Bill Ward selling hundreds of items of drumming gear from his legendary career
Black Sabbath co-founder Bill Ward is selling more than 200 pieces of studio gear from the past five decades.
The heavy metal icon has set up The Official Bill Ward Reverb Shop, which opens on Wednesday 28th June, where fans can buy full drum kits, drum heads, cymbals, pedals and more items from his legendary career.
"I've collected a lot of stuff over the years, and I'm just trying to thin some things out," Bill said in a video announcement.
“Whoever gets this gear will get good karma. I really hope the new owners will be able to feel the energy of it. Of course, I’m going to miss all of the gear – there’s some really nice history here – but if these items are going to drummers who will use them, then that warms my heart.”
Among the smorgasbord of items up for sale are Bill’s first set of Super Zyn cymbals he used on tour between 1968 to 1971 and on seminal Sabbath including their seminal self-titled debut album.
There’s a unique Remo 24-inch Kick Drum Resonant, featuring a hand-painted design that incorporates a bat within the word “Black” that was used on the Sabbath Bloody Sabbath tour from 1973 to 1974.
Staggeringly, there are over 150 drum heads Bill used throughout his career that he had a habit of signing and dating, meaning fans can purchase a specific drum head used on a show they attended.
Elsewhere, Bill is flogging a Ludwig Speedking Kick Drum pedal used throughout the ‘70s and a 2003 Ludwig Black Oyster Pearl drum kit that Bill was gifted in 2003.
“I got it as a birthday present years ago,” Bill said. “All the tonal qualities are really good; the tom sounds on it are just amazing. Whoever gets this, it’s probably going to last them a long, long time.”
One very specific listing on Ward's shop is for a 'Vintage cowbell used on The Wizard and others throughout early career'. Hear this beast's crowning moment at 2:11 in the track below, and then imagine yourself producing an equally magnificent noise as the proud owner.
Originally part of Black Sabbath’s reunion announcement in November 2011, Bill left in February 2012 over a bitter contract dispute before work commenced on ‘13’.
Although Bill has maintained close friendships with Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi, he has been involved in a caustic war of words with Ozzy Osbourne and hasn't seen the vocalist since January 2012.
One of the interesting results of this feud is that Ward has seemingly been airbrushed out of most of the photos on Black Sabbath's official website...