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Jimmy Page's Gibson J-200


Zosofancmr

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Wow, so thats THE famous borroed 'Babe Im Gonna Leave You' J-200, great to know a bit more about it !

 

For some reason I alwasy imagined it be a natural finish.

 

He does some serious shredding on it, you can definitely hear the heavy gage strings on it, he really does seem to work his way around them like they were lights. Great player or great set up, probably both.

 

Thanks for sharing, enjoyed that a lot.

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The acoustic I most associate with Page is the Harmony Sovereign. Although Page himself admits his recollections are a bit hazy, he always said that the Harmony is what he used to work out the songs on Zep III and record Stairway to Heaven as well as being what he took on tour during that period.

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Sounds as if he uses the silk and steel strings that were very popular at the time, doesn't it.

They take a guitar somewhere else and can't be compared to bronze strings at all.

I used them a while as a young man in the '70's, but put them away and only re-tried a pair some 6 months ago after a 35 year break. Mmmmm, , , maybe for some special purpose - - had to take them off though.

 

Listen to Page's borrowed 200 – it is soft or un-crisp, if not dead in the bass register. The Jumbo deserves better.

 

I would like to hear from some witnesses from back when the s&s was introduced. Did people discuss them or just go after them like cats for warm milk.

Why was the acoustic players so turned on ??

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It may just be that Page did not remove that large brace screwed to the top which Gibson started using in 1961. That thing killed the guitar's sound.

 

I don't think Jimmy made any mods to the guitar, it didn't belong to him after all.

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Only thing cheap about a Harmony Sovereign (besides the tuners)is the price. All solid 'hog and spruce (back is 1 piece 16" wide). I own an Airline 7032. That's a Monkey Wards Sovereign. Needed a neck re-set when I found it. Gave the job to the late great Jim Hurley in Candler Florida. He made that fat neck guitar play like butter. That one cured my GAS till my brother got hold of it. He likes it so much I'm letting him keep it indefinitely. I understand why Jimmy Page used one. Fat, rich, woody, ladder braced tone.

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Only thing cheap about a Harmony Sovereign (besides the tuners)is the price. All solid 'hog and spruce (back is 1 piece 16" wide). I own an Airline 7032. That's a Monkey Wards Sovereign. Needed a neck re-set when I found it. Gave the job to the late great Jim Hurley in Candler Florida. He made that fat neck guitar play like butter. That one cured my GAS till my brother got hold of it. He likes it so much I'm letting him keep it indefinitely. I understand why Jimmy Page used one. Fat, rich, woody, ladder braced tone.

 

 

I got one of the first Sovereigns made - no pickguard and a shellac finish. Next to the Vega Profundo it remains the best ladder braced guitar I have ever played.

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  • 3 months later...

When I was recording a few years ago at RAK in St. John's Wood, I had the privilege of playing the late Mickie Most's '60s J200 which Jimmy Page used to double-track various acoustic parts on IV, including the fast-paced acoustic-heavy section of Stairway.

 

That guitar was amazing-it sounded unspeakably beautiful, tune-o-matic and all.

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Now that IS something worth boasting about Jinder, what an experience. I would be happy to pay some reasonable money for a few minutes with that guitar.

 

When I was recording a few years ago at RAK in St. John's Wood, I had the privilege of playing the late Mickie Most's '60s J200 which Jimmy Page used to double-track various acoustic parts on IV, including the fast-paced acoustic-heavy section of Stairway.

 

That guitar was amazing-it sounded unspeakably beautiful, tune-o-matic and all.

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When I was recording a few years ago at RAK in St. John's Wood, I had the privilege of playing the late Mickie Most's '60s J200 which Jimmy Page used to double-track various acoustic parts on IV, including the fast-paced acoustic-heavy section of Stairway.

 

That guitar was amazing-it sounded unspeakably beautiful, tune-o-matic and all.

A great fan of stories like that, , , , and of Mickey Mosts work with Donovan.

We had a fleeting member here who had played or met Donovans blue/grey/purple Zemaitis - fascinating.

And talking of D. I think he recorded a track or 2 on the very 200 you mention. Would you know that, , , and of which song I speak.

 

Will try to look it up. . . .

 

 

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There's not much more story to tell, unfortunately...I was recording a song called 'In A Heartbeat' during my time with Sony BMG, and the label didn't like the recording of the song that I'd put down in my regular studio, so sent me and my full operation (producer, band, the lot) to RAK to spend a few days re-recording it there.

 

I was doing some guitar tracking using my Hummingbird, but it wasn't gelling right with the rhythm part which was cut with a Martin D16RGT. We needed something bigger and brighter, so I pulled out my SJ200 but found it still wasn't quite right.

 

It was at that point that one of Mickie's daughters, who was around during the session, brought out the legendary J200 and handed it to me...I was aware of the guitar's history but I heard several more stories as the night wore on, and was so privileged and lucky to be able to spend some time with a real piece of rock'n'roll history.

 

After I'd finished tracking with it, I disappeared to the lounge/tea room and spent a few hours with the guitar whilst the engineer and my producer put some rough mixes together. I wrote a song, 'Memphis To Minnesota' with the J200 and was bewitched by it. It had lost its scratchplate at some point but was a beautiful golden honeyed colour and had the tone to match...one of the best sounding acoustics I have ever played.

 

Eminor7, of course RAK was a long-time hangout for Donovan, but I couldn't say which song/songs of his were cut with MMs J200. I can say, though, that the dry, warm and honky acoustic tone on 'Hurdy Gurdy Man' is very similar to that of the J200 from RAK...could it be...?

 

I spent some time with Donovan in 2009 when I was playing at the Midem festival in Cannes. We were sharing a bill, and hung out together for some time before I went on-what a lovely, warm and completely unpretentious guy he is. Plenty of time to chat and ask about my life and work, despite him being a legend and me being absolutely nobody in particular. His performance (solo, acoustic plugged into a Roland Jazz Chorus 120!) was incendiary too, he played with a gentle variation on the kind of fire and conviction usually reserved for teenagers in rock bands.

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