Jimmy Page Guitar -[ List of Led Zeppelin Guitars, Amps, Pedals & Gear ]-

Each Jimmy Page guitar is iconic and has helped shape modern rock as we know it. There are not many guitarists whose style and influence can be felt through so many generations of musicians. Widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Jimmy Page and his iconic guitar work have single-handedly helped shape the world of rock guitar into what we know it as today.

Born in 1944 in Middlesex, England. Jimmy began his musical career as a session musician until joining ‘The Yardbirds’ in 1966. Then in 1968 Page would switch out the lineup and rename the group to ‘Led Zeppelin’.

Led Zeppelin would go on to become one of the biggest heavy rock bands to ever exist. Garnering six, number-one selling albums, a staggering amount of awards and in 1995, an induction into the prestigious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Equally as interesting as the legendary guitarists’ career are the guitars he used. To many, the iconic player is synonymous with the Gibson Les Paul. While he certainly has had a long-standing relationship with Gibson, releasing several signature models (some of which would sell for $26,000!).

He has also used many unique and interesting guitars throughout his career. From the wild double-neck guitar to the progressive Roland G-707 guitar modeler.

Let’s take an in-depth look at the guitars Jimmy used throughout his career to father the world of rock guitar.

Full List of Jimmy Page’s Guitars & Gear

Here is a complete list of Jimmy Page’s guitars that he used to record every Led Zeppelin album, play on tour, and display on the guitar magazine covers.

Jimmy Page’s Electric Guitars

1950s Futurama/Grazioso

This is where it all began. These Czechoslovakian produced guitars were a common sight in England during the 50s and early 60s due to a trade embargo. Banning the importing of American guitar brands such as Fender and Gibson into the UK.

It’s said that the company actually built this guitar based on a Stratocaster they had imported. Essentially making it England’s reasonably priced alternative to the then difficult to obtain Fender Stratocaster.

Jimmy obtained the guitar, a 1959 Futurama at the age of 12 after finding it at his home. Unsure whether it was left there by the previous occupants or by a friend of the family.

He used this through the early ’60s on his session work until swapping to the Telecaster and Les Paul.

The guitar, while initially named ‘Futurama’ had the name ‘Grazioso’ on the headstock and ‘Resonet’ on the upper part of the pickguard. And as such, it would commonly be referred to as the ‘Resonet Grazioso’.

The similarities it shared with a traditional Fender Stratocaster are obvious. It featured a similar sunburst finish. 22 frets, 3 single-coil pickups and a floating bridge with a whammy bar.

The one thing that sets it apart significantly from a traditional Stratocaster is the pickup switching system. Instead of having a 3-way toggle switch it actually had 3 depressible buttons situated underneath the middle and neck pickup.

Arguably more convenient than a traditional blade switch but perhaps considered quite garish by today’s aesthetic standards of guitar.

1959 Fender Telecaster

To fully understand the significance of this guitar we first need to cover a little history on how it first came into his possession.

Jimmy had initially been given the offer to join The Yardbirds back in 1965 after Eric Clapton had announced his departure. However, Jimmy, already satisfied with his blossoming career as a session musician turned down the offer. Recommending Jeff Beck in his stead.

Jimmy would then, of course, go on to join the Yardbirds in 1966. Then later when Jeff Beck eventually left the band he gifted the guitar to Page.

Jeff Beck, being a very notable musician himself means some truly great hands has graced this guitar.

Jimmy Page during The Making of Jimmy Page’s Dragon Telecaster had this to say about the gift:
”Jeff Beck having it and passing it onto me with such good spirit.” ”It’s got a lot of love in it, in the gesture.”

Originally Jimmy had glued eight mirrored circles onto the guitar in homage to Syd Barrett of Pink Floyds’ Fender Esquire.

He then later stripped the guitar down and hand-painted a red dragon on it. Which is why it is often affectionately referred to as the ‘Dragon Telecaster’.

Jimmy used this guitar to record the majority of Led Zeppelin 1 as well as the iconic solo to Stairway to Heaven. This was his main guitar up to around 1969 when he started to gravitate towards the Les Paul style guitars.

1960 Gibson Les Paul Custom

One of the most visually striking guitars Jimmy has used. Also known as the ‘Black Beauty’ and Iconic to such a degree that even non-guitarists could see it on a magazine cover and identify it with Jimmy Page.

Easily recognizable for its triple humbucker configuration along with a Bigsby tremolo bridge. Featuring visually striking gold hardware to contrast the black, Rotomatics tuners and PAF pickups.

One of the most unique things about the guitar is the pickup switching system Jimmy had installed. In order to fully utilize the 3 humbuckers this guitar actually had 3 individual toggle switches installed. This enabled Jimmy to switch each pickup on/off and use them in any combination he could desire.

This made the guitar incredibly versatile in terms of the tones it could access.

Due to this versatility, Jimmy would use this guitar for a lot of his session work during the ’60s. It was also used on the well-known song ‘Whole Lotta Love’.

Originally purchased in 1962. This guitar was unfortunately stolen in 1970 during a Led Zeppelin tour. Astonishingly it was actually recovered over 45 years later around 2015.

In 2008 Gibson produced a limited run of 500 tribute models based on this guitar. Jimmy signed 25 of them and they featured a newly designed switching system to enable it to have the same kind of tonal versatility as the original.

1961 Danelectro 3021/DC59

The Danelectro was actually a budget guitar that was quite common throughout England around the early 60s’. Available from simple mail order catalogs and designed for the average consumer. It proves that Jimmy could take any guitar, regardless of prestige and make it sound fantastic.

Originally purchased in 1965. The Danelectro is a semi-hollow guitar with a masonite body and poplar center. It also featured a unique pickguard shape that curved around the body giving it a distinct fluid feel to the aesthetic. Jimmy would later have a Quan Badass Bridge installed in the 1980s.

Jimmy used this guitar in the unique DADGAD tuning. This tuning, combined with the sonic palette of the semi-hollow guitar and lipstick style alnico single coil pickups produced a distinct sound with a striking ambiance that Jimmy utilized very well. This specific tone played pivotal roles in shaping the sound design of the songs they were used on.

The guitar was used heavily live but also a little in the studio too. Most famous for its use on ‘Kashmir’, ‘White Summer’ and ‘Black Mountain Side’. Jimmy was first seen using this guitar as early as 1968 when he was still a band member of the Yardbirds.

1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard “Number One”

Without a doubt one of the most notable Les Pauls to ever exist. Jimmy’s 1959 Les Paul Standard, also known as ‘Number One’ was originally sold to Jimmy by Joe Walsh of James Gang in 1969.

During its previous ownership, a couple of modifications had been made to the guitar. The back of the neck had been shaved down so it was thinner than other Les Pauls. This was something Jimmy liked the feel of a lot and would be reflected in the future reissues of the guitar. The Kluson cream tuners were also swapped out for gold Grover tuners.

There were also modifications made to the electronics. One of the knobs was removed and a push-pull knob was installed – this was previously thought to inverse the phase of the pickup for additional tonal options.

However, when the Gibson custom shop workers visited Jimmy’s home to analyze the guitar in order to reproduce it for Gibsons reissue. It was discovered that this was actually a coil-split feature.

This allowed the guitar to have a wide variety of tonal options making it ideal as Jimmy’s main guitar. He liked it so much he mostly gravitated to this over the famed ‘Dragon Telecaster’.

This guitar was reproduced in 2004 with a limited run of 150 models, and much like the Black Beauty reissue 25 were signed by Page himself.

1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard “Number Two”

This was Jimmy’s second 1959 Les Paul. First seen used by Page in 1975 even though it had been purchased a few years prior in 1973.

Clearly very content with the tonal options and feel of his ‘number one’, he had the number two replicate some of the features of his main Les Paul guitar.

The back of the neck was similarly shaved down in order to provide the same feel and playability.

This guitar had something very unique added to it that the ‘number one’ did not. You will rarely see this on a modern guitar unless it’s done specifically to replicate what Jimmy had installed.

Underneath the white scratchplate, there were 2 buttons installed that would swap the phase for each of the pickups. That, combined with the fact that Jimmy had 4 push/pull knobs installed in order to coil-split each pickup, meant that this guitar was an absolute force in terms of its tonal possibilities and boasted an incredible amount of versatility.

Jimmy primarily used this guitar in DADGAD tuning for songs like Kashmir. He would also play the strings with a violin bow for songs like Moby Dick and Over the Hills and Far Away.

1969-70 Gibson Les Paul “Number Three”

Jimmy’s ‘number three’ is actually a 1969 Gibson Les Paul deluxe.

It’s not known exactly when this guitar came into Jimmy’s possession. But he was first seen using it on stage around 1970.

It’s widely thought that the guitar was originally a gold top that had been repainted to a stunning red finish.

Additionally, as the guitar started to be seen on stage soon after the original black Gibson Custom (aka the Black Beauty) had been tragically stolen. One might be led to believe that this may have been purchased as a direct replacement for that guitar.

It was used a little bit through the ’70s until Jimmy had a B-Bender installed on the guitar. Then it became far more commonly used.

The B-Bender itself is a very unique piece of hardware that allowed to you bend the B string up by tugging down on the guitar, which moved the tuning peg of the guitar which the strap was attached to. This would, in turn, pull a mechanism up raising the pitch of only the B string.

Quite a difficult mechanic to utilize on the guitar effectively, but one that Jimmy used and explored very creatively. Some of the phrasing that can be achieved when using a B-Bender is truly fantastic.

1965 Fender Electric XII

One of the more ‘out there’ (but still fantastic!) looking guitars in Jimmy Page’s collection.

The Fender Electric XII is, as the name might suggest. A 12-string electric guitar.

A few points to note on the visual side are that the body is actually more reminiscent of a Fender Jazzmaster or Jaguar than a traditional Stratocaster. The headstock was also nicknamed the ‘hockey-stick’ headstock for the obvious reason of it looking exactly like a hockey stick.

The guitar also featured individual saddles for proper intonation as well as 2 single-coil pickups.

The Fender Electric XII did not sell especially well and was taken out of production by 1969. The rarity combined with the fact it was used by Jimmy perhaps created an allure and small market for the guitar and as such Fender unexpectedly reintroduced the guitar in 2019 as one part of a limited catalog.

Jimmy primarily played this guitar for 12-string parts on songs like ‘Stairway to Heaven’, ‘When the Levee Breaks’ and ‘The Song Remains The Same’.

1970s Gibson EDS-1275 Doubleneck

Hard-pressed will you be to exist in the world of guitar without having seen this iconic beast.

This double-necked guitar is a 12 string combined with a 6 string guitar that has an overall SG shape and vibe.

This combination allowed Jimmy to play songs that required the use of both the 12-string and a 6 string without the need to swap guitars mid-set/song when playing live.

The most notable use of it would be for Stairway to Heaven, which was incidentally the song he was first seen playing it on during a show in 1971, Ireland.

The EDS-1275 was recommended to Jimmy by Gibson when he was searching for a solution to switching guitars constantly mid-show. This was the recommendation they gave to him.

However at the time, the guitar was out of production. So the one Jimmy used was actually a custom build made specifically for him. While still sharing the majority of features the body shape and woods are slightly different from the original production model a regular consumer would have been able to purchase.

1967 Vox Phantom XII 12 String

The Vox Phantom is a visually striking guitar that has the most unique body shapes I’ve ever seen.

Manufactured in England by the Jennings Company in 1962.

The guitar features 22 frets along with 3 single-coil pickups. The guitar is available with a Bigsby-style arm, which was unusual (possibly even a first) for a 12 string back then.

It also featured a rotary pickup selector, which was also quite uncommon when compared to the Fender/Gibson style selectors.

Rather uniquely this guitar has a solid black finish with a white pickguard that spans almost the entire area of the body making it more of an aesthetic feature than a purely functional element.

Jimmy originally obtained this guitar in 1967 and used it pretty extensively in his band prior to Led Zeppelin ‘The Yardbirds’.

You can hear Jimmy use this guitar on the Yardbirds album ‘Little Games’ and with Zeppelin on “Livin’ Lovin’ Maid” as well as the rhythm track for ‘Thank You’.

1964 Fender Stratocaster

While Jimmy is primarily known for his use of the Les Paul and of course his ‘Dragon Telecaster’.

Jimmy also used a 1964 Fender Stratocaster. While not necessarily something he is synonymous with he has put the Strat to very good use during his career.

This guitar was actually sold to Jimmy by a user of the Les Paul Forums and he has been quite open in talking about his interaction with Jimmy. He had this to say about the guitar in question:

One thing that always impressed me about that particular strat, aside from it being light and well balanced, was the pickups, even through a TR, they had that sizzle.

This Stratocaster in particular, featured a Lake Placid Blue finish.
It was predominantly stock, but the neck is quite a bit larger than some of the earlier Stratocaster models. You might refer to it as being more C shaped than D shape with the taper of the neck becoming slightly thicker as it goes towards the body.

He was first seen using this on the Earls Court concert tour and would be seen multiple times on subsequent live shows such as Knebworth and the ‘Tour Over Europe’.

In addition to its live use, this Stratocaster was also used on various studio recordings such as ‘In Through the Out Door’.

1953 Fender Telecaster

Robb Lawerence originally sold this guitar to Jimmy in 1975. But Jimmy wouldn’t be seen using it until around 1977 on Zeppelins’ USA tour.

Even through his heavy use of the Les Paul and more exotic guitars. The Telecaster has always been a prominent part of his collection and fulfilled a tonal requirement that only a Telecaster could.

Originally this guitar featured a maple neck. But Jimmy actually had it swapped out with the rosewood neck from his 1959 telecaster that he used in the Yardbirds and on Led Zeppelin 1 (the Dragon one).

It’s said that this neck was swapped back and forth multiple times before he settles on the rosewood neck, perhaps there was a familiarity about it or maybe it was simply the best neck and felt the most comfortable to play.

He also had a B-Bender installed on the guitar much like his Les Paul number 3.

The color of the guitar is known as ‘Botswana brown’ due to the body being repainted from its original production color.

Jimmy used this guitar as his main when playing with The Firm, on the 1983 ARMS tour and in 1984 with Roy Harper during his English Festival shows.

1990s Gibson Les Paul TransPerformance

The Gibson Les Paul TransPerformance has always been a polarizing guitar system. With some lamenting Gibsons strides towards more modern and cutting edge technology – while others happily embracing it.

Jimmy was obviously not one to get hung up on these things, as he actually owned 3 guitars with TransPerformance systems installed. In fact, he was the first artist to endorse the controversial system, noting that the technology ”allows you to store over a hundred different tunings. That opens all kinds of possibilities.”

The most notable of Jimmy’s’ TransPerformance guitars is a gold top Les Paul from the early 1990s.

He also has a second TransPerformance equipped Les Paul ‘standard premium’ in wine red which was used on the 1998-99 tour with Robert Plant.

The third of his TransPerformance guitars was affectionately named ‘Pepto Bismol’ due to its pinkish finish. This guitar was later traded back to TransPerformance for another one, which he named as ‘Eerie Dess’ because of the crackled dark red finish.

Jimmy would be seen using this to play the legendary Kashmir on the 1994 live album ‘No Quarter’ as well as some additional live shows such as the 1993 Coverdale-Page tour, the 1995 Page-Plant tour and the 2007 Led Zeppelin reunion at London’s’ 02 arena.

Jimmy Page’s Acoustic Guitars

Martin D-28

The Martin D-28 is a 6 string dreadnought style acoustic guitar and one of Jimmy’s’ main go-to acoustics.

First seen using it in June 1970 at the Bath Blues and Progressive Music festival.

Jim also acquired second Martin D-28, which he used for the 1977 US tour.

Both guitars are made from East Indian rosewood for the body; with a Sitka spruce top along plus an ebony bridge and fretboard. These were standard production models and not custom built for Jimmy.

Jimmy would use a small white star placed on the pickguard to differentiate between the original one (which would be kept in standard tuning) and his newer one to avoid accidentally picking up the wrong guitar, as they were visually similar.

Around 1973 Jimmy had put a Barcus Berry 1355 transducer and pre-amp into the guitar which enabled it to feed directly to the front of house during shows. Removing the need to have a microphone in front of the guitar, which would free up the players’ movement and increase the audio consistency.

Jimmy said that the tone this produced was better than the traditional way of micing up an acoustic guitar.

1963 Gibson J-200

Technically this wasn’t one of Jimmy’s guitars, as he didn’t actually own it. It was borrowed from his good friend Big Jim Sullivan when he was in need of an acoustic guitar to use on the first Led Zeppelin album.

Jimmy Page has said that he has never found an acoustic guitar of such high quality anywhere since. That its playability and sound were some of the best he had ever heard.

A very substantial compliment indeed to come from a guitarist who would have access to basically any guitar he could possibly desire.

As mentioned above he used this during the recording of Led Zeppelin 1. The guitar can also be seen being used during his performance on the Julie Felix show where he actually played alongside Big Jim, who originally lent him the guitar.

Unfortunately, the guitar was stolen at some point and, unlike the Black Beauty, has yet to be recovered.

Giannini GWSCRA12-P Craviola

The Giannini Craviola was manufactured in Brazil sometime in the early ’70s. The company, Giannini, was originally founded in 1900. Making it one of the longest-running guitar manufacturers to still be producing guitars.

It’s a 12 string acoustic featuring a very unusual body shape that, while slightly odd-looking, did provide a noticeable benefit in terms of comfort due to the exaggerated contours specifically designed to fit with the human body.

The guitar was constructed with rosewood sides, a Sitka spruce top and also featured gold plated tuners.

Jimmy originally received a 6-string version of the Craviola; later requesting a 12-string version which he received as a gift from the company themselves during his visit to Rio de Janeiro.

Jimmy is best known for playing this on ‘Tangerine’ from Led Zeppelin’s third album.

It has also been seen on stage for a couple of live performances but is not one of his main ‘go-to’ guitars.

Harmony Sovereign H-1260

The Harmony Sovereign is a surprisingly affordable guitar to be used by a guitarist as prestigious as jimmy. It can still be found on online trading websites for as little as $500.

When asked why he used such a modest guitar to record an album as iconic as Led Zeppelin III Page had this to say about it:

“That’s the guitar that I had. Martins weren’t readily available in England back then. Gibson acoustics were starting to appear, but they were quite a lot of money, and I was quite happy playing my Harmony.

“Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You,” “Ramble On,” “Friends” and even “Stairway to Heaven” were arranged on that guitar. I didn’t get my Martin until after the fourth album was released. I used the Harmony all the way through, really.”

Yet another example of how Page can take an affordable guitar and do great things with it.

Page doesn’t remember exactly when he acquired the guitar but he believes it was purchased at a local music shop around the time of the Yardbirds.

He played this guitar on the Led Zeppelin III studio recording as well as on tour during 1971 and 1972.

Jimmy Page Guitars