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NAMM 2019: Fender Unveils Jimmy Page Signature Telecasters

By Jackson Maxwell 2 hours agoNews 

Two versions of the guitars—the extremely limited Custom Shop edition and the production line edition—will be made available.

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NAMM 2019: Back in October, it was announced that Fender had teamed up with former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page to recreate the 1959 Telecaster that he used to record the band's self-titled debut in 1968. Now, after three months of anticipation, the company has finally unveiled the new line of guitars in advance of the NAMM show.

Two models—dubbed the Limited Edition Jimmy Page Telecaster Set—will be produced in the Fender Custom Shop, while two additional models will be made on Fender’s production lines. The Limited Edition Jimmy Page Telecaster Set will be available beginning March 2019, while the two production line models will be released in Spring/Summer 2019.

“The story of the instrument is the whole journey of it – from Jeff having it, to passing it on to me with such good spirit,” Page said of the guitar. “It’s a lot of love in that gesture and the journey of it through The Yardbirds and how it was used on the first Led Zeppelin album, the journey all the way through here today. Now, it’s been restored back to its true beauty and we’ve actually been able to sort of clone it.”

Page originally received the Telecaster in 1966 from Jeff Beck, who gifted it to Page for recommending him to the Yardbirds. Through the years, the Telecaster took on several looks and personas, as Page customized it aesthetically and sonically. When he first received it, the guitar was undecorated in its factory white blonde finish and remained that way until February 1967, when he added eight circular mirrors to the body. Page played his mirrored Telecaster only briefly in the final years of the Yardbirds, and by mid-1967 he was ready to change the look. He removed the mirrors and completely stripped and repainted the instrument himself, this time hand-painting a mystical dragon on the body.

When Led Zeppelin was formed in October 1968, the Dragon Telecaster became Page’s go-to instrument and he played it on stage and in the studio until 1969. It was also the main guitar used on the Led Zeppelin album. 

Among the four Artist Signature models will be two highly collectible, limited edition Fender Custom Shop versions built by Fender Custom Shop Master Builder veteran Paul Waller—one with mirrors and the other with the painted dragon. Each of these guitars, mind you, won't come cheap. 

At a cool $25,000, the set will be available for local authorized showcase dealers to purchase and then sell together or separately to consumers. Beginning March 2019, only 50 units of each Fender Custom Shop model will be made available. They will include Page’s personal touches, such as a handwritten signature on the headstock of the mirror model, as well as hand-painted flourishes on the guitar body’s dragon artwork and personally-signed Certificates of Authenticity for both models.

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“Jimmy actually invited us to his house in London to spec the guitar out,” Waller said in a statement. “More than a year later, we’ve managed to bring this guitar and the evolution of Jimmy’s career back to life. As the guitar evolved, so did Jimmy’s career. As the Dragon is born, he moves in and Led Zeppelin is born as well. It’s a pivotal moment for the guitar and music.”

In addition to personal touches from Page, the Fender Custom Shop models feature an off-center-seam, two-piece ash body; a pair of Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound ‘58 single-coil pickups; a tinted maple “Oval C” neck matching the profile of Page’s original instrument; Clear and White Vinyl pickguards on the “Dragon” and mirror models, respectively; a ‘59 top-load Tele bridge; and a 7.25”-radius rosewood fingerboard matching the specs of the era, down to the 21 vintage-sized frets. 

The “Dragon” model includes a custom hardshell flight case, white seatbelt-style strap, super-long white leather strap, red coiled cable, violin bow, rosin, Herco guitar picks and Page-signed Certificate of Authenticity. The mirror model includes a vintage-style tweed hardshell case, black coiled cable, Ace “Stained Glass” fabric strap, Herco guitar picks and a Page-signed Certificate of Authenticity.

 

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In addition to the Fender Custom Shop models, Fender will roll out both mirror and painted versions from its production lines. Priced from $1,399.99-$2,499.99, these will not be hand-signed or hand-painted by the artist, although Page did advise Fender first-hand on creation of the design to make sure the guitars were true-to-spec of the original Telecaster.

Unlike the “exact” Fender Custom Shop reproductions, the production models include: a custom "Oval C"-shaped maple neck; '50s Tele two-piece body; top-loader bridge for through-body or top-load stringing; custom single-coil pickups; lacquer finish; vintage tweed case with eight round mirrors (a tribute to the custom treatment Page applied to the guitar); black coil cable; satin lacquer finish over a reproduction of Jimmy Page's iconic artwork; and a deluxe black case and red coil cable.

For more info on the guitars, head on over to fender.com.

https://www.guitarworld.com/news/namm-2019-fender-unveils-jimmy-page-signature-telecasters

 

 

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Fender is helping Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page celebrate the 50th anniversary of the band's first album with a limited-edition Telecaster guitar

Jimmy Page hasn't played guitar much in public since Led Zeppelin's reunion concert in 2007, at London's O2 Arena where the band celebrated the legacy of Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun. There was a rendition of "Whole Lotta Love" at the 2008 Olympics closing ceremony and a lovely stint on the acoustic at Roy Harper's 70th birthday concert in 2011. But otherwise, the 75-year-old musician has been content to refine Led Zeppelin's considerable legacy in other ways.

Fender master builder Paul Waller didn't see Page play last year when the musician visited the company's Custom Shop and factory in Corona, CA. But he saw something altogether rarer.

He saw Page paint.

The occasion was Page checking out a special project with Fender to mark the 50th anniversary of the release of Led Zeppelin's first album in 1969. For generations of fans, Page will be forever associated with the sunburst 1959 Gibson Les Paul that he bought from Joe Walsh. But the guitar that he wielded in pre-Zep days with the Yardbirds and on Led Zeppelin I was a Fender Telecaster.

And not just any Tele. The 1959 model came to Page as a gift from Jeff Beck when the pair were in the Yardbirds (the band also launched the career of Eric Clapton). In the fashion of the psychedelic times, Page had modified the guitar twice. First, he first added circular mirrors. Then in mid-1967, he stripped the guitar's finish himself and, art student that he was, hand painted a red, orange, green, and blue motif that evoked a dragon. He finished it off with a clear-plastic pickguard protecting shimmery foil.

 

Enter the dragon

This "dragon" Telecaster was Page's weapon of choice for the first appearances of Led Zeppelin, after the guitarist assembled the lineup of fellow session veteran John Paul Jones on bass, vocalist Robert Plant, and drummer John Bonham. The quartet was briefly called the "New Yardbirds" before switching to Led Zeppelin.

Page once said that the Tele was a more demanding instrument than the Les Paul he'd later deploy to great effect in Zep's live performances through the 1970s. But he also lauded its rewards, and anyone who's ever turned up the volume on the proto-punk riff of "Communication Breakdown" knows what he's talking about — it's pure Telecaster attitude and bite.

The dragon Tele, sadly, was done in, the story has it, by a Page friend who eliminated the dragon artwork. Page then saved the neck and used it for a brown B-bender Tele that he has pulled out periodically (the B-bender has a special apparatus that enables Page's Tele to mimic pedal-steel tones).

According to Waller, Fender wasn't thinking about reviving the dragon design.

"Jimmy approached us," Waller said in an interview with Business Insider. "That was an exciting day for me."

 

 

Waller labors at Fender's famous Custom Shop, where he builds coveted takes on Fender's guitars for professional musicians and discerning collectors. But working with Page over the course of the year set a new standard.

Page is an exacting steward of Led Zeppelin's legacy, and the new dragon Telecaster introduced Waller to the guitarist's scrupulous process.

"He provided a formula for each color," Waller said. "He had spent months mixing them. That made the project quite a bit easier."

But the nearly eight-month undertaking, commencing last February, wasn't a breeze by any estimation. With Page in London and Waller in southern California, samples of Telecaster bodies had been sent back and forth. "I provided many in the beginning," Waller said. What was tricky was matching the grain of the wood, which on the original instrument was distinctive.

The dragon design was worked out using what Waller described as a "paint by numbers" template. "It took me hours to do the first couple of guitars," he recalled.

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Waller wasn't really able to move forward until he'd gotten feedback from Page, which could take a few weeks. "He knows what he wants," Waller said. He has something complete in his head. He's like an artist envisioning a painting."

Faithful recreations of the original Page Teles

Reviving Page's Tele wasn't merely about the visuals. The Telecaster was Leo Fender's first proper solidbody guitar, revolutionizing jazz, country, and blues and kicking off rock 'n roll; it was preceded by a more basic design, the Esquire. It's a simple thing, intentionally — a cutting board with a neck, tuners, pickups, and strings. The bridge pickup is an icepick, while the next pickup is mellow. In the middle position, the Tele can imitate an acoustic guitar.

Waller knows his instruments from this period. "We've probably made more '59 Teles than they did in 1959," he joked.

One peculiarity of the Page Telecaster was its toploaded bridge. A Tele with this bridge can be strung through body holes, or the strings can be anchored at the bottom of the guitar's "ashtray" bridge plate. Page's '59 had three saddles, a rosewood fingerboard, and with a toploaded string job, Waller said, Page could use "slinkier," easy-to-bend strings, achieving a less sharp tone than the Tele was known for. (Page is also famous for his massive note bends.)

Two packages will be available for the 50 dragon Teles and the 50 mirror Teles, called "Limited Edition Jimmy Page Telecaster Set." The mirrors guitar will have a Fender tweed case and include the Herco nylon picks that Page favors, as well as a coiled lead and a signed certificate of authenticity. The dragon will come with a special display case, a violin bow, and two straps: one white "seat belt" and one extra-long leather. It will also include Herco picks, a coiled lead, and a signed certificate of authenticity. The sets will go on sale in March and cost $25,000 apiece.

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"Fender will also build both mirror and painted versions on its production lines, which will be more accessibly priced for a broader base of fans to purchase," the company said. Those guitars will run $2,499 for the mirror Tele, available in spring, and $1,399 for the dragon Tele, following in summer.

"While these will not be hand-signed and hand-painted by the artist, Page did consult with Fender throughout the design process to ensure the guitars are true-to-spec of the original Telecaster."

Jimmy Page, visual artist

Last year, as Fender was preparing to compete the 100 "Limited Edition Jimmy Page Telecaster Sets," Page journeyed to the Los Angeles area to sign headstocks, tour the Fender factory, and add some finishing touches to the Custom Shop dragon Teles.

"He applied paint to every dragon body for sale," Waller said. "It was his request. "He wanted to make sure it was authentic."

No Telecasters were played in Waller's presence. But Page actually painting? His brief time in art school is the stuff of Led Zeppelin lore. Page himself is a noted collector of Pre-Raphaelite art and he lives in William Burges' architecturally important Tower House in London, built in the late 19th century and a stunning example of the Victorian era's gothic revival style.

Page signed the headstocks of the limited-edition Telecasters. Fender

Page always thought of Zep as art — alchemical sonic aesthetics, in fact, four unique elements coming together to create a magical fifth — and for the better part of a decade, he's dedicated himself to preserving the group's legacy, through remastered box sets of Zep's albums as well as a photographic autobiography. But his personal, pre-Zeppelin art has always been a mystery, and the dragon Telecaster is essentially the only example anyone has ever seen.

But clearly, the pleasures of painting have never been far from his mind.

"He was having a lot of fun," Waller said.

Page evidently agreed. "They really got it 110 percent right, or 150 percent right," he said in a statement. "It's so absolutely as it is, as it should be, and as it was."

Watch Page paint some Telecaster and discuss the project here.

https://www.businessinsider.com/jimmy-page-led-zeppelin-new-fender-dragon-telecaster-2019-1

 

 

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Hot on the heels of Jimmy Page's announcement of his brand-new Sundragon amp, Fender has revealed the full details of the Jimmy Page Signature Telecasters.

Throughout 2019, Fender will release a total of four Artist Signature guitars modeled after Page's 1959 Fender Telecaster. In 1967, Page affixed eight circular mirrors on the original Tele's body, before stripping it entirely and painting his own psychedelic dragon pattern in bright colors. (It was 1967, after all.)

He'd go on to play that guitar for the majority of Led Zeppelin's debut album, as well as plenty of other times on stage and in the studio—notably for the solo on "Stairway to Heaven."

Fender's Jimmy Page Telecaster models will include two Custom Shop guitars and two standard production runs:

  • The Jimmy Page Dragon Telecaster, one of two Custom Shop models, will be available in March for $25,000.
  • The Jimmy Page Mirrored Telecaster, which completes what Fender is calling the "Limited Edition Jimmy Page Telecaster Set," will also be available in March for $25,000.
  • The Jimmy Page Mirror Telecaster, as a standard production run, will be available in Spring 2019, for a much more affordable $2,499.99. Unlike the mirror-adorned Custom Shop model, the standard Jimmy Page Mirror Telecaster has only a White Blonde lacquer finish.
  • The Jimmy Page Telecaster reproduces Page's iconic artwork, while giving the guitar vintage-appropriate features like a custom "Oval C"-shaped neck that matches the original Tele's neck profile and a 7.25" fretboard radius. It's also the cheapest of the models, at $1,399.99, and will be available Summer 2019.

Keep reading to see all of the new Jimmy Page Signature Telecasters, with full specs direct from Fender.

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Custom Shop Jimmy Page Dragon Telecaster

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Custom Shop Jimmy Page Mirrored Telecaster

Specifications for both the Jimmy Page Dragon Telecaster and Jimmy Page Mirrored Telecaster:

  • Off-center-seam two-piece ash body
  • Period-accurate White Blonde lacquer finish with eight circular mirrors OR Dragon design hand-painted by Paul Waller and Page himself
  • Trio of Fender Custom Shop Hand-Wound ‘58 single-coil pickups, routed through modern Tele® wiring and a 3-position pickup switch
  • Tinted maple neck’s “Oval C” profile is comfortable for almost any playing style, and precisely matches the profile of Page’s original instrument
  • 7.25”-radius rosewood fingerboard matches the specs of the era, right down to the 21 vintage-sized frets
  • Custom 8-hole clear pickguard
  • ‘59 Esquire® bridge
  • Vintage-style tuning machines
  • Bone nut and wing string tree with metal spacer
  • The Jimmy Page Mirrored Telecaster® features a hand signed signature and the Jimmy Page Dragon® Telecaster® is partially hand-painted by Jimmy Page
  • Includes a Custom ‘Anvil’ Flightcase, red coiled cable, violin bow, rosin, Herco® guitar picks and Certificate of Authenticity (Dragon) OR vintage-style tweed hardshell case, black coiled cable, Ace “Stained Glass” strap, Herco® guitar picks and Certificate of Authenticity (Mirror)

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Jimmy Page Mirror Telecaster

Specifications for Jimmy Page Mirror Telecaster:

  • Two-piece ash body
  • Lacquer finish for full-bodied tone
  • Pair of Jimmy Page Custom ‘59 Tele® single-coil pickups
  • Custom “Oval C”-shaped maple neck, 7.25”-radius slab rosewood fingerboard with 21 vintage-style frets for smooth playing feel
  • “Top-loader” bridge for through-body or top-load stringing for warmer tone and reduced tension so strings bend more easily
  • Bone nut; vintage-style round string tree
  • Pure Vintage LC “S” Line”Fender Deluxe” tuning machines for authentic style and performance
  • Jimmy Page signature (not hand-written) on the headstock and on the custom chrome neck plate
  • Vintage tweed case with eight round mirrors
  • Black coiled cable, vintage-style “stained glass” strap and a custom Certificate of Authenticity

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Jimmy Page Telecaster

Specifications for the Jimmy Page Telecaster:

  • Satin lacquer finish over a reproduction of Jimmy Page’s iconic artwork
  • Two-piece ash ‘50s Tele body
  • Custom “Oval C”-shaped maple neck, duplicating the exact neck profile from Page’s Telecaster
  • Road Worn® lacquer finish on the neck
  • Period-correct 7.25”-radius slab rosewood fingerboard
  • Two custom-wound Jimmy Page Telecaster single coil pickups
  • “Top loader” bridge with threaded steel saddles; String top load-style for a rounder sound with easier bending (like Jimmy Page) or traditional through-body for classic Fender twang.
  • Vintage-style tuners offer classic style and rock-solid tuning stability
  • Includes vintage-style black hardshell case

 

https://reverb.com/news/fender-reveals-full-details-of-jimmy-page-signature-telecasters

 

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It does come with a bow   :elvis2:

specs-

http://www.fendercustomshop.com/series/artist/jimmy-page-dragon-tele/

 

More about Jimmy Page Dragon® Telecaster®

 

Few guitars are as important to the history of rock as the Telecaster Jimmy Page used to create the iconic, genre-defining riffs of Led Zeppelin. Originally received as an undecorated gift from Jeff Beck, he used this 1959 Telecaster to unleash his larger-than-life riffage and fierce soloing upon the world. By mid-1967 he decided to strip the instrument down to bare wood and drawing on his art school training, repaint it himself with what became the iconic “Dragon” design. Page partially painted over the stripped 1959 Telecaster with darts and curls of green, orange, yellow, blue and red in a pattern that formed something of a swirling, psychedelic, vaguely Japanese dragon. The beast’s flaming red horns and green head rest inside the blunt upper horn, green scales run down its neck as it breaks into a colorful abstraction that could include a cracked egg near the control panel and a tail that snakes into the upper bout from the lower.

To recreate this legendary instrument, Master Builder Paul Waller and Page collaborated in person to ensure each guitar of these 50 sets perfectly matches the original. Page visited our Custom Shop in Corona, CA and personally painted a portion of the dragon design on each guitar. We’re both pleased and proud to present this instrument that honors the man, his music and the guitar he used to create it.

Painstakingly hand-built by Waller under Page’s eager, direct supervision, every component of these stellar guitars matches the original’s. The off-center-seam two-piece ash body hosts a period-accurate lacquer finish, and bears the dragon design hand-painted by Page himself. A pair of Custom Shop Hand-Wound 58 single-coil pickups, routed through modern Tele® wiring and a 3-position pickup switch offer authentic, inspirational Fender tone. The tinted maple neck’s “Oval C” profile is comfortable for almost any playing style, and precisely matches the profile of Page’s original instrument, so you can enjoy the same playing feel he has for decades. The 7.25”-radius rosewood fingerboard matches the specs of the era, right down to the 21 vintage-sized frets. Other features include a custom 8-hole Clear pickguard, 59 top-load Tele bridge, vintage-style tuning machines, bone nut and wing string tree with metal spacer. Includes a custom hardshell flight case, white seatbelt-style strap, super-long white leather strap, red coiled cable, violin bow, rosin, Herco® guitar picks and Certificate of Authenticity.

Although this is a collector’s item it’s still an exact recreation of the original guitar, so if you get the itch to plug in and crank it up you will have the guitar’s legendary tone and vibe on tap.

=========================================================

Specs

General

General
Model Name: Jimmy Page Dragon® Tele®
Model Number: 9216008800
Series: Custom Artist
Color: Medium Tint Lacquer with Custom Painted Dragon

Body

Body
Body Shape: Telecaster®
Body Material: 2-Piece Offset Seam Ash
Body Finish: Nitrocellulose Lacquer

Neck

Neck
Neck Material: Maple
Neck Shape: Oval "C"
Scale Length: 25.5" (648 mm)
Fingerboard Radius: 7.25" (184.1 mm)
Number of Frets: 21
Fret Size: Vintage
String Nut: Bone
Nut Width: 1.650" (42 mm)
Neck Plate: 4-Bolt
Neck Finish: Tinted Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Position Inlays: White Dot

Electronics

Electronics
Bridge Pickup: Custom Shop Hand-Wound '58 Single-Coil Tele®
Neck Pickup: Custom Shop Hand-Wound '58 Single-Coil Tele®
Controls: Master Volume, Master Tone
Pickup Switching: 3-Position Toggle: Position 1. Bridge Pickup, Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups, Position 3. Neck Pickup
Pickup Configuration: SS

Hardware

Hardware
Bridge: '59 Top-Load Tele®
Tuning Machines: Vintage-Style
Orientation: Right-Hand
Hardware Finish: Nickel/Chrome
Pickguard: Clear
Control Knobs: Chrome

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous
Strings: NPS, .010-.046 Gauges
Included Accessories: Custom Anvil Case, White Leather Strap; White "Seat Belt" Strap, Red Coiled Cable, Violin Bow, Rosin, Herco® Picks, Signed Certificate of Authenticity.

 

 

 

Edited by zeplz71
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Now that I'm back from NAMM and having seen all of the guitars up close at the Fender booth, I have a few praises, comments and criticisms.    

First the Praises:

1) Paul Waller seeking out Cathedral Grain patterns with a clear plastic template and building the bodies as two piece off center as on Jimmy's guitar body takes a lot of time and effort.    As he points out the grain pattern really was very much apart of the character of the guitar.   The Dragon is a living object and paying respect to the wood of the guitar is important in my opinion.   That took care and craftsmanship.  Paul deserves a lot of respect for the wood working part of this build.

2) Paul and his team flew to England and measured the neck and the claim here is that the neck is the exact shape as Page's.   If this guitar really is "Excalibur" as Jimmy referred to it in his press release interview, then the Neck is the sword.   The bow was the wand, but the neck was his sword.   If it is the neck from the original, the fact that he pulled if off the guitar and put it on B-Bender a guitar that in his later part of Zeppelin and the Firm, shows how much he loved it.   The phrasing on the Chopin Etude on the ARMS concert is an example of how much he evolved with this neck.

3) The Diffraction grating film under the pickguard is correct.   Maybe a little overstated as the film Page used wasn't as strong as this sheet.  I hate seeing people build this guitar with aluminum foil or some other garbage.   This type of sheet Jimmy Page refers to in the recent Fender Promotional interview as the "7th Element".   An interesting reference to Helena Blavatsky.   Page as always maintained the Diffraction grating ( a term used for the sheets on CD's) he placed under the perspex pick-guard as giving off Rainbow colors.   “Yes. There was work done on it but only afterwards. I painted it; everyone painted their guitars in those days. And I had reflective plastic sheeting underneath the pick guard that gives rainbow colors.”  ~ July 77 Guitar World Steve Rosen Interview

4) Jimmy Page chose, supplied and applied (some of) the colors/paints onto the guitars directly.    This is cool as as it should be.   Lets face it ta lot of the $25K is for the Autograph.  Because a more accurate 59' build does not cost anywhere near this.  Hell you can get a real 59 for under $25K.   Very close and yes many sell at or above but I own a 58 and 59 and I didnt pay anywhere near that.

5) Love that both versions of the guitar are offered.  As they are linked visually.  NO CIRCLES ARE NOT A NOD TO SYD BARRETT.   The Circles are a reference to the Dragon.  So a "SET" of guitars is a great metophor to their actual significance.   And Yes the Mirrored STICKERS were applied before most people ever saw SYD's.  I doubt Jimmy Saw SYD's prior to DECEMBER 66, when they were applied not FEB 67 as Fender claims they may have been applied.

6) Watching the young kids pickup and play the cheaper Dragon was awesome.  They loved it.  And that to me is the best part of this project.

 

The comments/criticisms:

1) I'm surprise Fender and Jimmy didn't try and go for an as it was look.   Relic'ing to some extent like on the Mirror'd version.   The under the pickguard ripples, cloudy appearance, bleed through paint, and markings. None of these are present and absolutely could have been achieved with known photos.

2) The MIRRORS were NOT actual mirrors.  They were metal reflective stickers that got stuffed in time and needed to be constantly polished to keep them refecting and they had NO GLASS on them.   So why do that now?   Just simply not accurate.  Also FENDER Does't ship these ON THE GUITAR but rather IN THE CASE.  Why because they don't want to be accountable for the double sided sticker to damage the finish.  Lame.

3) The neck doesn't have clay markers on the Custom Shop.   Really?   Why?  That's what JP's neck had.  

4) I'm confused about the Signature on the back of the neck.   Is it only on the White Mirrored CS version?  Seems as though if you want that awesome graph you need to buy both.  Wow!  Really?  Please correct me if I'm wrong.

5) The Dragon doesn't seem to be finished.   NONE of the Yellow paint between the Red & Green & Orange lines are present.  Its just raw wood where there was clearly YELLOW paint on the actual guitar.  There isn't even Yellow on the Made in "Ensenada" version.  

6) The MIM version is like a bulky sticker that is raised off the body.   I could have been a silk screen or some other option but its dull in color and feels weird.

7) Lastly, while I get that the drawing was re-illustrated with Page's supervision, its close but off in sections.   Out of proportion and the fine lines and corners of the original which to my eye look to have been painted with a razor cut stencil are simply rounded in corners making it look like a bad art students rendition.   If the original was done with such accuracy (with what seems to be an easier approach), why was't this one?  

8- The pick-guard is too big on the top arc and covers the Serpent lower mouth.   Hides the essence of the visual object.   Covering key parts of the image, hides its meaning.  Maybe thats what Page wanted who knows but its more because Fender based this pick-guard off of an actual Telecaster pick-guard shape and not the CUSTOM one made for page.  Which was no where to be seen in the onsite Fender visit photos.   

9) That Fullerton 3 way switch in the pics, the 50062 bottom stamped Neck plate (1959-60) and a Feb 58 neck?   Really?  This guitar is mysteriously a major Mutt/Partscaster.    Hard to believe that the neck and NECK PLATE are so far apart.    Something smells fishy here.   The body has all the grain pattern markings of the real Dragon.   But something is fishy to me.   Did Page really pull this neck back off of the B-Bender.   The paint makings on the neck heel are interesting but who sands off the date stamp INSIDE a pickup cavity and neck cavity?   That is some serious sanding that this guitar had.   You would think it was a gun used in a murder or something.

10)  Has else noticed the the white rope around the bridge pickup as NO PAINT ON IT WHAT SOEVER?   What happened to the myth of the body be being painted over ruining the bridge pickup?   Did this pickup get rewound and rewrapped with new cloth?   The rosin build up on the magnet poles could not be seen in the video and is not in the relic'ing so.... Those magnet/rubber spacers are cool but simply keep the pickup in place.  I'm sure some audiophiles will say the magnets do something.    Well lets hopefully see what the custom wind output ends up being when they are in the hands of buyers.

I think the $2500 Mirrored version is a great guitar.   And a silk screen/autograph is worth it to me.   I see myself buying one.   I'll probably stripe it and paint my own Dragon. 

 

 

Edited by TheEyeOfZoro
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10 hours ago, TheEyeOfZoro said:

Now that I'm back from NAMM and having seen all of the guitars up close at the Fender booth, I have a few praises, comments and criticisms.    

First the Praises:

1) Paul Waller seeking out Cathedral Grain patterns with a clear plastic template and building the bodies as two piece off center as on Jimmy's guitar body takes a lot of time and effort.    As he points out the grain pattern really was very much apart of the character of the guitar.   The Dragon is a living object and paying respect to the wood of the guitar is important in my opinion.   That took care and craftsmanship.  Paul deserves a lot of respect for the wood working part of this build.

2) Paul and his team flew to England and measured the neck and the claim here is that the neck is the exact shape as Page's.   If this guitar really is "Excalibur" as Jimmy referred to it in his press release interview, then the Neck is the sword.   The bow was the wand, but the neck was his sword.   If it is the neck from the original, the fact that he pulled if off the guitar and put it on B-Bender a guitar that in his later part of Zeppelin and the Firm, shows how much he loved it.   The phrasing on the Chopin Etude on the ARMS concert is an example of how much he evolved with this neck.

3) The Diffraction grating film under the pickguard is correct.   Maybe a little overstated as the film Page used wasn't as strong as this sheet.  I hate seeing people build this guitar with aluminum foil or some other garbage.   This type of sheet Jimmy Page refers to in the recent Fender Promotional interview as the "7th Element".   An interesting reference to Helena Blavatsky.   Page as always maintained the Diffraction grating ( a term used for the sheets on CD's) he placed under the perspex pick-guard as giving off Rainbow colors.   “Yes. There was work done on it but only afterwards. I painted it; everyone painted their guitars in those days. And I had reflective plastic sheeting underneath the pick guard that gives rainbow colors.”  ~ July 77 Guitar World Steve Rosen Interview

4) Jimmy Page chose, supplied and applied (some of) the colors/paints onto the guitars directly.    This is cool as as it should be.   Lets face it ta lot of the $25K is for the Autograph.  Because a more accurate 59' build does not cost anywhere near this.  Hell you can get a real 59 for under $25K.   Very close and yes many sell at or above but I own a 58 and 59 and I didnt pay anywhere near that.

5) Love that both versions of the guitar are offered.  As they are linked visually.  NO CIRCLES ARE NOT A NOD TO SYD BARRETT.   The Circles are a reference to the Dragon.  So a "SET" of guitars is a great metophor to their actual significance.   And Yes the Mirrored STICKERS were applied before most people ever saw SYD's.  I doubt Jimmy Saw SYD's prior to DECEMBER 66, when they were applied not FEB 67 as Fender claims they may have been applied.

6) Watching the young kids pickup and play the cheaper Dragon was awesome.  They loved it.  And that to me is the best part of this project.

 

The comments/criticisms:

1) I'm surprise Fender and Jimmy didn't try and go for an as it was look.   Relic'ing to some extent like on the Mirror'd version.   The under the pickguard ripples, cloudy appearance, bleed through paint, and markings. None of these are present and absolutely could have been achieved with known photos.

2) The MIRRORS were NOT actual mirrors.  They were metal reflective stickers that got stuffed in time and needed to be constantly polished to keep them refecting and they had NO GLASS on them.   So why do that now?   Just simply not accurate.  Also FENDER Does't ship these ON THE GUITAR but rather IN THE CASE.  Why because they don't want to be accountable for the double sided sticker to damage the finish.  Lame.

3) The neck doesn't have clay markers on the Custom Shop.   Really?   Why?  That's what JP's neck had.  

4) I'm confused about the Signature on the back of the neck.   Is it only on the White Mirrored CS version?  Seems as though if you want that awesome graph you need to buy both.  Wow!  Really?  Please correct me if I'm wrong.

5) The Dragon doesn't seem to be finished.   NONE of the Yellow paint between the Red & Green & Orange lines are present.  Its just raw wood where there was clearly YELLOW paint on the actual guitar.  There isn't even Yellow on the Made in "Ensenada" version.  

6) The MIM version is like a bulky sticker that is raised off the body.   I could have been a silk screen or some other option but its dull in color and feels weird.

7) Lastly, while I get that the drawing was re-illustrated with Page's supervision, its close but off in sections.   Out of proportion and the fine lines and corners of the original which to my eye look to have been painted with a razor cut stencil are simply rounded in corners making it look like a bad art students rendition.   If the original was done with such accuracy (with what seems to be an easier approach), why was't this one?  

8- The pick-guard is too big on the top arc and covers the Serpent lower mouth.   Hides the essence of the visual object.   Covering key parts of the image, hides its meaning.  Maybe thats what Page wanted who knows but its more because Fender based this pick-guard off of an actual Telecaster pick-guard shape and not the CUSTOM one made for page.  Which was no where to be seen in the onsite Fender visit photos.   

9) That Fullerton 3 way switch in the pics, the 50062 bottom stamped Neck plate (1959-60) and a Feb 58 neck?   Really?  This guitar is mysteriously a major Mutt/Partscaster.    Hard to believe that the neck and NECK PLATE are so far apart.    Something smells fishy here.   The body has all the grain pattern markings of the real Dragon.   But something is fishy to me.   Did Page really pull this neck back off of the B-Bender.   The paint makings on the neck heel are interesting but who sands off the date stamp INSIDE a pickup cavity and neck cavity?   That is some serious sanding that this guitar had.   You would think it was a gun used in a murder or something.

10)  Has else noticed the the white rope around the bridge pickup as NO PAINT ON IT WHAT SOEVER?   What happened to the myth of the body be being painted over ruining the bridge pickup?   Did this pickup get rewound and rewrapped with new cloth?   The rosin build up on the magnet poles could not be seen in the video and is not in the relic'ing so.... Those magnet/rubber spacers are cool but simply keep the pickup in place.  I'm sure some audiophiles will say the magnets do something.    Well lets hopefully see what the custom wind output ends up being when they are in the hands of buyers.

I think the $2500 Mirrored version is a great guitar.   And a silk screen/autograph is worth it to me.   I see myself buying one.   I'll probably stripe it and paint my own Dragon. 

 

 

Thanks for the info!

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So, I pre-ordered one of the Jimmy Page Dragon production run Telecasters for $1,399.99 from Musicians Friend to be delivered in July...I thought it was weird that the white production one was $2,400 while the what I will assume will be better selling dragon telecaster is $1,000 less.  The dragon has non-guitarist man cave wall-hanger written all over it and they should sell a bunch of these.  It was also odd that they were not calling it an American Telecaster in the descriptions I could find, in fact no articles I can find mention anything about where the production guitars will be made. Usually when a Fender is made in the US they put it right out there usually. 

I wanted to know exactly what I was purchasing and where it was from, so I reached out to Musician's Friend to ask where it will be made.  They got back to me and said the Dragon tele will be made in Mexico...I already have an American Standard Telecaster from the 90's and do not need something new but inferior.  

So, I called in to cancel my order and I picked up an open-box Epiphone double neck for 1/2 the price! 

I am surprised that the production dragon is made in Mexico, not that that is the hugest deal, but the quality, fit, and finish is lower in my experience with the Mexican vs. US Fender products.  This seems like a big enough money maker that they could have charged $1,800 or so for the Dragon and made it in the US.  Honestly, you can buy a sweet Telecaster made in Mexico for under $500.00 at the shop, and for half that a bit used...why the extra $900 for a dragon and JP signature sticker?

Now I am wondering, will the production run jimmy page white mirrored guitar be made in the US, and that is why it will be more expensive?  Anyone? 4 or 5 little mirrors and some whitewash don't add up to $1,000!  

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21 hours ago, Darth Hoek said:

So, I pre-ordered one of the Jimmy Page Dragon production run Telecasters for $1,399.99 from Musicians Friend to be delivered in July...I thought it was weird that the white production one was $2,400 while the what I will assume will be better selling dragon telecaster is $1,000 less.  The dragon has non-guitarist man cave wall-hanger written all over it and they should sell a bunch of these.  It was also odd that they were not calling it an American Telecaster in the descriptions I could find, in fact no articles I can find mention anything about where the production guitars will be made. Usually when a Fender is made in the US they put it right out there usually. 

I wanted to know exactly what I was purchasing and where it was from, so I reached out to Musician's Friend to ask where it will be made.  They got back to me and said the Dragon tele will be made in Mexico...I already have an American Standard Telecaster from the 90's and do not need something new but inferior.  

So, I called in to cancel my order and I picked up an open-box Epiphone double neck for 1/2 the price! 

I am surprised that the production dragon is made in Mexico, not that that is the hugest deal, but the quality, fit, and finish is lower in my experience with the Mexican vs. US Fender products.  This seems like a big enough money maker that they could have charged $1,800 or so for the Dragon and made it in the US.  Honestly, you can buy a sweet Telecaster made in Mexico for under $500.00 at the shop, and for half that a bit used...why the extra $900 for a dragon and JP signature sticker?

Now I am wondering, will the production run jimmy page white mirrored guitar be made in the US, and that is why it will be more expensive?  Anyone? 4 or 5 little mirrors and some whitewash don't add up to $1,000!  

Yes the production mirrored  tele is USA and the dragon is MIM, which accounts for the price  difference... I personally dont mind that the dragon is MIM, I have and  have had a couple MIM roadworns that are silly good quality in terms of the lightweight wood and harder and thinner nitro that is not always seen on many USA models... but after hearing that the dragon is a sticker and  not screen printed has me thinking of cancelling my pre order as well...

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 2/12/2019 at 3:59 PM, Ed A said:

Yes the production mirrored  tele is USA and the dragon is MIM, which accounts for the price  difference... I personally dont mind that the dragon is MIM, I have and  have had a couple MIM roadworns that are silly good quality in terms of the lightweight wood and harder and thinner nitro that is not always seen on many USA models... but after hearing that the dragon is a sticker and  not screen printed has me thinking of cancelling my pre order as well...

Part of the appeal of the Dragon Telecaster is the fact that is supposed to be a reproduction of Jimmy's "painted" telecaster. If the production run is featuring a "sticker" of the Dragon design, then fuck it, I'll buy the "Mirror" version, instead. It's really the sound of the guitar I'm after, but nevertheless I really don't want a guitar with a sticker embossed on it either.

Edited by mysticman560
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On 2/22/2019 at 4:55 AM, Xolo1974 said:

Cannot believe it’s a sticker. That is so piss poor. I guess the clue was in the price

It would be much cooler if it was a stencil and came with a paint kit. Then you could paint your own. Better than a crappy ass sticker. 

Edited by Silverseas
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18 hours ago, Silverseas said:

It would be much cooler if it was a stencil and came with a paint kit. Then you could paint your own. Better than a crappy ass sticker. 

Honestly I'm way happier with my own drawing of the Dragon Telecaster than whoever Jimmy Used as an illustrator for his.   So I'm making laser cut stencils for the various color layers.    This video is of very thin 4mil mylar.   This thickness melts the mylar in places that I wish it didn't.  I'm testing 7mm and even thin sturdy acrylic sheets.  My Drawing centers around the bridge holes so the Red, Green, Orange and Blue all have an anchor point.  Also let's not forget the yellow between the Red & Green lines.    When you really study the original guitar and see how straight and sharp the lines are, there is no doubt the original guitar was done with Stencils.  I heard via a 3rd party (which very well have been a rumor) that Page even found his original stencils.    I love that Page applied paint to the custom shop models himself, but at his age to free hand them via a paint by numbers strategy simply could not have been how the original was done and should NOT have been how these were done.   Laying the yellow down first and then applying the Red & Green over the yellow is the only way to get the yellow so thin and accurately between.

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