Gibson and Jimmy Page have teamed up for a “multi-year partnership” that will see the launch of a series of signature guitars based on the Led Zeppelin guitar legend’s most-famous instruments, and the first to come will be his iconic 1971 EDS-1275 doubleneck.
The news broke as Page visited the opening event of the Gibson Garage London, where flanked by fellow guitar gods Tony Iommi and Brian May, and Gibson higher-uppers, he cut the ribbon on the Garage and officially declared the Nashville brand’s flagship store open (though it officially opens to the public on Saturday 24 February).
Page has enjoyed a long association with Gibson. His number one guitar, a 1959 Les Paul Standard, is one of the most storied electric guitars in history, having previously been owned by Joe Walsh of the Eagles – though his number two Les Paul Standard would give it a run for its money, and we have no shortage of love for number three, his 1969 Les Paul Deluxe.
Page has also played Les Paul Customs. He got the Gibson Custom Shop to build him an ES-350 that he played at the 2012 Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert at the O2 Arena, London. You might also recognise this Chuck Berry-style rock ’n’ roll machine from the 2008 documentary It Might Get Loud.
But if you’re going to announce a multi-year partnership with Jimmy Page you’ve got to go big, and that means the 1971 EDS-1275 doubleneck that Page used live with Led Zeppelin when playing Stairway To Heaven. No Stairway? Yes, Stairway, because it sounds like Gibson has gone to town on this forthcoming attraction.
Cesar Gueikian, president and CEO, Gibson, credited Page with establishing a new era for the brand, and an “ambassador emeritus” for the guitar.
I knew that picking up that Les Paul Custom and the Doubleneck all those years ago was certainly the right decision
Jimmy Page
“Jimmy Page deserves a very important chapter in the history of Gibson,” says Gueikian. “We think of Jimmy as an ambassador emeritus of guitars and a music trailblazer in the birth and evolution of rock! In many ways, Jimmy is responsible for the success, continued innovation, and evolution of post-Golden-Era Gibson. We are grateful for Jimmy’s trust in the Gibson team, and we look forward to paying tribute to him by bringing this epic collaboration to life.”
In November 2023, Page gave his first live performance since 2015 when he paid tribute to rock ’n’ roll pioneer Link Wray at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame awards ceremony. It was quite the occasion, quite the performance, and perhaps in retrospect, it was telling that Page chose to press his EDS-1275 into action.
Gibson has of course made Custom Shop reproductions of Page’s most-famous Les Pauls before, which now fetch eye-watering prices on the vintage market, but this collaboration will be deeper, and perhaps – as with the likes of the Adam Jones and Kirk Hammett ranges – will offer models at all price points on the Gibson/Epiphone family tree of products.
Page credits Gueikian’s stewardship of the Gibson brand as one of the reasons he jumped at the chance to develop a signature line.
“When I met with Cesar and he explained what the future of Gibson looked like, I knew I needed to be involved,” says Page. “There is a spirit in the place; after seeing the people working at the factories and getting a connection with them, I knew that picking up that Les Paul Custom and the Doubleneck all those years ago was certainly the right decision.”
Just how deep will this run go? Well, it’s going to last years, there are going to be some Holy Grail guitars incoming. And we’ll know they’ve really, really gone for it if we see a replica of Page’s awesome Style U harp guitar, as seen on the video for Coverdale/Page's Take Me For A Little While. Either way, vintage-inspired LedZep guitar gold is incoming.
