Jimmy Page, The Guitars of Jimmy Page

Fender Telecaster ‘58 (psychedelic colors): was given to him by Jeff Beck. He played it with the Yardbirds, on Led Zeppelin I, the early tours (68-69), and on the studio version of Stairway.
Gibson J-200 (acoustic): used for the acoustic songs on Led Zeppelin I. Lent to Page by Big Jim Sulivan.
Fender 10-String 800 Pedal Steel: played on Led Zeppelin and Led Zeppelin III.
Gibson Les Paul ‘58: his main guitar. The original tuners have been replaced by gold-plated Grovers. Due to several neck modifications the serial # was lost.
Gibson ‘59 Les Paul: main guitar #2, given to page by Joe Walsh, from which was done the Jimmy Page signature Les Paul. The neck has been shaved to be like the ’58s neck. The bridge was rounded, so he can play any string with the bow (and not only the E’s). Two spring-loaded switches have been added under the plate (one for in and out phase control and one to put the pickups in series/parallel). The knobs have been replaced by push-pulls for coil tapping, or to play the 4 coils in parallel. The original tuners have been replaced. serial #: 91703
Vox 12-String: played on Thank You (studio version).
Gibson “Black Beauty” Les Paul: Jimmy used it a lot with the Yardbirds, and during the ‘70 tour. It was equipped with a Bigsby vibrato arm. (I didn’t hear him using it much, though). It was stolen during the ‘70 tour, in April, while going to Canada. Jimmy issued an ad in Rolling Stone, but he never got it back. serial #: 06130 If you happen to get hands on this axe, please be nice and give it back to Jimmy.
Harmony Sovereign (acoustic) : played on Led Zeppelin III and on tour in 1970.
Gretsch Cutaway (12-String acoustic): used on tour in ‘70.
1971 Martin D28 (acoustic): played in the studio and on tour after 1970.
Rickenbacker (12-string): used on stage in 1971.
Gibson SG doubleneck: Twelve/six string doubleneck guitar, both fitted with two humbuckers. Jimmy played it on stage for Stairway to Heaven, Tangerine, The Rain Song, and The Song Remains The Same and in the studio for Carouselambra. serial # 911117
Gibson ‘73 Les Paul Std (resprayed cherry red): it’s seen in The Song Remains The Same. Fitted with a Parsons/White B-Bender.
Danelectro (’59 DC body): It was made from the best parts of 2 Danelectros, and fitted with a Badass bridge. Used on stage for Babe I’m Gonna Leave You, White Summer/Black Mountain Side, In My Time Of Dying, and often for Kashmir (especially after ‘77).
‘59 Fender telecaster (botswana brown): first appeared on stage in 1977. Nicknamed “The Brown Bomber”. Used on Hot Dog and All My Love during the final tour. It is actually the body of a ‘59 Telecaster with the neck of his ‘58 Telecaster, which was ruined by a “friend” who repainted it (without asking Page). -Thanks to Chef Zeppelin for the info!
‘60 Fender Stratocaster (Lake Placid Blue): first used in ‘79 on stage, especially for In the Evening.
Gibson RD Artist: used at Knebworth for Misty Mountain Hop.
Gibson SG: he seldom used it, during the ‘80 tour.
‘66 Fender Stratocaster (Cream): played for All My Love, during the ‘80 European tour

 

Jimmy Page Guitar Solo

This is a brief list of Jimmy Page’s effects, please comment on anything I missed.

AMPS
Marshall SLP-1959 100-watt amp which was modded with KT-88 tubes
Also used Voxs, Hiwatts, Fender Super reverbs and Orange MatAmps with the Theremin.
EFFECTS
Roger Mayer fuzz box
Sola Sound Tonebender
Vox Cry Baby Wah
Maestro Echoplex
MXR Phase 90
MXR Blue Box
MISC
Picks: Herco Flex 75
Strings: Electric – Ernie Ball Super Slinky, Acoustic – Ernie Ball Earthwoods
Violin bow
Theremin
Album by album gear
Led Zeppelin I
GUITARS: 1958 Telecaster, 10-string Fender 800 pedal steel, Gibson J200 acoustic
AMPS: Supro
Led Zeppelin II
GUITARS: 1959 Les Paul, Vox 12-string
AMPS: 100-watt Marshall, Vox solid-state
Led Zeppelin III
GUITARS: Harmony Sovereign acoustic, Martin acoustic, ‘59 Les Paul
AMP: 100-watt Marshall
Led Zeppelin IV
GUITARS: Fender electric 12-string, Les Paul, Telecaster
AMP: 100-watt Marshall, Supro
HOUSES OF THE HOLY
GUITARS: Les Paul, Fender 12-string electric, Stratocaster
AMP: 100-watt Marshall
PHYSICAL GRAFFITI
GUITARS: Les Paul, Danelectro, Stratocaster
AMPS: 100-watt Marshall
PRESENCE
GUITARS: Les Paul, Fender Stratocaster
AMPS: 100-watt Marshall
IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR
GUITARS: Les Paul, Stratocaster, Telecaster, Gibson EDS-1275
AMPS: 100-watt Marshall

 

Boss FZ-5 Fuzz

A Distorted Blast from the Past

The FZ-5 is a modern pedal built for the modern guitarist, but the sounds you can get from the FZ-5 are pure retro. Looking back at the glorious rock sounds of the ’60s and ’70s, the FZ-5 recreates its vintage fuzz through BOSS state-of-the-art COSM technology. Recall the fuzz-filled flavors of classic pedals, such as the Maestro FZ-1A, Fuzz Face and Octavia pedals, and kick ’em into overdrive with the FZ-5’s Boost knob. BOSS’ proprietary COSM® technology allows guitar players to recreate classic fuzz BOOST control for more aggressive tone. The FZ-5 is the perfect weapon for players wanting to beef up their rigs with classic retro fuzz artillery.

• Vintage sounds inspired by famous fuzz pedals of the ’60s and ’70s
• Uses advanced COSM® technology to recreate classic fuzz
• BOOST control for more aggressive tone
• Road-tough BOSS metal construction

 

Digitech Brian May Artist Signature Model Pedal

DigiTech Brian May Signature Pedal

The Brian May Red Special Pedal delivers seven signature sounds with fourteen unique variations, spanning over thirty years of incredible tone.
From the unmistakable solos of. We Will Rock You, and Bohemian Rhapsody to the one and only Deacy amp, the Brian May Red Special Pedal lets you walk in the footsteps of one of rocks most influential guitar masters and achieve one of guitarists most sought-after tones.

Working closely with Brian May and Eddie Kramer, Senior Production Modeling Consultant (and world-class recording engineer), our Production Modeling team delivers the tone that has inspired a generation of guitarists. The meticulously crafted tones of the Red Special Pedal are modeled with the same gear used in the original recordings. Design your own unique tones using the Red Special Pedals models and modes. Tweak the gain, level, bass, treble and control knobs to create your own tone.

DigiTech has even included a proprietary guitar knob that re-voices your guitar to sound like Brians legendary Red Specials Burns Tri-Sonic pickups.

The Red Special Pedals cast metal treadle also offers Heel and Toe switches that let you select two distinctive tone variations of each model. The LED lights Green (toe) or Red (heel) to show the selection.

All tones are modeled from Brians Red Special (Burns Tri-Sonic pickups) with a treble booster and Vox AC30 amp unless otherwise noted.
Keep Yourself Alive
Intro with modeled tape flange.
Solo with tape flange.
Bohemian Rhapsody
The timeless rock anthem truly comes to life thanks to DigiTech Production Modeling�.

1st Solo with vocal-like sustain achieved with out-of-phase Red Special guitar neck and middle pickups.
Heavy Rock Rhythm and Finale Orchestral Fanfare with Deacy amp.
Tie Your Mother Down

Intro with Brians main tone with volume backed off to using bridge and middle pickups.
Solo tone using the bridge and middle pickups and the volume full up. Just add a bottle slide for the perfect finishing touch to this great tone.
We Will Rock You – Champions
The classic rally anthem for the people.
Take on the world someday… wavin your banner all over the place.

Fiery rhythm and lead tones using neck and middle out-of-phase and in-phase into the treble booster, Foxx Foot Phaser and AC30.
Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Stunning acoustic intro modeled from an Ovation 6-string.
Solo a rare instance where Brian used a Fender Telecaster and a mid 60s guitar amp for a more rockabilly sound.
Brighton Rock Solo – Live

Brians main live solo tone with tight chorus and delay. Bridge and middle pickups in phase, treble booster and three Vox AC30 amps.
Alternative main live tone with Orchestral Harmonizer in 3-part pitch-shifting.
Deacy Tone – A Winters Tale

Clean Red Special Guitar tone, treble booster, deacy.
Same clean tone with delay and reverb added as a post effect.
Other product names modeled in this product are trademarks of their respective companies that do not endorse and are not associated or affi liated with DigiTech or Harman International Industries, Inc. Vox, Foxx, Burns, Tri-Sonic, Ovation, Les Paul and Fender Telecaser are trademarks of other manufacturers and were used merely to identify products whose sounds were reviewed in the creation of this product.

OPTIONAL FS3X FOOTSWITCH
Gives you fast, Hands-Free access to all Red Special Pedal models and modes.

Click here to compare prices

Brian May Red Special Pedal

 

Job Summary and Educational Requirements for a Career in Music Production

Do you love music? Are you looking for a creative career working with the most talented artists in the music industry? You may be ready for a career as a music producer. Music producers are in charge of all aspects of a recording session from the instruments to the financial matters and everything in between. Read on for a job summary and the educational requirements for a career in music production.

Career Overview

Music producers have the second most important job in the recording industry, after only the artists themselves! Music producers oversee all aspects of the recording process to insure a successful recording session and finished product.

According to Answers.Com, www answers com, the first music producer was Fred Gaisberg in 1890 who helped opera singers find the optimal distance to stand from the gramophone. The music industry has changed substantially since then, and the role of the music producer has grown with it. Today’s music producer performs the following tasks:

• Keep a project within its recording budget
• Secure a studio time
• Help artists choose which songs to record and guide them towards a quality performance
• Hire and oversee background performers
• Aid audio engineers in the recording, mixing, and mastering process

These tasks and many others make up the day to day routine of the music producer.

Necessary Education and Professional Skills

Many colleges and universities offer degrees or certificate programs in music production. Some schools offer a degree program in music or fine arts with a concentration in music production or sound engineering. Students in these courses can expect to study courses including:

• Musical History and Theory
• Composition
• Song-writing
• Ear Training
• Copyright Law
• Finance and Marketing
• Entrepreneurship

Students should look forward to spending many hours honing their skills at piano both in and out of class. Mastery of the piano is essential because it is the primary tool used by songwriters and producers during the composition process.

Modern music production is highly dependent upon digital technology and computer software. Students will take courses that cover use of the latest and most powerful software packages and computer workstations. Today’s music producer has to embrace the role of technology in the recording process and be prepared for the advancements that tomorrow will bring.

In addition to a classroom education on the recording process and musical theory, students should have a lifelong love of music. Music production is a competitive field, with long hours and highly variable pay. Producers who love creating music and working with performing artists will enjoy their work more than someone who simply sees music production as a ‘job.’

Salary and Professional Opportunities

Music producers can work for record labels producing records for all or some of the bands and recording artists under contract with the label. Some producers are experts at a specific genre like rock or reggae and work only with artists in that genre.

Other music producers are self employed and produce albums for recording artists as they are needed. These freelance producers need to be skilled marketers and networkers as well as producers. Most production gigs will come from word of mouth and from recording artists that are familiar with the producer’s previous work.

According to Salary.Com, www salary com, the median range for salaries of entertainment producers is from $37,000 a year to $52,000. This includes salaries of film and video producers as well as music producers. It is difficult to predict salaries for creative positions, especially in the entertainment industry, but that range gives prospective music producers a general idea of their earning potential. Of course, there are producers who work for major music labels and the hottest pop music acts who command huge salaries, but such positions require years of hard work, networking, and a bit of luck.

 

Musician: Summary of Music Career Education Programs

For those who love to play musical instruments, they become inspired to become musicians. Having a formal education can help students improve their understanding of composition and other music fundamentals. Read this article for a sample curriculum from a music program.

Definition of a Musician:

A musician is an individual who can play a musical instrument. Many musicians enjoy performing in front of others so much that they choose to make it their career. Professional musicians can play in a variety of venues including coffee houses, clubs, casinos, theaters, or outdoor arenas. As a musician chooses his or her career path, the musician must decide to be a part of a group or perform as a solo act. It may be easier for a musician if he or she joins an already established group with a good reputation.

Sample Curriculum for a Music Program:

Receiving a formal music education can be beneficial for any musician. Many professional musicians have had some form of formal musical training. To receive this training, students often apply to a music program at a college, university, or art school. Here is a list of courses from a formal music program that a student would take:

• Muscianship
• Music Workshop
• Music as Art
• Performance Workshop
• Introduction to Music Theory
• Music Appreciation
• Chamber Music

These types of programs allow students to build on their natural talents and encourage them to further develop their knowledge of music.

Occupational and Salary Information for Musicians:

The writers at College Board, www collegeboard com, mention that government economists predict that job growth for musicians should be fair, increasing as fast as most other careers.

In 2004, the musicians in the top ten percent salary bracket made more than $53.59 an hour, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

 

U2’s The Edge To Donate His Guitar To Charity

Article Source: Sky News

U2 guitarist The Edge is donating his favorite instrument to charity.

The 1975 Gibson Les Paul guitar has been used throughout his career with U2 and has been played on some of their biggest records.

“I wanted to give something really significant that would really mean a lot for me to give. It deserved something that I would miss,” The Edge said.

It is one of the star lots in a star-studded auction to benefit the fund The Edge ;founded to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The charity helps to replace musical equipment lost or destroyed when the storm and floods destroyed parts of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.

The Icons of Music auction features 196 rock-related items, including a saxophone signed by former President Bill Clinton, a guitar that belonged to Jimi Hendrix and an original Elvis Presley recording contract.

An exhibit of auction highlights is in London next week, before the sale takes place on April 21 in New York. Memorabilia fans can bid online or in person.

The Edge’s guitar is expected to fetch up to £40,000, according to the auction website.

“It’s some great poetry to ask the people like myself, who’ve earned a good living from rock ‘n’ roll, to donate items to an auction that would help protect and stave off the decline of the music culture in the Gulf Coast,” he said.

The Edge created the Music Rising charity in 2005 with record producer Bob Ezrin and Gibson chairman Henry Juszkiewicz.

“One of the good things about globalisation is it has created a single international music community, and I feel very much part of it,” he said. “So this doesn’t seem like it’s someone else’s problem. It’s really our problem, too.”

Highlights from the Icons of Music auction will be previewed at the Hard Rock Café, London, from April 11 to 13.

 

Jimmy Page – The Zeppelin Era

Page’s past experiences both in the studio and with the Yardbirds were very influential in contributing to the success of Led Zeppelin in the 1970s. As a producer, composer, and guitarist for the band, he was one of the major driving forces behind the rock sound of that era, with his trademark Gibson Les Paul guitar and Marshall amplification. In the studio however, Page often used a Supro amplifier and a Telecaster guitar. His use of the Roger Mayer-designed ToneBender fuzzbox (”How Many More Times”), slide guitar (”You Shook Me”, “Dancing Days”, “In My Time of Dying”), pedal steel guitar (”Your Time Is Gonna Come”, “Tangerine”, “That’s The Way” and for effect at the very end of “Over the Hills and Far Away”), acoustic guitar (”Gallows Pole”, “Ramble On”) and recording techniques made Led Zeppelin a prototype for many future rock bands. His landmark guitar solo from the song “Heartbreaker” has been credited by Eddie Van Halen as the inspiration for his trademark two-hand tapping technique after he saw Led Zeppelin perform at the Los Angeles Forum in 1972. (Page’s solo contains the hammer on/pull off technique.) Page is famous for playing his guitar with a violin bow, a technique he developed during his session days (though Eddie Phillips of Creation – also produced by Shel Talmy – was the first guitarist to use a violin bow) in songs such as “Dazed and Confused” and “How Many More Times”, and experimented with feedback devices and a theremin. On MTV’s Led Zeppelin Rockumentary, Page said that he got the idea for playing the guitar with a bow from David McCallum’s father who was also a session musician. Other examples of his guitar bowing can be found in the interlude of Whole Lotta Love. Page used his Fender Telecaster and later his Gibson Les Paul for his bow solos. Page used a Wah-wah pedal but not in the traditional way of rocking it back and forth as done by Jimi Hendrix and other contemporaries; instead, he put it fully forward in the treble position to get a sharper tone. His solo in the famous epic “Stairway to Heaven” has been voted by readers of various guitar magazines, including Guitar World and Total Guitar as the greatest guitar solo of all time. Jimmy Page was named ‘Guitarist of the Year’ five years straight during the 1970s by Creem magazine.

Page is also widely credited for the innovations in sound recording he brought to the studio. During the late 1960s, most British music producers placed microphones directly in front of the amplifiers and drums, resulting in the sometimes “tinny” sound of the recordings of the era. Page commented to Guitar World magazine that he felt the drum sounds of the day in particular “sounded like cardboard boxes.”

Page was a fan of 1950’s recording techniques; Sun Studios being a particular favorite. In the same Guitar World interview, Page remarked, “Recording used to be a science,” and “[engineers] used to have a maxim: distance equals depth.” Taking this maxim to heart, Page developed the idea of placing an additional microphone some distance from the amplifier (as much as twenty feet) and then recording the balance between the two. By adopting this technique, Page became one of the first British producers to record a band’s “ambient sound” – the distance of a note’s time-lag from one end of the room to the other. This technique was constantly adapted and developed, to the point where he placed microphones in hallways, which is how he achieved the distinctive drum sound for “When the Levee Breaks”.

Page has stated that, as producer, he deliberately changed the audio engineers on Led Zeppelin albums, from Glyn Johns for the first album, to Eddie Kramer for Led Zeppelin II, to Andy Johns for Led Zeppelin III and later albums. He explained that “I consciously kept changing engineers because I didn’t want people to think that they were responsible for our sound. I wanted people to know it was me.”

Page’s drug use during his time with Led Zeppelin has, over the years, been a controversial subject. Page himself has admitted to heavy use of drugs throughout the 1970s. In an interview he gave with Guitar World magazine in 2003, he stated that:

“I can’t speak for the [other members of the band], but for me drugs were an integral part of the whole thing, right from the beginning, right to the end.”

From 1976, Page was beginning to dabble in heroin, a fact attributed to tour manager Richard Cole, who stated that Page (as well as himself) were taking the drug during the recording sessions of the album Presence in that year, and that Page admitted to him shortly afterwards that he was addicted to the drug.

It is considered by many that, by 1977, Page’s heroin use was beginning to hamper his guitar playing performances, as exhibited on a number of Led Zeppelin bootleg recordings from their 1977 tour of the United States, by which time the guitarist had lost a noticeable amount of weight. During the recording sessions for In Through The Out Door in 1978, Page’s diminished influence on the album (relative to bassist John Paul Jones) is partly attributed to his ongoing heroin addiction, which resulted in his absence from the studio for large periods of time. Page reportedly kicked his heroin habit in the early 1980s. In a 1988 interview with Musician magazine, Page took offense when the interviewer noted that heroin had been associated with his name, and insisted that “I’m not an addict, thank you very much.”

Source: www.wikipedia.com

 

Drummer Set Ups- Neil Peart – Rush

Source: www.andrew olson.com
Neil Peart’s drum kit always inspires drummers‘ (and non-drummers’) imaginations. I always think of the first time I saw Rush in 1984 on the Grace Under Pressure tour. Before the show, a red curtain covered the entire kit. Then, right before the house lights went down, Neil peeked out from behind the curtain like the Wizard of Oz. The lights went out, the curtain came off, and the band took to the stage. After the show, people lined up against the front of the stage to get a look at the Tama Artstar prototype as the crew packed it away into cases. It was like looking at a Ferrari. Same color, too.

If you’ve wondered why Neil has such a large drum kit, it’s actually pretty simple: He uses all those drums the same way a piano player uses all the keys; it simply adds more melody to his playing. In a power trio like Rush, Neil wants to be able to fill those musical holes in interesting ways.

“The drums are made by DW, with a custom red sparkle finish.

“The bass drum is 22″, the toms are 8″, 10″, 12″, 13″, 15″ (two), 16″, and 18″. The current favorite snare drum is a 5″ x 14″ DW Craviaotto, and I’m also using a 13″ DW piccolo snare, miscellaneous LP cowbells, and DW pedals and hardware.

“Out back, and hidden all around, are Roland V-drums and trigger pads, accompanying the Kat mallet controller and Shark pedals, all feeding into Roland TD-10 modules with expansion cards, Roland 5080 sampler, line mixer, and midi converters.

“Drum heads are Remo white-coated Ambassadors, and cymbals are Avedis Zildjian ― 8″ splash, 2 10″ splashes, 13″ hi-hats, 14″ X-hats, two 16″ crashes, 18″ crash. 20″ crash, 22″ ride, 20″ Low China, and an 18″ Chinese Wuhan.

“(That sort of thing I understand better ― you just hit them with sticks. Promark 747 “Signature” ones, in this case.)

“Someone has also written at the end of this list that I have “a really great drum tech.” That would be Lorne Wheaton, better know as “Gump.” Or is that “Grump?” Time will tell…”

 

Drummer Set Up: Lars Ulrich – Metallica

I’ve had a number of requests for drummer set ups, so I decided to start posting some drummer set ups on the blog. The first being Lars Ulrich of Metallica, please let me know what you think.

• Starclassic Maple
• Color: Green Sparkle (GSP)
• A -16″x22″ Bass Drum (SMB2216)
• B -6-1/2″x14″ Snare Drum(LU1465)
• C -8″x10″ Tom Tom(SMT1008)
• D -10″x12 Tom Tom(SMT1210)
• E -14″x16″ Floor Tom(SMF1614)
• F -16″x16″ Floor Tom(SMF1616)
• HP900P Iron Cobra Drum Pedal (Power Glide)
• HH905 Iron Cobra Hi-Hat Stand (Lever Glide)
• HT7301st Chair Drum Throne (Ergo-Rider)

This image shows that the snare and mounted tom toms are set at an extreme angle. Hard rock drummers often use this type of set-up to enhance their quick hand motions.

This image was taken from directly from an audience perspective. All the cymbal stands are HC104TB with Tama’s original “Stilt” system. The thick boom arms and counterweights are always used by Metallica to beef up the kit to the band’s standards.

The next photo was taken from the drummer’s perspective. Both floor toms are 16″ in diameter, but have differing 14″ and 16″ depths, with the 16″ offering a deeper tone. You will also notice that the floor toms are set very low, and the tom toms and cymbals are set very high.

Source: tamadrums.com/artistsetups