After some announcements at the Gibson Garage London opening ceremony, the legendary guitar brand has officially released the Custom Shop limited-edition EDS-1275, the copy of Jimmy Page’s legendary guitar. The initial announcement was a surprise of its own, and this is supposed to be the first in a whole series of guitars that Gibson will do with the Led Zeppelin legend.
Now, this being done by Gibson Custom Shop, Murphy Lab guitar, and part of the Collector’s Edition, it’s not a surprise that the price is that of a solid Mercedes-Benz. This replica of Page’s 1969 EDS-1275 will cost you $49,999. That’s what Music Radar and Guitar World revealed, while there seems to be no official info on the price in Gibson’s announcements.
The instrument will be limited to 50 pieces only and is done through direct orders. You can find more info and call Gibson through their website here.
Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian, who’s been given the lead role in the company back in May 2023, commented:
“One of the most influential musicians in history, Jimmy Page is an icon across all genres of music, art, and culture and co-founder of one of the biggest bands of all time, Led Zeppelin.”
“Being the main music writer in Led Zeppelin, Jimmy leveraged his blues and folk inspirations to orchestrate the pioneering rock sound that became the signature of the band and revolutionized rock across all of its future variations. We are grateful for Jimmy’s trust and partnership, and we look forward to paying tribute to him.”
The original instrument that’s copied is the one Jimmy Page used for live performances of “Stairway to Heaven” back in the Zeppelin days. “The EDS-1275 has become synonymous with Page’s legendary stage presence and the electrifying moments that defined a genre,” the press release reads.
For making this replica, Gibson implemented what they refer to as their “groundbreaking 3D scanning technology” while analyzing Page’s original guitar. Along with that come “ultra-precise Murphy Lab aging techniques” for making all 50 of these guitars as close as possible to the old instrument.
“Every single detail has been thoughtfully recreated, from the exact playing wear to the sonic character of this exceptional guitar,” the press release adds. As Cesar also revealed during the Gibson Garage London opening ceremony, the process also involved scanning and weighing the original guitar’s pickups in order to figure out its materials.
Each of the 50 guitars will also be hand-signed by Page himself. And, as the official statement also adds, each will be played by him as well. Apart from these blessings, a buyer will get “a lavish collection of case candy curated by Jimmy Page.” This includes:
- Certificate of Authenticity Book with a photo taken by Barrie Wentzell
- Wooden Pick Display with Herco® Flex pick played by Jimmy Page on the specific serialized guitar
- Premium Cherry/Black Leather Strap and Vintage Replica Strap
- Schaller Strap Locks,
- Embroidered Dragon Guitar Shroud
- Gibson Doubleneck Stand
As far as the details go, we have the expected materials and features for this EDS-1275. It’s the usual one-piece mahogany body with mahogany necks, all bearing the original guitar’s neck profiles, as well as its cherry finish.
Fretboards, each bearing 20 frets, are made of Indian rosewood and come with aged cellulose nitrate inlays, as well as single-ply binding. We also have the usual scale length of 24.75, accompanied by the usual tune-o-matic bridges and specialized chromed EDS-1275 tailpieces. The tuning machines are the Kulson Double Line, Double Ring, with Keystone Buttons.
Finally, we have pickups replicated from the original guitar. Two sets of humbucker pairs, all with Alnico 5 magnets. The official records refer to them as Jimmy Page EDS-1275 Custombuckers. What we can also notice is that the 12-string section comes with covered pickups, as opposed to uncovered ones in the 6-string section.
The controls include the usual four knobs, a pickup selector switch, and the guitar switch in the middle. The spec sheet also adds that all controls are hand-wired and that we have CTS pots and period-correct ceramic disc capacitors.
In case you have about $50k to spend, feel free to visit Gibson’s website here.
Photos: Gibson
