Say the name Jimmy Page, and Led Zeppelin fans can practically close their eyes and conjure his image. They see the guitarist’s wavy black hair cascading over his face as he plays scorching solos. Or the Led Zeppelin founder slinging his custom-made double-necked instrument or one of his Gibson Les Paul guitars owned by other musicians first. Though seemingly tied to Gibsons during his Zep career, Page brought in an old friend for his famous “Stairway to Heaven” solo.
Jimmy Page brought in an old friend for his ‘Stairway to Heaven’ solo — his old Fender Telecaster
The custom double-necked guitar we mentioned earlier? Page needed that Gibson EDS-1275 to perform “Stairway to Heaven” live. The build from gentle intro to strummed 12-string fanfare to blistering solo required an instrument that could do it all.
It was a different story in the studio.
The guitarist could pretty much overdub to his heart’s delight while making “Stairway to Heaven” and Led Zeppelin IV. Page played several instruments on the song, including a Harmony acoustic in the intro, two 12-string guitars (a Vox and a Fender) he recorded separately and layered together, and his No. 1 sunburst Les Paul near the end.
For the “Stairway to Heaven” solo, however, Page brought back an old friend — his Fender Telecaster.
The Tele doesn’t have the same powerful pickups as most Gibsons, but Page probably felt a certain amount of comfort reaching for a guitar he had played for years to play a solo he mostly improvised. And as he told Light & Shade author Brad Tolinski, the amp he played the “Stairway to Heaven” solo through (a Marshall) compensated for the Telecaster’s lack of output:
“I had the first phrase worked out, and a link phrase here and there, but on the whole, that solo was improvised. I think I played it through a Marshall.”
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Jimmy Page
Page’s old friend played a part in one of his greatest solos and what some consider Led Zeppelin’s best song. Yet the Telecaster’s Led Zeppelin legacy extends deeper than that.
Page’s Telecaster was his top guitar for years, and he used it on Led Zeppelin I
Not taking a job with the Yardbirds turned (he was offered the lead guitarist gig twice) out to be a smart move for Page for a few reasons:
- He continued his career as a session guitarist and learned recording tricks he used while producing Led Zeppelin’s albums.
- Page delayed the frustration of joining the Yardbirds, who were poorly managed and constantly toured.
- His friend Jeff Beck gave him the Telecaster as a gift for recommending him for the group.
Once Page relented and joined the Yardbirds, he brought the Fender with him. He brought it with him when he formed Led Zeppelin in 1969. He used it on every Led Zeppelin I song except for “You Shook Me.” The bowed guitar parts in “Dazed and Confused” and “How Many More Times,” the punk-like riff of “Communication Breakdown,” and the straight-up blues of “I Can’t Quit You Baby” were all played on the Telecaster.
It’s not hard to imagine an alternate timeline where Page’s old go-to guitar played a bigger role in Led Zeppelin’s music. He left the Telecaster at home during one Led Zeppelin tour only for his housesitter to modify the guitarist’s custom paint job. Page felt like smashing it over the housesitter’s head. He shelved it and turned to his sunburst Les Paul for nearly every task.
Jimmy Page’s old friend showed up for his “Stairway to Heaven” solo — the Fender Telecaster he played on Led Zeppelin’s first record. He later preferred his Gibsons, but the Fender had a major role in some of Zep’s most notable tunes.
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