What Was That? - It's all in the TONE, Baby...

[MattSratt]

Sometimes you hear a REALLY killer tone in a Zep song, and you think " WTF was THAT?" I had that experience the first time I heard Ramble On... Now, here's the question... What was the pickup used on Jimmys' NECK pickup for that number?? I can't find any reference... help me out?

[woz70]

Apart from the modified neck, and taking the nickel covers off the pickups (and putting them back on again) I've read nothing to suggest that Jimmy used anything other than the Gibson pickups that were factory fitted in the guitar (assuming it's no.1) when he bought it off Joe Walsh.

Generally, Jimmy's studio tone comes down to 1) the way he plays, 2) the amps (mostly small) he used and how he mic'ed them, 3) a LOT of compression - which can also really colour the sound.

He did have the wiring modified (push-pull pots to change the phase, series/parallel etc.) later on, but that was long after the recording of LZII.

[anodizingstatic]

Apart from the modified neck, and taking the nickel covers off the pickups (and putting them back on again) I've read nothing to suggest that Jimmy used anything other than the Gibson pickups that were factory fitted in the guitar (assuming it's no.1) when he bought it off Joe Walsh.

Generally, Jimmy's studio tone comes down to 1) the way he plays, 2) the amps (mostly small) he used and how he mic'ed them, 3) a LOT of compression - which can also really colour the sound.

He did have the wiring modified (push-pull pots to change the phase, series/parallel etc.) later on, but that was long after the recording of LZII.

Yeah, Page didn't add phase mods until the 80's after LZ broke up, which is a common misconception.