Ian Hill
Latest Ian Hill news, guitars, gear, music, performances, and collaborations covered by Guitar Radar.
Guitar Radar has 1 story about Ian Hill, tracking new music, tours, collaborations and gear. Most of it sits under players. The most recent story, from Oct 12, 2026, is “Ian Hill Retires From Judas Priest After 57 Years; Davey Rimmer Takes Over”.
About Ian Hill
Ian Hill is the bassist and a founding member of Judas Priest, which he formed with schoolmate K.K. Downing in 1969 or 1970, depending on the source. His main instrument is a Spector: he has played Spector basses since the late 1980s, his signature is the Euro 4LX, and Spector made a Euro 4 Ian Hill Judas Priest 50th Anniversary Signature with a solid USA maple body, a tapered three-piece maple neck with graphite rods, a rosewood fretboard, a single EMG P pickup and Spector's TonePump active circuit.
Earlier he played a 1970s Fender Jazz Bass, a Gibson EB-3 in the early days, and, from the mid-1980s, Hamer basses, including a Cruisebass between 1984 and 1988 and a double-neck on the 1986 Turbo tour. His rig has used SWR SM-1500 and SM-900 heads with SWR Triad cabinets, and a Moog Taurus 3 adds bottom end on certain songs. Strings are DR Black Beauties and Red Devils.
In the early years of Judas Priest he played with his fingers, and he has since preferred a pick.
Sources: Equipboard: Ian Hill's gear · No Treble: Spector unveils the Euro 4 Ian Hill Judas Priest 50th Anniversary Signature · Premier Guitar: Rig Rundown, Judas Priest
