Jimmy Page's amp on Led Zeppelin I...

[Lewguitar]

It's my understanding (could be wrong) that it was a '59 Tele with a top loader (not string through body bridge), with a stock alnico 5 raised polepiece bridge pickup through a Supro Thunderbolt Amp with a Jensen C15N speaker.

THAT amp and Page's amazing talent for microphone placement to pick up on the acoustics of the room the amp was recorded in resulted in the Led Zep I guitar tone. Both close and distant miking was used, from what I understand.

We found some killer Cream and Clapton websites with gear info last week.

What Led Zep websites might any of you know of with detailed info on Page's amp and gear for Led Zep I & II? (my favorite Led Zep album is #1)

Lew

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Jimmy Page's amp on Led Zeppelin I...

It's my understanding that it was a '59 Tele with a top loader (not string through body bridge), with a stock alnico 5 raised polepiece bridge pickup through a Supro Thunderbolt Amp with a Jensen C15N speaker. THAT and Page's amazing talent for microphone placement to pick up on the acoustics of the room the amp was recorded. Both close and distant miking was used, from what I understand.

We found some killer Cream and Clapton websites with gear info last week.

What Led Zep websites might any of you know of with detailed info on Page's amp and gear for Led Zep I & II? (my favorite Led Zep album is #1)

Lew

The 59 Tele is question IS a top loader, Jeff Beck converted it to a string through, but Jimmie played it as a top loader...somewhere I have a vider of Zep and there a few good shots where you can see the string pockets, but you can also see ballends on the back side of the bridge box. I also have an interview with Jimmie about the Supro amp, he said he could not remember the model of the amp but that it had a pair of 6V6 valves and a smaller speaker, he said it was no bigger than a 12...I am sure about the info on the Tele, but NOT the amp...this was an interview, and there could be all kinds of wrong info...that is just wat I have heard. The Tele was Jeff backup during the Yardbirds, and was given to Jimmie as a Thank you for getting Jeff the gig in the Yardbirds, jeff was not fond of the neck, or the steel bridge, or the wiring, and hated the top loader...he made it a string through, but still did not like it. After Jimmie got it, it got stripped and painted with the dragon, and several years later a rodie painted it brown (because he though Jimmie would like better!), later on it got a B bender, and Jimmie still has the guitar today, and Yes it still has that stock raised pole bridge pickup, and the stock wiring (which has the big fat neck pickup with the tone cap). Again, the amp is still unknown...that is just what I have heard about it.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Jimmy Page's amp on Led Zeppelin I...

Thanks! I'm hoping someone will turn us onto a great website with gear details like it happened with the Clapton Humbucker threads last week.

Lew

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Jimmy Page's amp on Led Zeppelin I...

Being a child of the 60's (I was born in 1949 and my musical life began about 1963) there were four albums that defined the birth of heavy rock music for me:

Fresh Cream
Led Zep I
Are You Experienced
Truth

I played those albums to death and at one time could play my way through every song on all of those albums. I just jammed along with them all of my free time.

As far as the Led Zep I album goes, I think I get a good approximation of that tone with my '54 Tele plugged into a MIJ Boss DS-1 set on about 1/2 or less and into either my '58 Fender Deluxe or modded '51 Fender Super amp.

Some kind of nice 20 watt tweed Fender amp from the 50's and a Jensen speaker.

Lew

 

[Thames]

Re: Jimmy Page's amp on Led Zeppelin I...

Aahh.. another very interesting thread on another of my guitar hero.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Jimmy Page's amp on Led Zeppelin I...

Thanks! I'm hoping someone will turn us onto a great website with gear details like it happened with the Clapton Humbucker threads last week.

Lew

me too!!! I would love to know for sure about the amp...

http://www.marcondo.com/marcondo/guitar/lzdc.mpg

here is a clip to the video I was talking about...look close at the Tele...you see both holes for string through as well as ball ends behind the bridge box...which would show that it is a top loader! By the time this was recorded the Tele already had the Dragon paintjob, the Wah Wah is in full use, as well as a killer FUZZTONE!!! Also...check out the WEM amps!!! and Yes...he does pull out the BOW...when you see the BOW for the first time there is a good close up shot of the face of the Tele...and you can see plain as day that it is a string through (this is right around 2 minutes and 50 seconds, and again at 3 minutes and 36 seconds, and right around 5 minutes and 35 seconds start watching and you will see several shots of the string pockets on the back).

Enjoy
The guy who invented fire

Lew, this is for you...I know you will enjoy it!!!

 

[Hoss]

Re: Jimmy Page's amp on Led Zeppelin I...

awesome thread...as i have actually only kind of recently got into Zeppelin...i am continually amazed and i'm becoming a bigger and bigger fan the more i listen to them......!!!!!

 

[Curly]

Re: Jimmy Page's amp on Led Zeppelin I...

as for the Supro, it may be hard to find out exactly what it was:

" The Supro Amp was made in the 50's. This Amp has a wonderful tube sound that just can't be replaced by transistors. It has 4 inputs. A killer reverb (for blues) and rich distortion when pushed. If you canfind one, buy it, they are _very_ rare... Jimmy once told that after an interview where he told he used this type of amp, he was no longer able to buy one !"

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Jimmy Page's amp on Led Zeppelin I...

as for the Supro, it may be hard to find out exactly what it was:

" The Supro Amp was made in the 50's. This Amp has a wonderful tube sound that just can't be replaced by transistors. It has 4 inputs. A killer reverb (for blues) and rich distortion when pushed. If you canfind one, buy it, they are _very_ rare... Jimmy once told that after an interview where he told he used this type of amp, he was no longer able to buy one !"

I think I have read that somewhere else one time...where is that from?

 

[Curly]

Re: Jimmy Page's amp on Led Zeppelin I...

I think I have read that somewhere else one time...where is that from?

I did a search on Yahoo for "Jimmy Page's Telecaster"

the quote is from this page:
jimmy's gear

 

[InstituteOfNoise]

Re: Jimmy Page's amp on Led Zeppelin I...

I was under the impression that the Supro he used was not the version with the 1x15, but the one that had dual 6x9 speakers. That is the one that was modeled on the Line 6 PODxt. Somewhere I heard their sources came up with that model and why it was chosen to be modeled.

 

[brianwenz]

Re: Jimmy Page's amp on Led Zeppelin I...

Hello Hello--
The fuzz that he used with the Yardbirds and Led Zep I and [most of[ II was a Sola Sound Tonebender MK II Pro.
Brian.

 

[mrid]

Re: Jimmy Page's amp on Led Zeppelin I...

http://www.marcondo.com/marcondo/guitar/lzdc.mpg

You, sir, made my day.

 

[brianwenz]

Re: Jimmy Page's amp on Led Zeppelin I...

Hello Hello--
Yeah, good clip......it's from the Supershow '69 in England [actually made in '70, I think..]. It's got alot of very interesting bands on it. Some of the music is GREAT and some of it is .......eerrmmmmmmmmmmm....well.........interesting. Well worth having, though!
Too bad that Eddie Phillips [from The Creation] never got the credit he deserves for starting the violin bow thing...
Brian.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Jimmy Page's amp on Led Zeppelin I...

You, sir, made my day.

Is that not amazing!!!???!!!