Jimmy Page Guitars & Gear: Led Zeppelin Guide

Background: Surrey, Session Work, The Yardbirds, and Zeppelin

James Patrick Page was born January 9, 1944, in Heston, Middlesex, England, and grew up in Epsom, Surrey. He picked up guitar as a teenager and developed rapidly — his talent was apparent enough that by the early 1960s he was working as a session musician in London, playing on recordings for Donovan, Tom Jones, Petula Clark, Joe Cocker, and dozens of others. He was, before Led Zeppelin made him famous, one of the most in-demand session guitarists in British music. He played rhythm guitar on the Rolling Stones’ “Heart of Stone” session and other sessions that would have required significant competence.

He joined The Yardbirds in 1966, initially alongside Jeff Beck in a twin-lead guitar configuration. When Beck left, Page became the sole lead guitarist. He had turned down an earlier offer to join The Yardbirds (when Eric Clapton left) in favor of continuing his lucrative session work. When The Yardbirds dissolved in 1968, Page retained the rights to the name for contractual reasons and formed the New Yardbirds with Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham — who quickly renamed themselves Led Zeppelin.

Led Zeppelin’s nine studio albums — from the debut (1969) through In Through the Out Door (1979) — represent one of the most commercially and artistically successful catalogues in rock history. “Stairway to Heaven,” “Whole Lotta Love,” “Kashmir,” “Black Dog,” “Rock and Roll,” “Since I’ve Been Loving You” — the songs are part of the permanent soundtrack of the twentieth century.

Beyond the guitar playing, Page’s role as producer of all Led Zeppelin recordings — experimenting with microphone placement, backward echo, orchestral overdubs, ambient recording, and the specific spatial quality of Led Zeppelin IV’s drums — established him as a studio innovator as significant as his playing. He was simultaneously the guitarist and the sonic architect of everything Led Zeppelin recorded.

Tone note: The debut album was recorded with a gift Telecaster and a Supro combo amplifier. “Good Times Bad Times” — one of the most powerful and immediately recognizable opening tracks in rock history — was not played through a Les Paul and Marshall. It was played through a Telecaster and a small 25-watt combo that you could buy in a pawn shop. The instrument and amp changed for Led Zeppelin II. The quality and ambition had been fully present from the beginning. The gear served the vision; the vision was always more important than the gear.

The Rig: Jimmy Page’s Guitars, Amps & Gear

1958 Fender Telecaster (“Dragon”) — The Led Zeppelin Debut Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard “Number One” (1959) — The Primary

Gibson Les Paul Standard “Number Two” (1959) — The Backup

Gibson Les Paul “Number Three” (1969 Goldtop, Repainted Red)

Guitars: Four Les Pauls and a Dragon Telecaster

1958 Fender Telecaster (“Dragon”) — The Led Zeppelin Debut Guitar

The guitar on Led Zeppelin’s debut album — and the guitar Page used with The Yardbirds — was a 1958 Fender Telecaster that Jeff Beck gave him as a gift when they were both in The Yardbirds. Page had the guitar custom-painted with a psychedelic dragon design, giving it the Dragon name. It was also his primary instrument during The Yardbirds period and the early LED Zeppelin dates.

The Dragon Telecaster’s specific role: the Telecaster’s single-coil snap and clarity, combined with the Supro amp’s natural saturation, produced the debut album’s specific guitar character — aggressive and powerful but also articulate and clear in a way that a Les Paul through a Marshall would not have been. “Communication Breakdown” through a Telecaster and Supro is different from “Communication Breakdown” through a Les Paul and Marshall — and what Page recorded for the debut was the Telecaster version.

He still has it. “I still have it,” he told Guitar World in 1998. “But it’s a tragic story. I went on tour with [a] ’59 Les Paul that I bought from Joe Walsh, and when I got back, a friend of mine had kindly painted over my paint job. He said, ‘I’ve got a present for you.’ He thought he had done me a real favor.”

Gibson Les Paul Standard “Number One” (1959) — The Primary

Jimmy Page’s most famous guitar — one of the most famous guitars in rock history — is the 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard Sunburst he purchased from Joe Walsh for approximately $1,200 in 1969. He dubbed it Number One when he began acquiring backup instruments.

The guitar’s provenance: Walsh had bought it and had the neck shaved down at Lay’s Guitars in Akron, Ohio. The original Seth Lover PAF humbuckers were present when Page bought it — the genuine Patent Applied For pickups that represent the gold standard of vintage humbucker tone. In 1972, during an Australian tour, the bridge pickup (the double white bobbin PAF) failed and was replaced by a chrome T-Top humbucker. Subsequently, a custom-wound Seymour Duncan pickup replaced the T-Top in the 1990s. The neck pickup remained original until the 2000s when a 1960 PAF was installed.

Number One appeared at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s “Play It Loud” exhibition in 2019. It is now worth well over a million dollars.

Page’s description of why the Les Paul replaced the Telecaster: “I had to be very careful about where I was standing because of the unsympathetic feedback [with the Telecaster]. With the Les Paul you’d get feedback through the amp and speakers, but you could control it more easily and work with it. You could actually change the literal note and frequency that was coming back on the feedback.”

The Les Paul’s feedback controllability — the ability to sustain and pitch specific feedback notes — was the specific quality that made it right for Page’s approach. The feedback was musical content, not noise to be controlled.

Gibson Les Paul Standard “Number Two” (1959) — The Backup

As Number One became irreplaceable, Page acquired a nearly identical 1959 Les Paul Standard Burst as a backup. Number Two was “pretty much identical to his Number One” — the same sunburst finish, the same approximate specifications, the same era PAF pickups. He would have the pickup covers removed on Number Two, exposing the cream bobbins.

Number Two was stolen in 1970 in Minneapolis during a tour and recovered many years later.

Gibson Les Paul “Number Three” (1969 Goldtop, Repainted Red)

Number Three started its life as a late-1969 Goldtop that had been repainted red. While most Goldtops of that era came stock with mini-humbuckers or P-90s, Page’s was fitted with full-sized humbuckers. He first used it on stage in 1970 as a replacement after the Black Beauty was stolen in Minneapolis. It remained in rotation until he got Number Two back, at which point Number Three became a vehicle for experimentation — including a B-Bender (a mechanism that bends the B string by shoulder pressure) installed in the mid-1980s.

Gibson Les Paul Custom “Black Beauty” (1960, Three Humbuckers) — The Stolen Guitar

Page bought the Black Beauty — a 1960 Les Paul Custom with three humbucking pickups and a Bigsby vibrato — in 1962 when he was only 18 years old. He used it for studio work through the early Zeppelin years until a baggage handler stole it in Minneapolis in 1970. It was recovered decades later.

The three-humbucker Custom’s specific character: the additional neck-middle pickup configuration gave Page access to different tonal combinations than the standard two-pickup Les Paul. The Custom’s ebony fingerboard (compared to the Standard’s rosewood) also produced a slightly different attack character.

Gibson EDS-1275 Double Neck — The “Stairway to Heaven” Live Guitar

The Gibson EDS-1275 double-neck — with 12-string neck on top and 6-string neck on the bottom — became Page’s iconic live performance guitar for “Stairway to Heaven,” “The Song Remains the Same,” and other songs requiring rapid switching between 12-string and 6-string configurations. The image of Page playing the low-slung double-neck became one of rock’s most recognizable visual symbols.

The EDS-1275 is an extraordinarily heavy guitar — the dual-neck configuration means carrying two full instruments’ weight. Live, Page used it primarily for its functional necessity: the 12-string intro of “Stairway to Heaven” and the 6-string solo could not practically be performed by switching guitars mid-song at the speeds required.

Other Key Guitars

Martin D-28 acoustic — Primary acoustic; “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp,” “Going to California,” many others; the standard D-28 dreadnought’s specific warmth and projection
Harmony Sovereign acoustic — Slide work and early touring acoustic
Danelectro guitars — Used for specific studio applications and the “Kashmir” recording; the Danelectro’s specific lipstick pickup character
Vox Phantom XII (1967) and Manson 12-string — 12-string electrics for studio work including “Stairway to Heaven” intro (the 12-string electric part on the studio recording)
10-string MSA pedal steel — Used on “Tangerine” and “That’s the Way” from Led Zeppelin III; Page taught himself to play
Mandolin — “The Battle of Evermore” on Led Zeppelin IV; “it wasn’t mine, it was Jonesey’s. I just picked it up, got the chords, and it sort of started happening”
Banjo — “Gallows Pole” on Led Zeppelin III; first time Page played banjo on record
1966 Fender Telecaster — Used during Zeppelin’s final European tour 1980, notably for live “All My Love”

Complete Guitar List (Key Instruments)

1958 Fender Telecaster “Dragon” (Jeff Beck gift) — Led Zeppelin debut; Yardbirds; psychedelic dragon paint; still owned
Gibson Les Paul Standard “Number One” (1959, Sunburst, ex-Joe Walsh) — Primary from LED Zeppelin II onward; $1,200 in 1969; now worth $1M+; PAF pickups (original, various replacements); “Whole Lotta Love,” “Stairway to Heaven,” “Heartbreaker”
Gibson Les Paul Standard “Number Two” (1959, Sunburst) — Backup; stolen Minneapolis 1970, recovered later
Gibson Les Paul “Number Three” (1969 Goldtop repainted red) — Replacement after Black Beauty theft; later B-Bender installed
Gibson Les Paul Custom “Black Beauty” (1960, 3 humbuckers, Bigsby) — Bought 1962 at 18; stolen Minneapolis 1970, recovered later
Gibson EDS-1275 Double Neck — Live “Stairway to Heaven,” “The Song Remains the Same”
Martin D-28 acoustic — Primary acoustic throughout career
Danelectro guitars — “Kashmir” studio recordings; specific lipstick pickup character

Amps: From Supro to Modified Marshall

Supro Coronado 1690T — The Led Zeppelin I Amp

The guitar tone on Led Zeppelin’s debut album — the tone that many guitarists spent years trying to replicate, assuming it was a Les Paul through a Marshall — came from a Supro Coronado 1690T combo amplifier. The Supro Coronado was approximately 25 watts, a small combo amp with a distinctive output transformer that contributed to its natural saturation characteristics at working volumes.

Page confirmed the Supro’s role on the debut: “The first album was done mainly with the Telecaster and a Supro amp.” The amp’s ability to overdrive naturally while maintaining clarity made it perfect for the debut’s aggressive playing style. The Supro is now one of the most sought-after combo amps specifically because of this association.

Marshall Super Bass (Modified by Tony Frank) — The Zeppelin II-Onward Primary

For Led Zeppelin II and all subsequent Zeppelin recordings and live performances, Page’s primary amplifier became a 1968 Marshall Super Bass modified by American amp tech Tony Frank. Page described the process and result: “Not only was the volume and tone important but it needed to have enough power to hear the subtlety of various aspects of my guitar playing. I experimented with different amps until hearing about a fellow in the States named Tony Frank, who was modifying Marshall amps. I sent Frank my favourite Marshall, a 1968 Super Bass, and the result was exactly what I was looking for. Frank’s modification enhanced the amp’s power of the dynamic range. This amp became the main amp for live shows as well as the principal amp I would rely on in the studio for all Led Zeppelin records from Zeppelin II onwards.”

The modifications: Tony Frank replaced the stock EL34 tubes with KT88s — the same high-power octal tubes that Leslie West’s Sunn PA head used — which increased the amp’s output from 100 watts to approximately 200 watts and changed the amp’s compression and harmonic character. The KT88 tubes produce a different kind of power tube saturation from EL34s — bigger, with more headroom before clipping and a different harmonic signature when driven.

The Marshall Super Bass (rather than the Super Lead) was specifically chosen because it was “generally considered to be less ‘spiky’ in sound, with a more open low-end that responded well to Page’s favoured Les Paul.” The Super Lead’s brighter, more aggressive character was replaced by the Super Bass’s more open, warmer response — a better partner for the Les Paul’s humbucker warmth.

Vox AC30 and Hiwatt Custom 100

Page used a Vox AC30 briefly in the late 1960s — he was fond of its treble-boosting circuit. For live shows from 1969 to 1971, he used custom-made Hiwatt Custom 100 heads alongside his Marshalls — these were designed to his specific needs with three 12AX7 tubes and one 12AT7 in the preamp section, and four EL34s in the power amp section. The Hiwatts provided enormous clean headroom for the larger venues Zeppelin played.

Orange Amplification announced an endorsement deal in August 1971, with Page using their OR200 (a custom 200-watt model) primarily for his Sonic Wave Theremin in live performance, rather than for his guitar amplification. The guitar amp remained the modified Marshall.

Pedals: The Bow, the Echoplex, and the Tone Bender

The Violin Bow — The Most Distinctive “Effect”

Jimmy Page’s most theatrical and most discussed performance technique — bowing the guitar strings with a cello bow — is not an electronic effect but a physical technique that produces harmonics and drone notes impossible from conventional picking or strumming. He used it in live performances of “Whole Lotta Love,” “Dazed and Confused,” and other songs, creating the otherworldly sustained harmonics heard in the middle section of these songs.

The bow technique produces: very long sustained notes, specific harmonic content that emphasizes upper harmonics over the fundamental, and a drone-like quality that suggests Eastern music traditions. Page’s absorption of Indian classical music — Ravi Shankar’s raga tradition — influenced his use of the bow as a Western approximation of tamboura-style sustained drone.

Maestro Echoplex EP-2 and EP-3 — The Preamp as Much as the Delay

Page used the Maestro Echoplex extensively — initially the EP-2, then transitioning to the EP-3 in June 1972 during the US tour. He would typically have two units on stage — one for his guitar signal, one for the Theremin. The Echoplex’s role was dual: as a tape delay for the iconic echoed guitar passages of “Whole Lotta Love” and “Dazed and Confused,” and as a preamp — he would use the Echoplex’s tube preamp circuit to drive his Marshall’s input harder, giving his tone extra bite and aggression without using the delay function at all.

This dual use — delay device used as a signal booster — echoes the approach documented for other guitarists in this series. The Echoplex’s specific preamp character contributed to the Led Zeppelin guitar tone as much as any setting on the Marshall itself.

Sola Sound Tone Bender — The Session Era Fuzz

Page used a Roger Mayer-built fuzz (loosely based on the Gibson FZ-1 Fuzz Tone but substantially modified) during his session musician days. The Sola Sound Tone Bender — the British fuzz pedal that defined British rock guitar tone of the mid-1960s — also appeared in his arsenal. The Tone Bender’s specific character: a bright, aggressive fuzz with less compression than the American Fuzz Face, suited to the cutting, aggressive lead tones of the British Invasion era.

Vox Grey Wah and Crybaby Wah

Page used both the Vox V846 Wah (the grey wah visible in 1969 photographs) and the Dunlop/Thomas Organ Crybaby Wah. The wah appears on “Whole Lotta Love” (the psychedelic middle section), specific live performances, and various studio recordings. His wah use was expressive rather than mechanical — the pedal following the musical content rather than sweeping in a preset rhythm.

Complete Pedal List

Violin bow — The most distinctive performance technique; sustained harmonics for “Whole Lotta Love” and “Dazed and Confused” live sections
Maestro Echoplex EP-2, then EP-3 — Primary delay and preamp boost; two units live (one guitar, one Theremin)
Sola Sound Tone Bender / Roger Mayer FZ-1 fuzz — Session and Yardbirds era primary fuzz
Vox V846 Wah (grey) — Primary wah 1969-1970; “Whole Lotta Love”
Dunlop Crybaby Wah — Subsequent wah; continued use through Zeppelin
MXR Phase 90 — Phase shifter; later Zeppelin period
Sola Sound Tone Bender Mk II — British fuzz; early career through Zeppelin
Sonic Wave Theremin — The non-contact pitch instrument used in the “Whole Lotta Love” studio section and live cosmic interludes
Orange OR200 amplifier — Used for the Theremin in live performance, not guitar

Strings, Picks & Setup

Strings: Ernie Ball Super Slinky in the 1970s — confirmed in a 1977 Steven Rosen interview. The Super Slinky (.009-.042) gauge gives the specific string tension that suits Page’s playing style — light enough for the aggressive bends and vibrato he employs, heavy enough to drive the PAF humbuckers properly. He also used slightly different gauges for different instruments and tunings across the Zeppelin catalog.

The studio microphone innovations: Page’s most important contributions to rock sound weren’t just his playing but his recording techniques. The distant miking approach on Led Zeppelin IV — placing John Bonham’s drums in Headley Grange’s entrance hall with microphones at distance — produced the specific cavernous sound of “When the Levee Breaks.” His approach to guitar recording: multiple microphones at different distances and angles, blended for specific frequency and spatial character.

The “Jimmy Page wiring” on the Les Paul: Page modified the pickup wiring on his Les Pauls to include push-pull pots that enabled series/parallel switching and phase reversal of the pickups — giving him more tonal variety than the standard Les Paul’s two-volume-two-tone control layout. This modification is now widely available and commonly called “Jimmy Page wiring.”

Playing Style & Tone Philosophy: The Architect and the Improviser

Jimmy Page’s guitar philosophy is the most architecturally sophisticated in the classic rock tradition. He was simultaneously a composer, a producer, and an improviser — using the guitar to construct the sonic environments that Led Zeppelin’s music inhabits rather than simply playing lead lines over chord changes.

The Bow Technique as Philosophy

Using a violin bow on an electric guitar is not a technique you arrive at by conventional progression. It requires the same kind of lateral thinking that produced Led Zeppelin’s entire approach to rock: taking the instrument outside its normal use to discover new sounds, treating the guitar as a tool for any sound rather than as an instrument with a specific vocabulary. The bow is Page’s clearest statement of this philosophy.

The Production Intelligence

Page produced all nine Led Zeppelin studio albums. The specific sonic choices — the acoustic guitar overdubs on “Stairway to Heaven,” the orchestral feel of “Kashmir,” the backwards echo on “Whole Lotta Love,” the ambient recording of “When the Levee Breaks” — were as much his contribution as the guitar parts themselves. He was not just the guitarist; he was the sound of the entire band.

The Eastern Influence

Page’s absorption of Indian classical music (the raga tradition, the drone, the modal melodic approach) is audible throughout Zeppelin’s work — in the drone-based guitar of “Kashmir,” the modal scales of “Friends,” and the sustained drone qualities he created with the violin bow. The Eastern influence gave his playing a harmonic vocabulary that went beyond the pentatonic blues scales most rock guitarists used.

The Session Foundation

His years as a London session musician gave him harmonic knowledge, sight-reading ability, and an understanding of how music is constructed in the studio that most rock guitarists lack. He could think about the guitar’s role in an arrangement, not just the guitar part itself. This produced his approach to orchestration within a rock context — the acoustic and electric guitars not competing but occupying different sonic spaces.

How to Sound Like Jimmy Page

The Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard — specifically a late-1950s Burst or a close approximation. The PAF humbuckers are essential: their specific warm, articulate character is different from later Gibson pickups.

Gibson Les Paul Standard (1958-1960 Burst vintage) — The authentic choice; expensive
Gibson Les Paul Standard (current production with Burstbucker pickups) — The accessible modern approach
Any Les Paul with vintage-style PAF-character humbuckers

The Amp

Marshall Super Lead or Super Bass (100-watt plexi) modified for KT88 tubes. For the debut album sound: a Supro Coronado or similar small tube combo at working volume.

Control	Setting (Marshall)	Notes
Volume (High Treble)	7–8	Not quite dimed; the modified Marshall doesn’t need maximum volume
Presence	6	Moderate; the Les Paul doesn’t need as much presence as a Strat
Treble	7	Present; the Super Bass’s open character needs treble to define notes
Middle	4	Slightly scooped; the KT88s provide midrange warmth without the amp being mid-heavy
Bass	6	Present; the Super Bass’s specific bass response is part of the character

The Essential Effects

Maestro Echoplex (as preamp boost, delay off) — Increase the amp’s drive without a separate overdrive pedal; the Echoplex’s preamp circuit adds bite and warmth
Sola Sound Tone Bender (or equivalent British fuzz) — For the specifically aggressive British fuzz character
Vox Wah — Expressive; not a rhythmic sweep but a musical response

Budget vs Authentic

Budget:

Guitar: Epiphone Les Paul Classic or Standard with upgraded pickups (Burstbucker or equivalent PAF-style)
Amp: Marshall DSL40 or Marshall Origin; Supro 1695T (reissue of the Coronado) for the debut album character
Pedals: Boss DS-1 or ProCo RAT + Boss DD-3 (as Echoplex alternative)

Authentic:

Guitar: 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard (vintage Burst); PAF humbuckers; shaved neck
Amp: 1968 Marshall Super Bass with KT88 tubes (Tony Frank modification) into Marshall 4×12; Supro Coronado for debut album tone
Pedals: Maestro Echoplex EP-3 (as preamp, delay optional) + Sola Sound Tone Bender Mk II + Vox V846 Wah

Influence & Legacy: The Architecture of Hard Rock

Jimmy Page’s influence on guitar playing and on rock music’s sonic architecture is one of the most extensive in this series. As guitarist and producer of Led Zeppelin, he was responsible not just for the guitar parts but for the specific sounds and textures of one of rock’s most influential catalogs. The Les Paul and Marshall combination he adopted for Led Zeppelin II became the foundational equipment choice of hard rock and heavy metal. Every subsequent heavy rock guitarist started from the same starting point.

The documented connections:

Slash — The Les Paul and Marshall combination is Page’s most immediate legacy; Slash’s approach to the instrument is directly descended from Page (#8 in this series)
Tony Iommi — The Birmingham parallel; both Page and Iommi defined the sound of heavy music in the early 1970s from different directions (#12 in this series)
Bert Jansch — Page absorbed Jansch’s fingerpicking vocabulary and Jansch’s “Blackwaterside” arrangement (which appeared as “Black Mountain Side” on the debut without attribution — one of the more complicated relationships between influence and appropriation in this series)
The entire British session musician tradition — His years as a session player gave him the professionalism and musical breadth that most rock guitarists lack
The recording studio as instrument — His production innovations on Led Zeppelin IV and subsequent albums influenced how rock music was recorded for decades

He bought Number One for $1,200 from Joe Walsh. He recorded the debut with a gift Telecaster and a pawn shop amp. He used a violin bow on an electric guitar. He built the sound of Led Zeppelin from session musician professionalism, folk music fingerpicking, Indian classical music drone, and Marshall amplifier power.

The Dragon Telecaster is still in his possession. Number One is worth over a million dollars. “Stairway to Heaven” is still the most-played song in rock radio history.

Tone note: The Supro Coronado on the debut album. A 25-watt combo amp, a gift Telecaster. The recording that redefined what heavy rock could be was made with the most modest possible equipment. Page has described how the Supro’s specific output transformer design contributed to the saturation character that gave the debut its specific tone. The guitar tone that guitarists spent decades trying to replicate with Les Pauls and Marshalls was not made with Les Pauls and Marshalls. It was made with what was available and what Page knew would work. The knowledge was the gear.

He bought the Number One 1959 Les Paul from Joe Walsh for $1,200 at the Fillmore East in 1969. He played “Whole Lotta Love” on it and “that decided it for me.” The debut was recorded with a gift Telecaster and a Supro combo amp — and nobody knew, for decades, that the record they were trying to replicate with Les Pauls and Marshalls wasn’t made with Les Pauls and Marshalls.

The Tony Frank-modified Marshall Super Bass with KT88 tubes. The Maestro Echoplex as preamp as much as delay. The violin bow on electric guitar strings. The Dragon Telecaster still owned, its paint job restored. The Gibson EDS-1275 double neck low-slung for “Stairway.” Ernie Ball Super Slinkys.

“Stairway to Heaven.” “Whole Lotta Love.” “Kashmir.” “Since I’ve Been Loving You.” The sound of the twentieth century’s rock and roll.

He built it from $1,200 and a gift and a pawn shop amp and an idea of what the guitar could do.

For the guitarist who defined the same Les Paul and Marshall vocabulary from a Birmingham angle — simultaneously with Page, in the same era, producing the heaviest guitar sound in history — check our complete guide to Tony Iommi’s guitars and gear.

And for the guitarist whose fingerpicking tradition Page absorbed and whose “Blackwaterside” arrangement became “Black Mountain Side” on the Led Zeppelin debut — the folk guitarist whose acoustic vocabulary runs through everything Page played — don’t miss our complete guide to Bert Jansch’s gear in our companion series of 100 guitarists.

For the guitarist who took the Les Paul and Marshall foundation Page established into the arena rock era as a primary member of the world’s biggest band — check our breakdown of Slash’s complete gear guide at #8 in this series.

FAQ: Jimmy Page Guitars & Gear

What guitar did Jimmy Page use on Led Zeppelin I?

The debut Led Zeppelin album was recorded primarily with a 1958 Fender Telecaster known as the Dragon Telecaster — a gift from Yardbirds bandmate Jeff Beck, custom-painted with a psychedelic dragon design. The amp was a Supro Coronado 1690T combo, approximately 25 watts. This is the guitar and amp combination that produced the tone on “Communication Breakdown,” “Good Times Bad Times,” and “Dazed and Confused” — a combination many guitarists spent years trying to replicate with Les Pauls and Marshalls without knowing the original wasn’t recorded that way. Page still owns the Dragon Telecaster.

How did Jimmy Page get his Number One Les Paul?

He bought it from Joe Walsh at the Fillmore East in early 1969 for approximately $1,200. Walsh had brought the guitar to Lay’s Guitars in Akron, Ohio, and had the neck shaved down before selling it. Walsh recalled: “But again, I just thought he should have a Les Paul for godsakes!” Page played it immediately on Led Zeppelin II for “Whole Lotta Love” and “What Is and What Should Never Be.” He described his reaction: “I played the Les Paul on Whole Lotta Love and What Is and What Should Never Be and that decided it for me: it was definitely going to be the Les Paul from then on.” The guitar is now worth over a million dollars and appeared at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s “Play It Loud” exhibition in 2019.

What amplifier did Jimmy Page use on Led Zeppelin II and onwards?

A 1968 Marshall Super Bass modified by American amp technician Tony Frank. Page described the modification: “I sent Frank my favourite Marshall, a 1968 Super Bass, and the result was exactly what I was looking for. Frank’s modification enhanced the amp’s power of the dynamic range. This amp became the main amp for live shows as well as the principal amp I would rely on in the studio for all Led Zeppelin records from Zeppelin II onwards.” The key modification involved replacing the stock EL34 tubes with KT88 tubes, which increased output from 100 to approximately 200 watts and changed the amp’s compression and harmonic character. The Super Bass (rather than Super Lead) was chosen for its more open, less “spiky” low-end that complemented the Les Paul’s humbucker warmth.

Why did Jimmy Page use a violin bow on guitar?

To produce sustained harmonics and drone-like tones impossible from conventional picking or strumming. Page used a cello bow on his guitar strings in live performances of “Whole Lotta Love,” “Dazed and Confused,” and similar songs, creating the otherworldly sustained harmonics heard in the cosmic middle sections of these songs. The technique produces specific upper harmonics over the fundamental pitch, creating a drone-like quality influenced by Indian classical music traditions. His absorption of Ravi Shankar’s raga tradition and Eastern music philosophy influenced his use of the bow as a Western approximation of sustained drone instruments. It is one of the most theatrical and most technically distinctive performance elements in rock history.

How did Jimmy Page use the Echoplex?

Both as a tape delay and — crucially — as a preamp boost. Page would run his signal through the Echoplex with the delay function off, using only the tube preamp circuit to drive his Marshall’s input harder, giving his tone extra bite and aggression. He described the Echoplex’s dual role: “Aside from its tape delay mode, Page would often use the preamp of the Echoplex to drive the front end of his amps harder, giving his tone extra bite and aggression.” He typically had two Echoplex units on stage — one for his guitar signal and one for his Sonic Wave Theremin. He used the EP-2 model initially, switching to the EP-3 in June 1972 during the US tour, and continued using it through Led Zeppelin’s end and into Page/Plant tours in the 1990s.

What is “Jimmy Page wiring” on a Les Paul?

A series of modifications to the Les Paul’s pickup switching and tone controls that Page used on his personal instruments. The modifications add push-pull potentiometers that enable series/parallel pickup switching (which changes the pickup’s output and tone character), phase reversal (which produces an out-of-phase sound for specific tonal colors), coil-splitting (which converts humbuckers to single-coil mode), and bypass switching. The result is significantly more tonal variety from the Les Paul’s basic two-humbucker configuration. The modification is now widely offered by guitar technicians and available as a kit, and has become one of the most popular Les Paul upgrade modifications.

How do I get Jimmy Page’s Led Zeppelin tone?

For the Led Zeppelin II-onward tone: Gibson Les Paul Standard with PAF-style humbucker pickups (Burstbucker or vintage PAF equivalent). Marshall Super Bass or Super Lead (100-watt plexi, ideally with KT88 tubes) set with Volume 7-8, Presence 6, Treble 7, Middle 4, Bass 6. Maestro Echoplex EP-3 (or equivalent) in the signal chain, used as a preamp boost (delay off). Sola Sound Tone Bender or equivalent British fuzz for drive. Vox wah for expressive passages. For the Led Zeppelin I debut tone: 1958-style Telecaster (bridge single-coil) through a small tube combo (Supro Coronado reissue or Fender Champ equivalent) at working volume — the small amp at moderate-high volume produces the debut’s specific natural saturation character.