Jake E. Lee has recalled the time he stumbled across the gear bargain of a lifetime while on tour in England with Ozzy Osbourne.
When recently asked by Guitarist if he’s ever picked up an electric guitar bargain, Lee admits he’s not had much luck in that department. But he did once got one hell of an amp steal.
Lee was the Prince of Darkness’ second full-time guitarist, replacing the late Randy Rhoads and playing on two records before Zakk Wylde took over in 1987. Not only did the gig elevate Lee’s career, it also united him with a vintage amp that he managed to pick up for a steal.
“I was touring with Ozzy in England, probably for Bark At The Moon (1983),” he says in the new print issue of Guitarist. “I used to go into every mom-and-pop shop and see what they had. One day, we were in Northern England, and I went into this one shop, and an older gentleman in his 60s was behind the counter.”
Lee was immediately drawn to an old Marshall amp head. It was covered in dust, looking like the kind of ancient relic Indiana Jones would dedicate his life to chasing.
“I said to the guy, ‘How's that Marshall? Where is it from?’” Lee remembers. “He says, ‘I don't know... It's been here for the last 20 or 25 years.’ It was a 45 with a cream back panel and a gold square plexiglass logo on the front.
“He picked it up, dusted it off, and even though it had been sitting there for years and years, it was brand fucking new. Not a scratch. He said it had been there since maybe ‘64 or ‘65, and I was like, ‘Are you kidding me?’
“He said, ‘No. Why? Do you want it?'’” Lee wasn’t going to turn down the chance to take this amp home. “I said, ‘I'll take the chance if it's cheap enough,’ and I got it for around £60. For that amount of money, even if it didn't work, I'd have figured it out – but it worked.”
In today’s money, £60 roughly equates to around £205, or $273. Typically, 1960s Marshall JTM45 amps sell for up to $10K on the second market in 2026. That's insane.
“I went to soundcheck, plugged it in, and it wasn't the kind of sound I was looking for with Ozzy – really creamy and sweet and smooth and compressed, with a little sag,” Lee continues. “[But] that was my greatest find. I think it went the way of the first SG in the early 90s... I sold it.”
Last year, Jake E. Lee battled health issues to perform alongside his former boss at Back to the Beginning. The pair hadn’t seen one another since Lee’s departure from the band.
The latest issue of Guitarist features a deep dive into the legendary Jim Irsay collection, as well as interviews with Kim Gordon, Robben Ford, and Alter Bridge guitarists' Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti.
Head to Magazines Direct to grab a copy.
