“It was an amazing-sounding instrument”: Gibson’s Jimmy Page SJ-200 is a five-figure signature model based on an acoustic he borrowed to record Led Zeppelin’s debut album – before it was stolen
Two versions of the model have been introduced: the first is a standard $13k version, which, according to Gibson’s website, has already sold out. The second is the Jimmy Page 1964 SJ-200 Collector’s Edition – only 50 of each will be made.
With an even higher price tag of $19,999, the Collector’s Edition SJ-200 by comparison offers some additional perks – namely, the fact that each have been played and signed by Jimmy Page himself.
As per Gibson’s own release, this SJ-200 is based on the Super Jumbo acoustic that Page played while Led Zeppelin tracked their debut album. It was used to record cuts such as Babe I’m Gonna Leave You, Your Time Is Gonna Come and Black Mountain Side.
That particular SJ-200 also the guitar Page took the stage for his rare acoustic solo performance on the Julie Felix Show in April 1970, where he played a medley of White Summer and Black Mountain Side.
What’s rather notable about this release, however, is the fact that the original SJ-200 that inspired the model never actually belonged to Page. As is explained in the new issue of Guitar Player, the Led Zep guitarist borrowed the SJ-200 from producer Mickie Most, who lent Page his own personal acoustic on both occasions.
“The J-200 used on Led Zeppelin I belonged to Mickie Most, the producer of the Yardbirds, and it was an amazing-sounding instrument,” Page once told Guitar World. “He graciously let me use it for the first album but didn’t let me use it for the second album, because, I think, by then he knew he wasn’t going to be the producer.”
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Most had a tendency to lend his acoustic to recording artists – Jeff Beck and Big Jim Sullivan both reportedly played it, according to Led Zep News – but at some point the original example was stolen, and its whereabouts remain unknown.
“Unfortunately, many years later, someone stole them – they just took a walk,” Page said in that same interview with GuitarWorld. “He told me, and I said, ‘Mickie, I’m so desperately sorry to hear that.’ They were his instruments, man! That’s terrible.”
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(Image credit: Gibson)
(Image credit: Gibson)
That means no physical guitar was examined when Gibson pieced together this collection. Instead, each model was “thoughtfully rendered to Jimmy Page’s exacting standards and recollection” in order to recreate the original example.
This might not sound like the most scientific approach to replicating a vintage instrument, but according to Page, it’s been a successful project: “When I saw the prototype… I thought, ‘Wow, they’ve got it,’” he says. “As I took it out, I thought, ‘Oh my goodness gracious, it’s so beautiful.’ It was so authentic and yet so new at the same time.”
Whatever the case, there’s quite the tale behind this new release, and it’s worth noting that Page does reportedly own a similarly spec’d SJ-200 that guitar collector Perry Margouleff (the same individual who helped track down Page’s stolen Black Beauty guitar) gifted to him on his 70th birthday.
As for specs, both Cherry Tea versions feature highly flamed AAA maple back and sides and an AAA Sitka spruce top, as well as a three-piece maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. The neck shape – which has been sculpted based on Page’s memory of the model – has been ambiguously labeled “round profile”.
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(Image credit: Gibson)
(Image credit: Gibson)
(Image credit: Gibson)
(Image credit: Gibson)
The most intriguing spec, though, is of course that Tune-O-Matic bridge, which sits in the 1960s rosewood Moustache bridge plate. This is a very quirky spec that Gibson only tried for a few years at the start of the ’60s, and as such is exceedingly rare on existing examples.
Other appointments include TUSQ bridge pins, gold hardware finish, Kluson Waffleback with Keystone button tuners, the Murphy Lab’s Custom Light Aged treatment and Mother of Pearl Graduated Crown inlays.
The Jimmy Page SJ-200 and SJ-200 Collector's Edition are available now for $12,999 and $19,999, respectively.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
