Post STH Telecaster use

[dulgee]

It's been said that the last time Jimmy recorded with the Dragon Tele was for the solo in STH.  But then i read that a Tele was used on several recording on HOTH, namely overdubs on The Song Remains the Same, The Ocean, and Over the Hills and Faraway.  Since the brown '53 Telecaster wasn't acquired until November 1975... which Tele was used on the album recorded in 1972/3 if NOT the Dragon Tele?  from what i've read the Dragon Tele was ruined around 1972... so...?

[PeaceFrogYum]

The Dragon Tele was technically screwed up when a friend of Jimmy's re-painted the guitar somewhere around late 71' early 72' while Jimmy was on tour. The paint job job screwed up the electronics as a result. Jimmy removed the neck which was later swapped out with the original on his 53' brown tele. To my knowledge Jimmy did keep the body as well but what became of it? Mystery.

What I don't understand is why Jimmy somewhat chucked this iconic guitar over something so easily fixable as a messed up paint job. Why didn't he just strip it like he did when he painted it in the first place and then install new electronics? He should have rehabed it, given it a new life, Drago2.0 or something. I would have loved for him to keep using it live, especially for D&C.

[pluribus]

3 hours ago, PeaceFrogYum said:

What I don't understand is why Jimmy somewhat chucked this iconic guitar over something so easily fixable as a messed up paint job. Why didn't he just strip it like he did when he painted it in the first place and then install new electronics? He should have rehabed it, given it a new life, Drago2.0 or something. I would have loved for him to keep using it live, especially for D&C.

He did keep it, and had it refurbished in the last few years so that they could use it as the basis for the Fender Custom Shop model.

 

[dulgee]

@PeaceFrogYum @pluribus

then if not the dragon Tele and not the brown 53... what Tele was used in recording HOTH???

[PeaceFrogYum]

2 hours ago, dulgee said:

@PeaceFrogYum @pluribus

then if not the dragon Tele and not the brown 53... what Tele was used in recording HOTH???

Jimmy had dozens of guitars including several telecasters and strats which he used during recording sessions. Case in point, he only recorded one song on the double-neck (Carouselambra), TSRTS (studio) was recorded using four different guitars if memory serves, the 12 string part done with his Vox 12 string. 

[PeaceFrogYum]

9 hours ago, pluribus said:

He did keep it, and had it refurbished in the last few years so that they could use it as the basis for the Fender Custom Shop model.

 

Oh understand, but why did he wait almost 50 years? It was a great guitar, an iconic guitar, I would have thought he would have fixed it ASAP and still took it on the road, or at least had it back up to snuff for studio purposes right away. Who knows, maybe he just forgot about it as he had a few teles & strats lying around for studio purposes.

[sixpense]

8 hours ago, PeaceFrogYum said:

Jimmy had dozens of guitars including several telecasters and strats which he used during recording sessions. Case in point, he only recorded one song on the double-neck (Carouselambra), TSRTS (studio) was recorded using four different guitars if memory serves, the 12 string part done with his Vox 12 string. 

Per Jimmy Page "On This Day" the 12 String was the Fender Model, and the Guitar Solos was the Les Paul.

[bluecongo]

Telecasters are everywhere on every single Zep album, more than people realize. 
 

telecasters are super versatile, much more so than Les Pauls, especially for rhythm tracks.   
 

Jimmy will never clarify what’s what, but I think everyone would be surprised at the amount of Telecaster usage, even on Presence.