on In Through The Out Door.
Jimmy Page has commented on the squeaking:
"The only real problem I can remember encountering was when we were putting the first boxed set together. There was an awfully squeaky bass drum pedal on 'Since I've Been Loving You'. It sounds louder and louder every time I hear it! [laughs]. That was something that was obviously sadly overlooked at the time."
From an interview with Jimmy Page in Guitar World magazine -1993
More pictures of the Ludwig SpeedKing
Many more details can be found in Welch & Nicholls' amazing book - 'John Bonham A Thunder Of Drums' Which you really ought to own!
If you have any other info on the equipment Bonham used, or have noticed mistakes - please contact me
