Jimmy Page Pressured Another Musician to Sell Him His Sunset Red Gibson Les Paul
Jimmy Page’s guitar playing in Led Zeppelin made him famous. His memorable riffs and legendary guitar solos helped him ascend to the rank of guitar god. He owned several, but one of Page’s most famous guitars came to him when he more or less pressured another musician to sell it to him.
Jimmy Page jammed with a friend of a friend during a series of Led Zeppelin rehearsals
Page never stopped hunting for new guitars. He favored a few, but he never hesitated to add to his guitar army. The Led Zeppelin founder did exactly that in 1974.
The manager of Michael Corby (the musician who founded The Babys, which featured John Waite) knew someone who knew Ray Thomas, Page’s roadie and guitar tech in Led Zeppelin. Page summoned Corby to a jam session when he heard Corby owned an all-black Gibson Les Paul Custom (the same model as Page’s then-missing Black Beauty) per Classic Rock (via Louder).
Corby had no intention of selling Page any guitar when he stepped into Led Zeppelin’s rehearsal space. Corby’s black Gibson wasn’t for sale, but Page got one of his most famous guitars after pressuring his new acquaintance to part with another beloved Les Paul.
Page got one of his most famous guitars — a sunset red Les Paul — by pressuring Michael Corby to sell
Though awed to be invited to play with Led Zeppelin, Corby didn’t intend to sell what became one of Page’s most famous guitars — a sunset red Gibson Les Paul (per Classic Rock).
Yet after nearly two weeks of jamming and informal negotiations, Page had added Corby’s Les Paul to his guitar collection. But not before the Led Zeppelin legend asked him to show him some riffs.
“How I managed to end up parting with it … is something I still have difficulty coming to terms with to this day. After about 10 days of attending endless arguments regarding the price of my own favorite Les Paul and having reached a point where the matter was almost settled, I was more than surprised when Jimmy asked me if I would show him some of the licks I had been jamming with him … What chance did I have of keeping my guitar? I made less than no protest at all,and Jimmy led me to a small anteroom where I dutifully showed him my sacred library of chord structures.”
Michael Corby on how Jimmy Page pressured him to sell his red Gibson Les Paul
The way Corby tells it, Page more or less pressured him to sell his red Gibson. The international rock star asked a little-known musician to jam with Led Zeppelin. After wearing down Corby over several days, Page added one of his most famous guitars to his collection.
Led Zeppelin’s leader made several guitars famous with his playing
Page employed his red Les Paul frequently, but that wasn’t his only famous guitar. It wasn’t even his most famous Les Paul. Page made two major changes before recording Led Zeppelin II, and one of them was buying a sunburst finish Les Paul from future Eagles member Joe Walsh.
When Page turned down a job as Yardbirds guitarist and recommended Jeff Beck instead, Beck showed his appreciation by giving his friend his Fender Telecaster. That’s the guitar Page played when he joined the Yardbirds later. He also used it throughout Led Zeppelin I, but he swapped it out for another Gibson on “You Shook Me,” which makes it a rare Zep track.
The double-neck custom Gibson used to perform “Stairway to Heaven” was another of his famous guitars. He requested that guitar be made for him, but Jimmy Page pressured a musician into selling him one of his most famous instruments, the red Gibson Les Paul.
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