On January 22, Jimmy Page posted several new photographs showing himself holding what many people thought was a modern recreation of his iconic 1959 Dragon Telecaster guitar.
But Fender has confirmed to LedZepNews that Page wasn’t holding a replica. Instead, the photographs were a world-first look at Page’s restored original instrument, the first time it has been seen in 50 years since it was almost ruined in 1969.
Page was originally given the guitar by Jeff Beck in 1966. In February 1967, Page decorated the guitar with eight circular mirrors.
Page played the mirror guitar during his time in The Yardbirds, and then repainted it himself with a dragon design and used it during the early years of Led Zeppelin.
A friend of Page’s stripped the guitar back in 1969, removing the dragon paint job and ruining much of the Telecaster.
“It was a disaster,” Page told the Associated Press in an interview.
Page kept the guitar, though, and has recently worked with a graphic designer to restore it and repaint it.
The photographs with his new Sundragon amp are the first appearance of Page’s Dragon Telecaster since 1969.
The website for the Sundragon amp says that 50 limited edition, hand-built amps will be released in 2019. All of the limited edition amps will be signed by Page.
A standard model of the amp will be released later in 2019, the site said.
The amps are being made in conjunction with music producer Perry Margouleff and guitar amp expert Mitch Colby.
“I had been impressed with the forensic analysis both Mitch and Perry had put into the research of the sonic reproduction of the original Supro amp to arrive at the Sundragon,” Page said in a statement on the Sundragon website.
The Dragon Tale as recounted here lists 1969 as the year Jimmy’s “friend” maimed the Dragon in attempt to refinish it.
In an account I read years ago the time frame was approximated as between 1972 & 1973.
This later date would seem more likely if this Tele was the one used to record the solo to “that song” on Zep IV.
Postscript: And it makes me wonder… Large parts of ‘Houses of the Holy’ were recorded using a Tele, obviously on Song Remains The Same, Rain Song & The Ocean. Also the title track & The Rover (Both are ‘Houses’ outtakes that showed up on ‘Physical Graffiti.) I’m Tele-Sensitive and it sounds like I hear a Tele somewhere on every track.
So, was it the Dragon or the Brown Bomber that Jimmy was later seen using on stage during the 1975 US Tour? (When it still had a maple fretboard.) ‘Houses…’ was recorded in 1972 when one account has the Dragon still breathing fire.
Who knows?
Let’s get this thread going.
Jimmy sure spends a lot of time on “side projects”. ie: website, remastering, picture books etc. It seems crazy that it’s been now 8 years since we’ve seen him play a guitar. (at Roy Harper’s 70th-birthday concert), and it looks like the last time he played more than a song or two was way, way back in 2007.
Love his work, but sadly it looks like time has got the best of him. Too bad beacuse I know his fans would pay big buck$ to see him play all acoustic versions of LZ songs.
#LongLiveJimmyPage
It’s more of a question than a comment. Please be patient . l have an album of the yardbirds called A game for everybody . 1965. Is Jimmy Page singing on this album can’t find any imfo .just song titles an that’s it .record label is black an Not Yellow an reads slipped record s no names at all on album cover .i’ve been looking for imfo. For 4 months now . thanks alot
It had such a great sound live. JPP blew audiences away in those early years with the tele.
I read that one of the band’s roadies decided to refinish the guitar for Jimmy as a surprise. He stripped the dragon paint and then painted it brown or some dark color. I don’t really know the time frame, but I thought this happened very soon after Jimmy transitioned to the ’59 Les Paul. Jimmy said that the new paint ruined the tone of the guitar. He at some point removed the neck from the dragon Tele and put it on another Tele (the black one?). He used that Tele in later shows, such as (perhaps) the ’83 ARMS show. All of this notwithstanding, I do know from multiple sources that Jimmy used “a” Tele for the solo on that song on the fourth album. I always understood it was the dragon Tele, but who knows.