Jimmy Page’s ‘It Might Get Loud’ Gear
I don’t know if everyone but me has seen this movie, but if not (and even if so) the clips are worth a look. Very cool to see Jimmy Page play, and they show some of his gear (but apparently not on purpose!).
I was in no rush to get the movie (stupidly) because even though Jimmy Page was/is in it, the other two guys I’m just not fans of. The Edge I get – his playing is more like ambient sound, but it’s definitely his own thing. Jack White I may never get.
But PAGE! Page does things in the videos below that make me want to (have to) at least rent the movie. The $100K question is what he’s playing through because the geniuses who made the movie apparently didn’t think it was important to show that: I didn’t see the movie, but lots of people did and have said there are no specific answers.
But they’re wrong (sort of). Here’s what I could figure out. If I missed anything, please let me know!
Kashmir
> You can see Page’s rig clearly at the beginning of this vid.
> Huge pedalboard you can see at 0:23, probably the one my Pete Cornish. At 0:42 he steps on something on the left side of his board. It might be the “Mute” off, if the board photo below is still current.
> At 2:25 he steps on a phaser, which if the pedalboard description below is still accurate is an MXR Phase 90.
> At 2:31 you can see that the Orange head is on and a cord is plugged into the input. Not sure about the Hiwatt under it. I’m no Page expert, but it seems the Orange is the original single-channel AD30 and the Hiwatt is a custom-built amp made around 1970.
> At 2:51 and 2:56 you can clearly see two Echoplexes hooked up behind his chair. But these might just be for the Theremin (see vid below this one) – but there might be others for Page’s guitar signal (see pedalboard ingredients list below).
> The story of how the song came about is very cool. The more I learn about Zep, the more it’s apparent how integral Bonham was to the composition of many tunes.
Theremin
In My Time of Dying
> All three playing.
> Sounds like Jimmy is using a fuzz – but one isn’t listed on the pedalboard ingredients list below. Some have speculated it’s a
> Mic’d cab at 0:44 – I assume it’s Jimmy’s. Jack White is so “low-tech” he’s probably playing through the record player on the coffee table.
> At 1:12 you can see the Orange head on top of a Hiwatt head right behind Jimmy.
> The mic’d Fender behind the Edge at 2:31 presumably is being used by him.
Whole Lotta Love
> I would have sworn that Page was playing this on the neck pickup or at least the middle position, but it looks like bridge pickup only.
> At 0:45 you can see a Marshall plexi lit up and plugged into!
> He starts talking about a pedal, and at 0:52 we see what it is: a Sola Sound Tone Bender Professional Mk II.
Pedal Board Signal Path
Here it is, according to Pete Cornish.
Signal Routing:
> Guitars connected to Pete Cornish Input Selector and Line Driver (off stage) via Pete Cornish HD Guitar Cables
> Selected Guitar Signal to Effects / Amps Pedalboard via Pete Cornish Custom
Signal Cable Loom (Loom includes Amp Feeds and Remote Mute Control)
> Pedalboard Input – Unity Gain
> Emergency Automatic Mechanical Bypass to Output #1 in case of Power Failure
> Send / Return to Spare FX #1 with Bypass Switch
> Roger Meyer Voodoo Fuzz – Removed in January 1996 – Replaced by Amp Lead switch for 2 off Fender Tone Master. [At the time the board was built, JP was using two Fender Tone Masters and two Vox AC30s (original T.Boost model), according to Cornish.)
> MXR Phase 90 with Bypass Switch
> Yamaha CH-10Mk II Chorus with Bypass Switch
> Send / Return to Spare FX #2 with Bypass Switch
> Boss CE-2 Chorus with Bypass Switch
> Jen Cry-Baby Wah with Bypass Switch
> Digitec WH-1 Whammy + Pete Cornish Linear Boost 0/+20dB with Bypass Switch
> Send / Return to Echoplex EP3 (modified by Pete Cornish) with Adjustable Gain and Bypass Switch
> Linear Boost all Outputs 0/+20dB with Bypass Switch
> Master Volume
> Local and Remote Mute All Outputs
> 3 off Outputs to Amps – Output #4 added January 1995
> 115V Output to Echoplex [Interesting!]
Page's board (Pete Cornish photo, click to see it bigger).
Notable
> Unfortunately the clip of “Ramble On” from the movie was deleted from YouTube. I’m renting the flick just to watch it – great stuff.
P.S.
Since everyone doesn’t read every post, will append posts with this for a bit. C’mon fellas!
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Category: Echoplex, Hiwatt, Jimmy Page/Zep, Marshall, Orange amps, Sola Sound
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its a great movie, and page brings out a lot of his neat toys. the JP Hiwatts, the tonebender, the theremin, there is even a transonic in the background,
dunno if posting another url is cool or not, but its a neat readhttp://www.freewebs.com/wholelottaled/
Get the movie. Page is using a custom Tele on Embryo #2. Also, you've gotta hit up the Deleted Scenes – because Page explains how Kashmir came about, and plays it on the Danelectro. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODidAgdL40Y
"Jack White I may never get"?? If you love jimmy Page, how can you not get Jack White? That's exactly what Page was into as a kid, old lo-fi American blues men. Maybe thats why I love Jimmy Page and Jack White and dont care much for the Edge.
second. they approach the same problem in different ways. where the edge is the problem
I would have to agree with SpiderEd. The whole idea of Page is lofi, and listen to how sloppy he plays! He is godly, but man the approach is what makes him that good. Jack White's big thing is supro-this, dano-that and cheap etc. Page's early recordings were all done with supro amps and dano guitars. Keep that in mind. Heck the 12 string on stairway wasn't even a Gibson! He used that double-geetar so he could play live. The studio recording is with a Fender Electric XII.
Without the connection to their collective pasts our overall approaches to guitar tone and style wouldn't be!
The edge is interesting, but not really a guitar player, but a technology player. NOt my bag, but I see why folks like him.
The whole idea of the movie is to compare styles of the decades, and appraoches. Jimi revolutionized the foundations, but never strayed far from them. He still plays sloppy at best and that is what makes him great. He still uses the same gear and has some of the best ear for tone ever. Edge, uses gerat gear, but a lot of processing in front of it. So, he represents the technology side of things. Good, but why not use a line6. Jack goes back to the roots, farther than most guys do. He probably smiled as much as Jimi did when jimi was talking about Link Wray's rumble (which was all supro-valco tone) as Jimi did, Possibly one of the greatest testaments to a song ever. that song and style should be analyzed more than the "at 1:09 page turned on this or that". Play Rock for Rock and Roll's sake, not what you can read in a book or put on a page (no pun intended), it is raw gutteral and real, not something to be analyzed or torn apart.
Remember it was built on 3 chords just somewhere along the way some folks forgot what they were so they added 4 more.
I have to agree with the sentiment here; I dont know how you cant get what Jack White is going for, especially since the very movie we’re talking about lays it out right in front of you.
I think J. White is one of the few truely down to his toes talented and imaginative people in rock that have come out in the last decade or so. Derivative? Yes, but its easy to see that besides the few odd-ball’s out there (not necissarliy a bad thing, but a lot of times its just not listenable to most music fans who arent listening to music in an acidemic way; which obviously musicials do, or there wouldnt be woodytone.com) he comes from a pretty obvious school of rock; namely delta/chicago blues, and makes it modern. Plus any band consisting of just 2 musicians, with one, much as I love Meg White, is really like 1/2 musician, and are able to come out with such unique, but utterly listenable music have to have something good going down.
Plus i think the guy could fill a bathtub with apple juice and empty cans of dog food; mic it, and it will still come out sounding cool.
You must see Jack White perform live to appreciate him. He really rips it up, and you don’t miss the fact that there’s no bass player. He seldom solos on record, but at shows plays much more lead, often copping licks directly from Page. It was also fun to see him jamming with the Stones in that recent concert film they did a few years back. The name of the film escapes me, but he and the boys seemed to really be having a ball.