Jimmy Page Brought Back an Old Friend for ‘Stairway to Heaven’

Say the name Jimmy Page, and Led Zeppelin fans can practically close their eyes and conjure his image. They see the guitarist’s wavy black hair cascading over his face as he plays scorching solos. Or the Led Zeppelin founder slinging his custom-made double-necked instrument or one of his Gibson Les Paul guitars owned by other musicians first. Though seemingly tied to Gibsons during his Zep career, Page brought in an old friend for his famous “Stairway to Heaven” solo.

Jimmy Page brought in an old friend for his ‘Stairway to Heaven’ solo — his old Fender Telecaster

The custom double-necked guitar we mentioned earlier? Page needed that Gibson EDS-1275 to perform “Stairway to Heaven” live. The build from gentle intro to strummed 12-string fanfare to blistering solo required an instrument that could do it all.