torren61
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- May 11, 2010
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In 1995, Gibson USA got together with Jimmy Page to produce a guitar similar to the one he played with the band Led Zeppelin. The production run was from 1995 through 1999.
The guitar was a single cutaway bound mahogany body, AA-figured maple top, 22-fret bound rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid inlay, bound black peghead, gold hardware, Tune-O-Matic bridge/stop tailpiece, cream pickguard with engraved and gold painted "Jimmy Page" signature, a three-way selector toggle, volume and tone knobs are push/pull pots that put the pickups in and out of phase, series or parallel them and make the humbuckers single coil as well, in a Light Honeyburst (LB) finish.
The pickups were standard four conductor 496R and 500T and sound so-so if you ask me. Seymour Duncan makes Page pickups at their Custom Shop for around $300. There are many other winders making Page style pickups as well.
The original manufacturer's price on this guitar was $6300.
The guitar came with a hardshell case with emerald green lining and Jimmy Page signature shroud.
By the end of 1995, Jimmy was not happy with the guitar and sued Gibson to stop production. Rumor has it, only the first 421 guitars were made with the custom shaped neck that Jimmy wanted and that later in the year Gibson went to a standard neck and also changed the color from the Honey Burst to a redder version as is evident in later '95s and up. Gibson denies this and says the necks are the same throughout the production run and that the color variations are due to the fact that all the instruments are hand finished and that variances are bound to occur. Normally, I wouldn't report a rumor, as that is exactly what they are...rumors. This rumor, however, is one that you will hear if you research these guitars. I don't know where or how it started but I have weighed the evidence and in my opinion, I believe Gibson on this one. After many emails to Gibson Customer Support, I have learned that the first 500 made in 1995 came with Grover tuners. Later, the Grover tuner buttons were switched from "kidney bean" style to "tulip" style (Gibson says they were replaced by Kluson tuners but I've seen Grover AND Klusons on the later models) and the fret height was lowered to .038" and a locking nut added to the bridge as per Jimmy's request. Maybe this is where the rumour about the "special" necks and differences in color started. The suit was settled and Gibson continued production.
These guitars are not Custom Shop models but rather are standard Gibson production models even though they are Signature models. They sound good but are not really that special unless you are a "Led Head". The reason I say this is because Gibson really didn't make this guitar an "electronic" duplicate of Jimmy's own Les Paul. They should have gone the extra step and reproduced his pickups as well.
The Great '58/'59 Debate. Was Jimmy Page's Les Paul that he got from Joe Walsh a '58 or a '59? Well, today I had the pleasure of speaking on the phone to Roger Giffin. Roger Giffin ran Gibson's West Coast Custom Shop in 1991 and personally built a Les Paul for Jimmy Page replicated from his #1 (there was a #1 and a #2). This guitar became the prototype for the Jimmy Page Signature Les Paul released in the '90s. Back in 1991, #1 was dated as being built in 1958. However, Roger Giffin told me personally that he recalls the guitar he replicated as being a '59. Now, to tell you the truth, he seemed a bit....well...unclear in his memory. If I had him on the witness stand I would rip him to shreds on that point, but, the man told me he remembers it as being a '59 because "it wasn't as ornate as a '58"...his words. He did tell me (for you '90s JPLP owners) that the pickups he installed on the replica were Gibson '57 classic zebra humbuckers and that the 496R and 500T pickups that came on these sigs were all wrong. So there you have it. Clear as mud. The debate continues.
Update: Gibson has released a new Jimmy Page #2. Here is an excerpt from the Gibson site:
"The 1959 Les Paul that has come to be known as “Number Two” was purchased by Page in 1973 after trying for some time to acquire an exceptional second Les Paul. This was several years after having acquired his other legendary Les Paul—“Number One”, a ’59 ’Burst with shaved-down neck profile and no serial number—from Joe Walsh."
Here is the link to Gibson for the Page #2:
http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Ele...on-Custom/Jimmy-Page-Number-Two-Les-Paul.aspx
In 2004, Gibson went all out. They borrowed Jimmy's original and produced a pilot run of only 26. These guitars were made as historically accurate reproductions, from the electronics to the strings Jimmy used. The Custom Shop sent these guitars to Tom Murphy, who aged them and even added the dents and dings that were on Jimmy's guitar. Jimmy's original was sold to him by Joe Walsh (James Gang, Eagles) and the original Kluson tuners were removed and replaced with Grover tuners. The screw holes of the Kluson and Grovers didn't match up and Tom Murphy even put them in just like Jimmy's guitar. They were then sent home with Jimmy who played, signed and numbered them all. He kept number 1, so there are theoretically 25 more out there. These guitars had a carved maple top, solid mahogany back and one-piece neck, and duplicates Jimmy's original 'Burst, including eliptical neck profile and single push/pull pot. They come with a certificate of authenticity (COA) signed by Jimmy and a display case with a violin bow like the one used by Jimmy most famously on Dazed And Confused. The manufacturer's retail price was $23,669. None of the Custom Shop models come with a Jimmy Page signature stamped pickguard. The inside of the cases are red instead of emerald green like the Gibson USA cases.
The second Custom Shop release was identical to the first except that there were 150 of these guitars produced and none were sent home with Jimmy, though they were all aged by Tom Murphy. Also a 2004-only release. The manufacturer's retail price was $16556.
The third Custom Shop release was the same as the first two but none were sent home with Jimmy and none were aged by Tom Murphy. They are a Custom Authentic version and were manufactered from 2004 to present. The manufacturer's price was $9401.
BTW, 100% mint means that the guitar was never played. Most guitars are going to be 90% and lower condition.
Gibson serial numbers on the original models are deciphered as such: using my guitar's serial number for example...92425417...9= the 9 in 1995...242= 242nd day of the year...5= the 5 in 1995...417= either the 17th or the 417th instrument stamped that day. They were made in Nashville and the stamping refers to ALL instruments stamped that day at that factory (To avoid further confusion I feel like I have to add that there were other instruments made at the Nashville factory, not just JPLPs so if your '95 JPLP is stamped 92425001....it doesn't mean that your guitar is the first JPLP ever manufactured.). The Custom Shop models that Jimmy Page played are numbered 1-25 by hand by Jimmy. The Second Custom Shop Release models are numbered starting with Page...and then the serial number. The other Custom Shop models are numbered starting with the letters JPP.
The guitar was a single cutaway bound mahogany body, AA-figured maple top, 22-fret bound rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid inlay, bound black peghead, gold hardware, Tune-O-Matic bridge/stop tailpiece, cream pickguard with engraved and gold painted "Jimmy Page" signature, a three-way selector toggle, volume and tone knobs are push/pull pots that put the pickups in and out of phase, series or parallel them and make the humbuckers single coil as well, in a Light Honeyburst (LB) finish.
The pickups were standard four conductor 496R and 500T and sound so-so if you ask me. Seymour Duncan makes Page pickups at their Custom Shop for around $300. There are many other winders making Page style pickups as well.
The original manufacturer's price on this guitar was $6300.
The guitar came with a hardshell case with emerald green lining and Jimmy Page signature shroud.
By the end of 1995, Jimmy was not happy with the guitar and sued Gibson to stop production. Rumor has it, only the first 421 guitars were made with the custom shaped neck that Jimmy wanted and that later in the year Gibson went to a standard neck and also changed the color from the Honey Burst to a redder version as is evident in later '95s and up. Gibson denies this and says the necks are the same throughout the production run and that the color variations are due to the fact that all the instruments are hand finished and that variances are bound to occur. Normally, I wouldn't report a rumor, as that is exactly what they are...rumors. This rumor, however, is one that you will hear if you research these guitars. I don't know where or how it started but I have weighed the evidence and in my opinion, I believe Gibson on this one. After many emails to Gibson Customer Support, I have learned that the first 500 made in 1995 came with Grover tuners. Later, the Grover tuner buttons were switched from "kidney bean" style to "tulip" style (Gibson says they were replaced by Kluson tuners but I've seen Grover AND Klusons on the later models) and the fret height was lowered to .038" and a locking nut added to the bridge as per Jimmy's request. Maybe this is where the rumour about the "special" necks and differences in color started. The suit was settled and Gibson continued production.
These guitars are not Custom Shop models but rather are standard Gibson production models even though they are Signature models. They sound good but are not really that special unless you are a "Led Head". The reason I say this is because Gibson really didn't make this guitar an "electronic" duplicate of Jimmy's own Les Paul. They should have gone the extra step and reproduced his pickups as well.
The Great '58/'59 Debate. Was Jimmy Page's Les Paul that he got from Joe Walsh a '58 or a '59? Well, today I had the pleasure of speaking on the phone to Roger Giffin. Roger Giffin ran Gibson's West Coast Custom Shop in 1991 and personally built a Les Paul for Jimmy Page replicated from his #1 (there was a #1 and a #2). This guitar became the prototype for the Jimmy Page Signature Les Paul released in the '90s. Back in 1991, #1 was dated as being built in 1958. However, Roger Giffin told me personally that he recalls the guitar he replicated as being a '59. Now, to tell you the truth, he seemed a bit....well...unclear in his memory. If I had him on the witness stand I would rip him to shreds on that point, but, the man told me he remembers it as being a '59 because "it wasn't as ornate as a '58"...his words. He did tell me (for you '90s JPLP owners) that the pickups he installed on the replica were Gibson '57 classic zebra humbuckers and that the 496R and 500T pickups that came on these sigs were all wrong. So there you have it. Clear as mud. The debate continues.
Update: Gibson has released a new Jimmy Page #2. Here is an excerpt from the Gibson site:
"The 1959 Les Paul that has come to be known as “Number Two” was purchased by Page in 1973 after trying for some time to acquire an exceptional second Les Paul. This was several years after having acquired his other legendary Les Paul—“Number One”, a ’59 ’Burst with shaved-down neck profile and no serial number—from Joe Walsh."
Here is the link to Gibson for the Page #2:
http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Ele...on-Custom/Jimmy-Page-Number-Two-Les-Paul.aspx
In 2004, Gibson went all out. They borrowed Jimmy's original and produced a pilot run of only 26. These guitars were made as historically accurate reproductions, from the electronics to the strings Jimmy used. The Custom Shop sent these guitars to Tom Murphy, who aged them and even added the dents and dings that were on Jimmy's guitar. Jimmy's original was sold to him by Joe Walsh (James Gang, Eagles) and the original Kluson tuners were removed and replaced with Grover tuners. The screw holes of the Kluson and Grovers didn't match up and Tom Murphy even put them in just like Jimmy's guitar. They were then sent home with Jimmy who played, signed and numbered them all. He kept number 1, so there are theoretically 25 more out there. These guitars had a carved maple top, solid mahogany back and one-piece neck, and duplicates Jimmy's original 'Burst, including eliptical neck profile and single push/pull pot. They come with a certificate of authenticity (COA) signed by Jimmy and a display case with a violin bow like the one used by Jimmy most famously on Dazed And Confused. The manufacturer's retail price was $23,669. None of the Custom Shop models come with a Jimmy Page signature stamped pickguard. The inside of the cases are red instead of emerald green like the Gibson USA cases.
The second Custom Shop release was identical to the first except that there were 150 of these guitars produced and none were sent home with Jimmy, though they were all aged by Tom Murphy. Also a 2004-only release. The manufacturer's retail price was $16556.
The third Custom Shop release was the same as the first two but none were sent home with Jimmy and none were aged by Tom Murphy. They are a Custom Authentic version and were manufactered from 2004 to present. The manufacturer's price was $9401.
BTW, 100% mint means that the guitar was never played. Most guitars are going to be 90% and lower condition.
Gibson serial numbers on the original models are deciphered as such: using my guitar's serial number for example...92425417...9= the 9 in 1995...242= 242nd day of the year...5= the 5 in 1995...417= either the 17th or the 417th instrument stamped that day. They were made in Nashville and the stamping refers to ALL instruments stamped that day at that factory (To avoid further confusion I feel like I have to add that there were other instruments made at the Nashville factory, not just JPLPs so if your '95 JPLP is stamped 92425001....it doesn't mean that your guitar is the first JPLP ever manufactured.). The Custom Shop models that Jimmy Page played are numbered 1-25 by hand by Jimmy. The Second Custom Shop Release models are numbered starting with Page...and then the serial number. The other Custom Shop models are numbered starting with the letters JPP.
