Stairway to Heaven 4 different sounds on an aged Jimmy Page Les Paul

JimmyAce2006 · 08-15-2009, 05:13 PM

Ok, I mentioned in another thread that I would post this. The playing is not perfect. But you can get a feel for the different sounds on the Page guitar - and all 3 runs from 2004-2006 have the same wiring & pickups. The out of phase (toggle middle position) is an interesting sound. Single coil is not bad either. I am playing through a Marshall JCM 900 100 watt amp (2x12 combo with a Marshall power brake).

This one has the toggle in the up position (rhythm = neck pickup) for a bluesy sound.

YouTube - 1 of 4 Stairway To Heaven solo on an aged Jimmy Page Les Paul rhythm pickup

This one has the toggle in the down position (treble = bridge pickup).

YouTube - 2 of 4 Stairway To Heaven solo on an aged Jimmy Page Les Paul treble pickup

This one has the toggle in the middle position for both pickups. These Page guitars are wired out of phase in that position.

YouTube - 3 of 4 Stairway To Heaven solo on an aged Jimmy Page Les Paul both pickups & out of phase

This one has the toggle in the up position again (treble = bridge pickup), but the push / pull pot is in the up position (single coil).

YouTube - 4 of 4 Stairway To Heaven solo on an aged Jimmy Page Les Paul treble pickup single coil

***Led Zep Fan*** · 08-15-2009, 05:21 PM

Number 4 really sounds the best to my ears!

Nice playing by the way...

JimmyAce2006 · 08-15-2009, 05:26 PM

Thanks!

Texas07R8 · 08-15-2009, 05:40 PM

Very very well done Jimmy. And thank you for the perfect examples of the sounds of a Page. I liked them all actually, I'm sure that had a lot to do with your rendition too mate!
Excellent vibrato you have going there too man.

After listening to them it's easy for me, video 4 with the coil tap going is THE TONE.

It sounded more like the album to me, it was easy to hear the tone difference betwen them as well.

Can I ask how you recorded the audio on this video? Camcorder mic, PA, USB?

aidb · 08-15-2009, 05:40 PM

Agree with LZF. No 4 sounds pretty near the original, recorded, version.

JimmyAce2006 · 08-15-2009, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas07R8

Very very well done Jimmy. And thank you for the perfect examples of the sounds of a Page. I liked them all actually, I'm sure that had a lot to do with your rendition too mate!
Excellent vibrato you have going there too man.

After listening to them it's easy for me, video 4 with the coil tap going is THE TONE.

It sounded more like the album to me, it was easy to hear the tone difference betwen them as well.

Can I ask how you recorded the audio on this video? Camcorder mic, PA, USB?

Thank you for the kind words. My camera, a Canon HG21, has a built in stereo mic.

JimmyAce2006 · 08-15-2009, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas07R8

Very very well done Jimmy. And thank you for the perfect examples of the sounds of a Page. I liked them all actually, I'm sure that had a lot to do with your rendition too mate!
Excellent vibrato you have going there too man.

After listening to them it's easy for me, video 4 with the coil tap going is THE TONE.

It sounded more like the album to me, it was easy to hear the tone difference betwen them as well.

Can I ask how you recorded the audio on this video? Camcorder mic, PA, USB?

Check out my 68 gold top in this link (if you can stand the P90s hum):

Stairway to Heaven solo on a vintage 68 Gold Top and on a vintage 68 Custom

Pooker · 08-15-2009, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aidb

Agree with LZF. No 4 sounds pretty near the original, recorded, version.

Well, being that the Stairway solo was recording with a telecaster, it would make sense that the single coil gets closest to the tone.

Nice playing, BTW

generalwar · 08-15-2009, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pooker

Well, being that the Stairway solo was recording with a telecaster, it would make sense that the single coil gets closest to the tone.

Nice playing, BTW

I thought he used his double neck SG for stairway?

Nice playing Jimmy those solos aren't easy to learn or play..

LongBeach · 08-15-2009, 07:32 PM

2 or 4 for me, its a toss up. great job & thanks for sharing

JPP373 · 08-15-2009, 07:47 PM

Really Cool Post and Thanks for sharing..Which sounds best is subjective obviously. However, No.1 sounds soft..No.2 sounds Awesome and Nails That Haunting Eerie Sound of the Original. No.3 is Flat. No.4 sounds damn close but lacks those aforementioned special sounds. In the end i did want to listen to No. 2 over and over like the Original

***Led Zep Fan*** · 08-15-2009, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by generalwar

I thought he used his double neck SG for stairway?

Nice playing Jimmy those solos aren't easy to learn or play..

He used his Tele and Supro amp in the studio for this solo.

EEF13 · 08-15-2009, 08:33 PM

I really liked 3

qwank · 08-15-2009, 08:35 PM

I think #2 sounds the closest to the original. i think #1 would sound great if you played it like that at a live gig.

Ermghoti · 08-15-2009, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by generalwar

I thought he used his double neck SG for stairway?

Page has indicated that he didn't have a double-neck until after Stairway had been recorded. I think he's said the 6/12 hadn't been offered when the song was written, and that they had put no thought into how the song would be performed live until later.

BOSSRHINO44 · 08-15-2009, 09:12 PM

#4 for sure m8!

freddarl82 · 08-15-2009, 09:26 PM

Yup, I've also read interviews where he said he used a Tele on the Stairway solo. He also recalled using the Tele for most, if not all, of Led Zep I. Sorry if that's blasphemy here on MLP Forums!

But really, if you look at many of the OLD pics (i.e. playing clubs and small venues in Europe in the early days), he's often on a Tele. Also, if you search YouTube for videos of "Ten Years Gone," most of them have him playing a black Tele.

mrpesca · 08-15-2009, 09:36 PM

Wow, I'm going to actually agree with Eef. I liked #3. They all have a slightly different flavor which I guess is the whole point of the coil tapping and push-pull switches. Nice demo. Thanks.

JimmyAce2006 · 08-15-2009, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by generalwar

I thought he used his double neck SG for stairway?

Nice playing Jimmy those solos aren't easy to learn or play..

He did not even own the double neck until after Stairway was recorded. He played that old telecaster that no longer exists (at least not all of it and not in that form). It was the one he hand painted.

JimmyAce2006 · 08-15-2009, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JPP373

Really Cool Post and Thanks for sharing..Which sounds best is subjective obviously. However, No.1 sounds soft..No.2 sounds Awesome and Nails That Haunting Eerie Sound of the Original. No.3 is Flat. No.4 sounds damn close but lacks those aforementioned special sounds. In the end i did want to listen to No. 2 over and over like the Original

Thanks for your input my friend. I prefer #2 as well because it has more punch than #4. I guess the sound of #4 to get a closer tone to the original, but #2 for overall "live" sound. #1 for those moments that you want to change gears & sound bluesy. For this particular song, I don't prefer #3. However, it does sound cool for other songs. Page loves that sound - like Peter Green. You can really hear some twang in that one, especially towards the end.

JimmyAce2006 · 08-15-2009, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freddarl82

Yup, I've also read interviews where he said he used a Tele on the Stairway solo. He also recalled using the Tele for most, if not all, of Led Zep I. Sorry if that's blasphemy here on MLP Forums!

But really, if you look at many of the OLD pics (i.e. playing clubs and small venues in Europe in the early days), he's often on a Tele. Also, if you search YouTube for videos of "Ten Years Gone," most of them have him playing a black Tele.

Yes, on LZ1 his tele was a big one. He bought the 59 #1 Les Paul from Joe Walsh in 1969; They released LZ2 in 1969. It is my understanding that he switched to the Les Paul at that point, although he did use many other guitars as well.

qwank · 08-15-2009, 10:15 PM

yes the tele was used for the solo. an acoustic guitar was used for the intro and first verse, and then the fender 12 for the remainder of it.

in all honesty, he could have gotten away with using #1 to play it live. i think the EDS-1275 just made the whole thing way cooler live.

speaking of which, when are you goingto get one of those signature editions Jimmy?

JimmyAce2006 · 08-15-2009, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by qwank

in all honesty, he could have gotten away with using #1 to play it live. i think the EDS-1275 just made the whole thing way cooler live.

speaking of which, when are you goingto get one of those signature editions Jimmy?

No plans to ever get one of those. Too big and heavy and too many strings to tune and too many knobs!

qwank · 08-15-2009, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyAce2006

No plans to ever get one of those. Too big and heavy and too many strings to tune and too many knobs!

LOL!

oh well. i have the Epiphone version. i love it. the 12 string side sounds great. I'll upgrade to the regular Gibson model later on.

JimmyAce2006 · 08-15-2009, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by qwank

LOL!

oh well. i have the Epiphone version. i love it. the 12 string side sounds great. I'll upgrade to the regular Gibson model later on.

Plus, I don't think I could hang a double neck on my wall (never seen one hanging; always sitting on a stand):

stinger · 08-16-2009, 07:26 AM

I gotta say that I thought #4's tone was best.

kernelofwisdom · 08-16-2009, 09:16 AM

I thought they were all great. But man #2 with the bridge pickup was really awesome. That amp is working for you too How much are you using on the power brake? Doesn't seem like it's pulling the highs off the tone, which is good.

It's rare to get meaningful a/b stuff, so thanks for this and your other videos.

JimmyAce2006 · 08-16-2009, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kernelofwisdom

I thought they were all great. But man #2 with the bridge pickup was really awesome. That amp is working for you too How much are you using on the power brake? Doesn't seem like it's pulling the highs off the tone, which is good.

It's rare to get meaningful a/b stuff, so thanks for this and your other videos.

For recording, I crank up the amp to high settings that will engage all 4 tubes & get that classic Marshall sound, and I knock the volume down with the power brake; I put the volume on 1 on the power brake. It is kind of loud even on 1.

Sunbury les paul man · 08-16-2009, 04:19 PM

Liked em all but 4 was my fav

JimmyAce2006 · 08-17-2009, 12:53 PM

After so much stairway, i think it will be a while before i play it again!

08-15-2009, 05:21 PM	#2 (permalink)
*Led Zep Fan* MLP Anchorman Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bethlehem, PA Posts: 11,932 Thanks: 185 Thanked 278 Times in 115 Posts	Re: Stairway to Heaven 4 different sounds on an aged Jimmy Page Les Paul Number 4 really sounds the best to my ears! Nice playing by the way... __________________

08-15-2009, 05:26 PM	#3 (permalink)
JimmyAce2006 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 3,769 Thanks: 11 Thanked 118 Times in 31 Posts	Re: Stairway to Heaven 4 different sounds on an aged Jimmy Page Les Paul Thanks!

08-15-2009, 05:40 PM	#4 (permalink)
Texas07R8 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 2,289 Thanks: 111 Thanked 71 Times in 16 Posts	Re: Stairway to Heaven 4 different sounds on an aged Jimmy Page Les Paul Very very well done Jimmy. And thank you for the perfect examples of the sounds of a Page. I liked them all actually, I'm sure that had a lot to do with your rendition too mate! Excellent vibrato you have going there too man. After listening to them it's easy for me, video 4 with the coil tap going is THE TONE. It sounded more like the album to me, it was easy to hear the tone difference betwen them as well. Can I ask how you recorded the audio on this video? Camcorder mic, PA, USB?

08-15-2009, 05:40 PM	#5 (permalink)
aidb Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Manchester UK Posts: 220 Thanks: 21 Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post	Re: Stairway to Heaven 4 different sounds on an aged Jimmy Page Les Paul Agree with LZF. No 4 sounds pretty near the original, recorded, version.

08-15-2009, 07:32 PM	#10 (permalink)
LongBeach Premium Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 8,112 Thanks: 8 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Re: Stairway to Heaven 4 different sounds on an aged Jimmy Page Les Paul 2 or 4 for me, its a toss up. great job & thanks for sharing

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08-15-2009, 07:47 PM	#11 (permalink)
JPP373 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 144 Thanks: 0 Thanked 3 Times in 1 Post	Re: Stairway to Heaven 4 different sounds on an aged Jimmy Page Les Paul Really Cool Post and Thanks for sharing..Which sounds best is subjective obviously. However, No.1 sounds soft..No.2 sounds Awesome and Nails That Haunting Eerie Sound of the Original. No.3 is Flat. No.4 sounds damn close but lacks those aforementioned special sounds. In the end i did want to listen to No. 2 over and over like the Original

08-15-2009, 08:33 PM	#13 (permalink)
EEF13 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 4,835 Thanks: 146 Thanked 187 Times in 73 Posts	Re: Stairway to Heaven 4 different sounds on an aged Jimmy Page Les Paul I really liked 3

08-15-2009, 08:35 PM	#14 (permalink)
qwank Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Southern NH Posts: 4,121 Thanks: 19 Thanked 11 Times in 4 Posts	Re: Stairway to Heaven 4 different sounds on an aged Jimmy Page Les Paul I think #2 sounds the closest to the original. i think #1 would sound great if you played it like that at a live gig. __________________ 2009 Ebony Traditional Pro 2009 Satin White Junior

08-15-2009, 09:12 PM	#16 (permalink)
BOSSRHINO44 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: detroit mich Posts: 132 Thanks: 15 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Stairway to Heaven 4 different sounds on an aged Jimmy Page Les Paul #4 for sure m8!

08-15-2009, 09:26 PM	#17 (permalink)
freddarl82 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 145 Thanks: 0 Thanked 5 Times in 2 Posts	Re: Stairway to Heaven 4 different sounds on an aged Jimmy Page Les Paul Yup, I've also read interviews where he said he used a Tele on the Stairway solo. He also recalled using the Tele for most, if not all, of Led Zep I. Sorry if that's blasphemy here on MLP Forums! But really, if you look at many of the OLD pics (i.e. playing clubs and small venues in Europe in the early days), he's often on a Tele. Also, if you search YouTube for videos of "Ten Years Gone," most of them have him playing a black Tele.

08-15-2009, 09:36 PM	#18 (permalink)
mrpesca Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Self Imposed Exile Posts: 3,935 Thanks: 15 Thanked 104 Times in 18 Posts	Re: Stairway to Heaven 4 different sounds on an aged Jimmy Page Les Paul Wow, I'm going to actually agree with Eef. I liked #3. They all have a slightly different flavor which I guess is the whole point of the coil tapping and push-pull switches. Nice demo. Thanks.

08-15-2009, 10:15 PM	#22 (permalink)
qwank Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Southern NH Posts: 4,121 Thanks: 19 Thanked 11 Times in 4 Posts	Re: Stairway to Heaven 4 different sounds on an aged Jimmy Page Les Paul yes the tele was used for the solo. an acoustic guitar was used for the intro and first verse, and then the fender 12 for the remainder of it. in all honesty, he could have gotten away with using #1 to play it live. i think the EDS-1275 just made the whole thing way cooler live. speaking of which, when are you goingto get one of those signature editions Jimmy? __________________ 2009 Ebony Traditional Pro 2009 Satin White Junior

08-16-2009, 07:26 AM	#26 (permalink)
stinger Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: In the bathroom spitting out soap Posts: 1,776 Thanks: 151 Thanked 11 Times in 4 Posts	Re: Stairway to Heaven 4 different sounds on an aged Jimmy Page Les Paul I gotta say that I thought #4's tone was best. __________________ Steve

08-16-2009, 09:16 AM	#27 (permalink)
kernelofwisdom V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 3,994 Thanks: 92 Thanked 141 Times in 32 Posts	Re: Stairway to Heaven 4 different sounds on an aged Jimmy Page Les Paul I thought they were all great. But man #2 with the bridge pickup was really awesome. That amp is working for you too How much are you using on the power brake? Doesn't seem like it's pulling the highs off the tone, which is good. It's rare to get meaningful a/b stuff, so thanks for this and your other videos.

08-16-2009, 04:19 PM	#29 (permalink)
Sunbury les paul man Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: south west London Posts: 193 Thanks: 2 Thanked 5 Times in 3 Posts	Re: Stairway to Heaven 4 different sounds on an aged Jimmy Page Les Paul Liked em all but 4 was my fav __________________ 06 r7 goldtop 09 r9 50th #77 heritage cherry 1980 Black Les Paul Standard Fender CS Strat Pro RW SB Mesa Boogie Lonestar Special

08-17-2009, 12:53 PM	#30 (permalink)
JimmyAce2006 Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 3,769 Thanks: 11 Thanked 118 Times in 31 Posts	Re: Stairway to Heaven 4 different sounds on an aged Jimmy Page Les Paul After so much stairway, i think it will be a while before i play it again!

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