jimmy page guitar mod?

[audiothings]

hi

I am no virtuoso, but I have added value to my AE gigs as one who can make some decent sounds from a guitar. So I have an old les paul copy guitar that feels really good to me, but the electronics need an overhaul. I was thinking of the Jimmy Page Guitar mod.... seems like it would add a LOT of versatility, particularly useful for one who does'nt own a lot of guitars. You can split coils for single coil sounds, reverse phase of one of the pickups, and alternate between series and parallel settings...

does anybody want to caution or encourage me to do this?

thanks...

[methmetal]

I have a custom Les Paul type guitar set up in this manner. It is very cool. This type of wiring gives one a lot of tone options.

If you are going to do it yourself, I hope you are very good at soldering and following directions. It is not that hard to do if you are good at those two things. If not, then let someone else do it for you.

I hope this helped. Good luck on this project.......peace.

[peeder]

I have to go down there anyway...I'll stop by and try it out. Thanks for the tip.

[rob S]

i've mentioned this in another thread but the fralin unbuckers ae really good for the
tapping scenario.
they are unbalanced humbuckers like old PAF's.
for example if the pickup is 8k, one coil is 5k the other is 3k.
when you tap it you are using the 5k coil which actually sounds good.
most cases other humbuckers that are tapped sound kind of wimpy for the single coil sound because they are using for the prpose of this example two 4k coils.
anyways, its worth checking out.
i got a set up like this in one of my gibsons and it works real good.
yadda yadda yadda

[FFTT]

I'd love to try something like this on my Ibanez AF105NT.

The stock sounds are O.K. but this is one great playing guitar and
worth modding eventually.

[img]******//www.gearslutz.com/board/attachments/guitar-bass-amps-etc/32297d1173175968-laminated-vs-solid-wood-electric-guitars-ibanez-af105ntweb.jpg[/img]

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by audiothings

I was thinking of the Jimmy Page Guitar mod.... seems like it would add a LOT of versatility, particularly useful for one who does'nt own a lot of guitars. You can split coils for single coil sounds, reverse phase of one of the pickups, and alternate between series and parallel settings...

does anybody want to caution or encourage me to do this?

Over the past 30 years or so I have played three different Les Pauls that were equipped with coil splitters, a phase switch, & series/parallel switches (though I must admit, this is the first time I heard this setup referred to as the "Jimmy Page Guitar Mod").

In all three cases, the best sounds that came out of those guitars were when you defeated all the mods and used them like a stock Les Paul.

Yeah, it does make sense intuitively that all those tonal options would be an asset, expanding the timbral palette of an already good sounding guitar. But in practice, they never yielded anything remotely good sounding. All those variations sounded thin, weedy, without any balls or sustain, just kinda plastic-y and pathetic sounding.

...oh wait, now I understand why it's named after Jimmy Page!

[rob S]

i agree with you to some degree.
not the part about page but if you want a strat use a strat don't try to make your les paul sound like one.
with that being said if you're trying to have a swiss army knife for a live situation
thats a different story.
its just opinions.........

[FFTT]

Maybe if I go for a mod on the electronics, it'll make me sound like this guy.

YouTube - Johnny Winter - It's My Own Fault Solo by Johnny Tsak

And some rather spiffy side work.

******//www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VjQU...e=user&search=

Meet Johnny Tsak!

I've had the pleasure of sitting in playing bass with him a few times.

Simply awsome blues player.

He's now working with Eddie Kramer last I heard.

[tubehead]

I believe Jimmy used a Tele recording Zepp 1-4. This guitar was given to him by Jeff Beck.

[FFTT]

Yup, much of Jimmy Page's most famous lead work was done with that Tele.

No clue what he was using for an amp in the studio.

He uses the Les Paul mostly for live work.

I mentioned Johnny Tsak, not only because he's an outstanding player with enough
talent to get the attention of Eddie Kramer, but also because he's building his own guitars now using mini-Buckers.

[octatonic]

Here is a link to Seymour Duncan's schematic for the JP les paul wiring.

[tubehead]

The cool leads we're done on a Supro amp with 8" speaker I believe.

[FFTT]

I figured most of those classic leads were done on some tiny little class A recording amp.

[6dyslexicelephnt]

actually the key to the jimmy page mod is you have to sell your soul to the devil and then do something dirty to a groupie in a hotelroom with some type of seafood

seriously I have a hollowbody strat with fralins and I have this really nice wiring job with a master vol. and tone and a passive center detent mid control and an on off switch for the neck pickup so I can get tons of different tones

BUT i like the to put it on the bridge pickup and leave it there

So basically mods are cool and fun but the good pickup combos are already there. I would suggest gutting the electronics and putting some nice USA made electronics and solid wiring and shielding and putting in some nice pickups like fralin PAFs and that will get you the best tone

However if you think that modded wiring is the way to go, I would suggest a master volume and tone, a blend and a rotary switch for neck pickup split coil, neck and bridge split, and just bridge split. That way you'll have tons of options and the guitar will still look normal without those ugly mini radioshack toggle switches

[FFTT]

I just got an e-mail from Johnny last night talking about amps and he said that his
favorite new off the shelf amp is the new Fender Vibro-Verb with a single full spectrum
15" speaker.

For him at least the single 15" gives him a much better low end response without
sacrificing highs.

As far as pick-ups go, he prefers Seymour Duncans and recommends a tone blender pot so you can pan between the neck and bridge pickups for an interesting variety of tones.

[FFTT]

I Googled Supro amps and came up with two current listings for some very interesting Valco Supro amps available on ebay.

******//cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=200113793334

******//cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=200113793334

The one listing implies strongly that Jimmy Page used an early 60's Valco Supro, 17 watt 1624T with a single 12" speaker.


Speaking of guitar mods.

I talked Johnny into coming down to the Memorial Day festival at our favorite local
tavern.

Not only did he seriously tear the place up, but he also raffled off one of his modded Ibanez solid body guitars with 2 PAF humbuckers and one mini bucker in the middle with appropriate switching.
Amazing guitar with prices complete for around $1100.00

He did this as part of a promotion launching his guitar mod company, Rushmore.

After his performance, several other players ordered one on the spot!

His web site should be up soon, but you can also contact him through YouTube.

[gregl]

I have seen umpteen different e-bay ads for Supro amps claiming that the amp for sale was the same kind Jimmy Page used. He must have used a lot of different Supro amps cause I've seen his name attached to just about every model Supro made! The information availble on the guitar sites isn't a whole lot more clear.

However, back in the 70's I saw an article where the actual amp and speaker were pictured (unfortunately I don't remember which publication but I don't think it was Guitar Player, which was about the only guitar rag available back then). What was pictured was one of those old brown and white Supro's with a single 6V6 and a very small speaker. The amp was hooked up to a 12" CTS or Gauss speaker (as I remember it) which was not in a cabinet. Supposedly the speaker was mic'd this way. I wonder if anyone else remembers this also?

[tubehead]

You can get the same sounds by using a Fender Tweed Deluxe and a Tele, especially with Peter Florence Voodoo Pickups.

Heck, plug your Pod into the return on your tube amp and set it to the Supro or any Tweed and you've got a very good clone.

In any event, you won't have all of it unless you have Jimmy Page playing through it.

[eligit]

Originally Posted by tubehead

You can get the same sounds by using a Fender Tweed Deluxe and a Tele, especially with Peter Florence Voodoo Pickups.

Heck, plug your Pod into the return on your tube amp and set it to the Supro or any Tweed and you've got a very good clone.

In any event, you won't have all of it unless you have Jimmy Page playing through it.

make that "jimmy page playing through it" 35+ years ago.....e.....he doesn't seem to be playing much of anything now....cept maybe the stock market.

either way....i'm not sure if you actually GOT he amp he used for the first album (the supro) you would really like it. it was that guitarist, that guitar with those strings, that band, that album, that time, those tunes, analog tape, etc..

taken out of context...you might be less than amazed. and there are certainly many many boutique small amps available now.

[mrface2112]

Originally Posted by tubehead

The cool leads we're done on a Supro amp with 8" speaker I believe.

i don't remember where i saw/read it, but i seem to recall that some of the leads (Rock and Roll, maybe?) were done with the tele DI'd into the board and overdriving the snot out of the preamp (no amp, ala Lennon on Revolution). I think it was on one of those "Classic Albums" series things, but I could be mistaken.

anyway, the tele (or broadcaster as it may be) is a large part of the guitar sounds on the early Zep stuff.

and i'm totally on board with the "embrace your guitar for what it is" sentiment. for years i tried to make my tele be something other than it is/was. after years of disappointment i finally gave up and full embraced it being a tele (and have been acquiring other guitars for the sounds i've been wanting, much to my wife's dismay ).


cheers,
wade

[tubehead]

Originally Posted by eligit

make that "jimmy page playing through it" 35+ years ago.....e.....he doesn't seem to be playing much of anything now....cept maybe the stock market.

either way....i'm not sure if you actually GOT he amp he used for the first album (the supro) you would really like it. it was that guitarist, that guitar with those strings, that band, that album, that time, those tunes, analog tape, etc..

taken out of context...you might be less than amazed. and there are certainly many many boutique small amps available now.

Yepp, agreed.

[tubehead]

JIMMY PAGE 1977

What kind of amplifiers were you using for session work?

Jimmy Page: "A small Supro, which I used until someone, I don't know who, smashed it up for me. I'm going to try to get another one. It's like a Harmony amp, I think, and all of the first album (Led Zeppelin) was done on that."

What kind of guitar were you using on the first Led Zeppelin album?

Jimmy Page: "A Telecaster. I used the Les Paul with the Yardbirds on about two numbers and a Fender for the rest. You see the Les Paul Custom had a central setting, a kind of out-of-phase pickup sound which Jeff couldn't get on his Les Paul, so I used mine for that."

Was the Telecaster the one Beck gave to you?

Jimmy Page: "Yes. There was work done on it but only afterwards. I painted it; everyone painted their guitars in those days. And I had reflective plastic sheeting underneath the pick guard that gives rainbow colors."

It sounds exactly like a Les Paul.

Jimmy Page: "Yeah, well that's the amp and everything. You see, I could get a lot of tones out of the guitar, which you normally couldn't. This confusion goes back to those early sessions again with the Les Paul. Those might not sound like a Les Paul, but that's what I used. It's just different amps, mike placings, and all different things. Also, if you just crank it up to the distortion point so you can sustain notes, it's bound to sound like a Les Paul. I was using the Supro amp for the first album and still do. The "Stairway To Heaven" solo was done when I pulled out the Telecaster, which I hadn't used for a long time, plugged it into the Supro, and away it went again. That's a different sound entirely from any of the rest of the first album. It was a good versatile setup. I'm using a Leslie on the solo on "Good Times Bad Times". It was wired up for an organ thing."


FULL ARTICLE: ******//www.zepagain.com/page_rosen.html

[rob S]

[QUOTE=mrface2112;1301939]i don't remember where i saw/read it, but i seem to recall that some of the leads (Rock and Roll, maybe?) were done with the tele DI'd into the board and overdriving the snot out of the preamp (no amp, ala Lennon on Revolution). I think it was on one of those "Classic Albums" series things, but I could be mistaken.


thats black dog

[eligit]

[QUOTE=rob S;1303736]

Originally Posted by mrface2112

i don't remember where i saw/read it, but i seem to recall that some of the leads (Rock and Roll, maybe?) were done with the tele DI'd into the board and overdriving the snot out of the preamp (no amp, ala Lennon on Revolution). I think it was on one of those "Classic Albums" series things, but I could be mistaken.


thats black dog

the main riffs were done with multiple overdub DI, which is why it sounds so synthy and saturated....but the solo is all amp.

[rob S]

the solo is either thru a leslie or a univibe.
the main gtr part(the riff) is tripled and di'd and squashed.