A Legend Returns: Gibson unveils the Jimmy Page 1969 EDS-1275 Doubleneck Collector’s Edition guitar – and boy, is it a wallet-buster
Each guitar has been autographed and played by the Led Zeppelin guitarist himself.
Image: Gibson
Hold onto your seats, rock aficionados, for Gibson has unleashed a piece of rock history that will send your heart racing, fingers itching, and wallets bleeding.
Introducing the Jimmy Page 1969 EDS-1275 Doubleneck Collector’s Edition, the brand’s latest tribute to a legendary guitar — yes, the one used live for Stairway to Heaven back then — that’s just as revered as the Led Zeppelin axeman himself.
“Hand-crafted in close collaboration” with Page, the new Doubleneck Collector’s Edition guitar is essentially a clone that captures the essence of the rocker’s custom-built original.
With the help of Gibson’s groundbreaking 3D scanning technology and ultra-precise Murphy Lab ageing techniques, every single detail of the original has been recreated — “from the exact playing wear to the sonic character” of the instrument. Key features include a 24.75 scale length, one-piece mahogany body, mahogany neck, Indian rosewood fretboards, Alnico 5 pickups, and period-correct ceramic disc capacitors among others.
Each guitar also comes with quite the collection of case candy curated by Page himself, which includes a Certificate of Authenticity Book with a photo taken by Barrie Wentzell, a wooden Pick Display with Herco Flex pick played by Page on the specific serialised guitar, a Premium Cherry/Black Leather Strap and Vintage Replica Strap, Schaller Strap Locks, an Embroidered Dragon Guitar Shroud, and a Gibson Doubleneck Stand.
Just 50 Collector’s Edition guitars, all hand-signed and played by Page, have been created by the expert luthiers of the Gibson Custom Shop in Nashville, Tennessee, says the brand. And it isn’t just $50,000 you’ll need to purchase one, buyers have to contact Gibson directly via Gibson Garage Nashville (615) 933-6000, the Gibson Garage London +44 800 058 4720, or Gibson.com in Europe.
“When I was doing the fourth album with Stairway to Heaven, I knew exactly how I wanted to build and layer the actual track, opening up with this really fragile guitar and then building and building with the overdubs,” Page says in a new video celebrating the launch.
“Then there’s also the solo, of course, so that you’re going from acoustic six-string to electric six-string to 12-string. I was not thinking for one moment, ‘How am I going to be able to do this?’ I was just really making this thing into a complete piece as far as the guitar orchestration was concerned.”
“Then it did come to the point where the album was eventually going to come out. I thought, ‘How am I going to tackle this?’ I went, ‘I know, let’s see whether we can get a double-neck,’ because if I get a six-string neck and a 12-string neck, I’ll be able to cover everything. The song demanded the guitar… So I just put it on and it was sort of there to stay after that.”
Learn more at Gibson.