Legendary Tone: Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin

Legendary Tone

Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin

Jimmy Page is another one of my all-time favorite guitar players. Like Gilmour, his tone and technique make his playing instantly recognizable. Achieving a similar tone to Jimmy's is not quite as difficult as Gilmour's.

As far as Page's guitar, he is an exclusive Gibson Les Paul player. Compared to the Fender Stratocaster, Les Pauls have a thicker and heavier tone perfect for heavier guitar riffs, solos etc. Although he plays many guitars, he is known for his Gibson Sunburst Custom Les Paul.

Jimmy Page Custom Les Paul

When it came to amplification, Jimmy Page is widely known for using a Marshall SLP-1959 live. He also used Orange, Vox and Hiwatt as well. What he used in the studio was all circumstantial, however a good vintage Marshall stack will absolutely capture his amp tones(especially when playing live). Marshall Amps are great for that classic crunchy, dirty overdrive/distortion sound. Unlike Gilmour, Page uses his amp for his overdrive/distortion tones.

Marshall SLP-1959 100-watt Head

While Page mainly used his amps to achieve overdrive/distortion, when he wanted a little more bite for a lead part or solo he would often incorporate a fuzz or fuzz-distortion pedal. Colorsound(Sola Sound at the time) made him a custom pedal exclusively at first for him alone before they became a well sought after commodity. This pedal was the Sola Sound Tone Bender, which still available to purchase even today.

Colorsound(Sola Sound) Tone Bender

 Jimmy wasn't known for using a lot of delay in his tone, however he did incorporate delay, especially in live settings. His main echo unit was the Maestro Echoplex. The TC Flashback (mentioned in my post about David Gilmour) will achieve a similar type of delay.

Maestro Echoplex

Modulation was used used sparingly but was definitely recognizable when engaged. His main modulation effect was the MXR Phase 90 (also previously mentioned in my last post). It was heard on songs such as 'Ten Years Gone'.

MXR Script Issue Phase 90

The last effects pedal I want to mention is the MXR Blue Box. Page didn't use this very often but when he did(on songs like 'Fool In The Rain') it was very recognizable. However the block model, like most new pedals, doesn't quite sound the same. The script model is closer to the original. The sound is a mix of fuzz and octave. It is a very unique effect but can sound incredible when engaged properly.

MXR Script Blue Box