Getting my second guitar + jimmy page

[zeppelin4ever]

Well I have been taking lessons and playing for just over a year now. Right now I have a Squier affinity stratocaster with a 15watt Fender frontman amp. Anyone have suggestions on what that second guitar could be? I want to get a goood Jimmy PAge Zeppelin sound. So I'm thinking about an epiphone Les paul with a marshall. Or should I get an SG? I don't think I can get a gibson so if anyone knows what guitars could come close to sounding like Jimmy Page along with what amps I would really appreciate it. Also what size amp would be good I want something bigger than 15watts because I plan on playing with a drummer but I don't play live shows or anything.

I also hear I can replace pickups on an Epiphone to get a good sound.

PLZ help!

[elcid]

Early Led Zepplin was alot of Telecaster.

[David McCarroll]

Originally Posted by elcid

Early Led Zepplin was alot of Telecaster.

Just so! In fact, the solo in Stairway to Heaven is exactly that - Telecaster through an ancient Supro tube amp.

Half the secret to guys like Page's sound is that he played super loud, but not with a lot of gain - there's a bit of amp overdrive, although it tends to be as much output tube saturation rather than preamp overdrive, which is more "fuzzy" - a nice Tele through something like a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (not a lot of watts - so you can keep the pre-amp gain down and just crank the volume) should come as close as a relatively sensible budget allows you to get to early Zep tones - Page was also the gun session player in the UK in the early sixties, so he had monster chops - that you only get through playing yer ass off!!!

Happy Tone Hunting!

David McCarroll

[thebigugly]

Yes you can replace Epiphone pups and get a great sound. I used to do that to all my LP and SG guitars. Why pay $2000+ for a good guitar when you can get a mediocre sounding guitar for less than a grand, great pups for less than 200 bucks and have a GREAT guitar for half the price? My new pride and joy is the Ibanez SZ. It is every bit as cool as the more expensive guitars and rings in at around $500 or so. May i recommend you stop by the Ibanez shop for some SZ loving before you make your final deision.

[red5]

Originally Posted by elcid

Early Led Zepplin was alot of Telecaster.

The entire first album was a telecaster and supro. But it did sound like a Les Paul. The second album was mostly a Les Paul and an AC30 with some Marshalls, and mostly Marshalls from that point on. If you want to get the most accurate Led Zeppelin tone than you need a Les Paul with PAFs and a Major or AC30, but regardless any Les Paul with alnico magnet pickups through any older Marshall will do a very good Led Zeppelin-ish tone. I have a Studio 15 which does a decent Led Zeppelin tone with a Les Paul with 498T/490R pickups.

I actually bought my AC30 for similiar reasons. I happened to buy a Marshall Major years later and I later learned that Jimmy Page used to use one of those as well (either a '69 or '70 too, go figure).

Watch out with Epiphones though. Some of them won't stay in tune long enough that you can even tune it, I'm serious. Some of them aren't all that bad though.

[rgr]

The Edwards Les Pauls are really nice for the price. They play pretty much like a real LP for a lot less $. Most of them come stock with Duncan pickups too. To get one new, you have to get it shipped from Japan which costs $125 or so, they are such blatant copies that can't be sold in the US. But, I've seen some used ones on de bay in the US for pretty good prices and reasonable shipping. I have a black Custom John Sykes model and it is sweet, plays as well as my old LP Custom did, and sounds as good or better.

As far as amps, the Peavey ValveKing and the Randall Tube Series are good deals on all tube amps and will be loud enough to hang with a drummer.

[ScottB]

Here's a great bang-for-the-buck suggestion:

Used Gibson LP Studio or SG - $600
Used Peavey Classic 30 + Celestion 12" - $400

Pro sounding Zep tone for $1000.

[Earthrug]

If it were me, I would go for a LIVE page tone. I have seen plenty of pic's from him in the 70's sporting his Les paul, Marshall along with a Wah and an MXR phase shifter. He prol had some kind of echo device also. A big part of Page's tone dynamics/colors/ shades(imo) came from his hot rodded pickups. He could get a number of dif pickup combos from that paul for creating plenty of "tone" variation. On a "budget", I recomend these pcs.....

1. GUITAR. Used les paul-Eppie LP or Gibby studio if you can get a deal(or similar). Throw in some push pull pots and pickups that can be wired up for single/hum/series/paralell/ in and out of phase. You may even be able to get a wireing diagram of page's configuration online or from someone who owns a LP Page model.

2. AMP. Screamjem7's suggestion of a Classic 30 is a good one and I agree. It sports the EL84 which I believe are found in some VOX amps . The EL84 is also like the little brother of the EL34 so its gonna be Marshally. BUY a used PV 30. The speaker change would bring the amp up to another level, but I have played through a few PV classic 30's at GIG volumes and the stock speaker works decent. The PV has a nice Rock N' Roll gain going for it. You can get some smoking "classic" rock tones with the PV.

3. For pedals you prol should at least get a Wah. Page had alot of that "notch filter" stuff going on with his live tone. Again its just a way to get dif dynamics and tones/ shades out of a simple system.

4. I would recomend using light guage strings like 9 guage. I have read a few articles/ interviews about/ with page and he is always mentioning using light guage strings. Not only that, but I think 9' guage give you a bit more loosness and "slur" when playing. Page def' has loosness and "slur" in his playing (imo)

[red5]

A Blues Jr or a Classic 30 should do Zeppelin tones nicely.