Jimmy Page Les Paul No. 2 Review
By MNJ
| Posted in Guitar
The Jimmy Page Les Paul No. 2 has at last landed at DV central and needless to say it has caused an outbreak of mild hysteria among all guitar playing staff. Even if you don’t like the shaved neck and the low fret job, the sound of this baby is simply awesome, and that’s not a word I ever use. There are so many tonal combinations to work with by exploring all the series/parallel and split coil options that the lucky owner is going to be more than rewarded with a tone palette simply not available on a regular Les Paul.
Before we get into the admittedly complex wiring on this guitar and the sounds it’s capable of producing, an overview of the looks and feel of the No. 2 is in order. The top on our review sample has quite a subtle and undefined flame, a bit ‘smudgy’ if you will, and the colour has a faded ‘burst amber look to it. Of course, Gibson is replicating how the guitar is now, not how it was when Page aquired it over 35 years ago, so comparing this guitar with old pictures to try and match the colour is a bit futile.
Like the No. 1 Page, this instrument has the ‘shaved’ neck, although it’s not as radical a job as the first one. Unlike the No.1 , the modification is a lot more even and the neck has a similar thickness all the way up to the heel. It’s thinner than a current R0 and although feels rather strange at first, makes for a very easy ride all the way along. The frets are low but nicely rolled at the edges and very smooth. The guitar comes set up with 9-42 guage strings which is odd, as Page is well known to use an 8-38 guage. A lot of Les Pauls had their tuners changed to Grovers in the 1970s, and this guitar has an authentic chrome set fitted.
I would advise any new owner of the Jimmy Page No.2 to take plenty of time to become aquainted with the unique wiring and consequently the unique tones. There are some very un-Les Paul like options and although I guess that Page and the tech who dreamed up the circuit went for every possible option available – just because they could – there are sounds on this guitar that will never be used in a zillion lifetimes. But hey, they are there if you want them. I’m not going to go into all the combinations and what they all sound like because a lot of the split coil or series/parallel sounds are so similar that there aren’t enough adjectives to describe all the differences.
However, the famous Peter Green ‘out of phase’ sound is there, with a pronounced ‘quack’ to it, as is the classic Zep sound heard all over the albums, which is the bridge humbucker with the volume control pulled out. It’s just incredible. The guitar operates as normal as well but this sound is so good that it’s hard not to stick on this setting alone. The Page Alnico humbuckers sound great with no muddiness at all – in fact all the sounds have great clarity and articulation. The non-authentic black humbucker looks cool too.
Needless to mention, all versions of this guitar are expensive and it has been made in very limited numbers; 25 aged by Tom Murphy and signed by Jimmy Page, 100 aged by Murphy, and 200 VOS models. It matters little whether you are a fan of the great man or his music, this guitar is an epic release and the Gibson Custom Shop has triumphed yet again. The Jimmy Page Les Paul No. 2. Awesome.
Tags: gibson les paul standard, jimmy page les paul no 2, jimmy page no 2
So DV are employing pirates now?
Quincy Jones
Isn’t that the guy from ‘Never Mind the Buzzcocks?’
Lionel Joseph
Phil Jupitus???
He looks like he\’s put on some weight if it is!
Quincy Jones
Not Phil, the other guy who plays the thermin. Is that him? Bill something?
Lionel Joseph