Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin formed in London in 1968 from the ashes of the Yardbirds, with Jimmy Page assembling Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham into what became the heaviest and most dynamic band of the 1970s. Page's guitar arsenal was vast but centered on a few instruments: a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard ("Number One") for the heavy riffs and a 1959 Fender Telecaster — the same one he'd used in the Yardbirds — for the first album's sessions. Led Zeppelin I (1969), recorded in about 36 hours at Olympic Studios with engineer Glyn Johns, captured Page playing the Telecaster through a Supro Thunderbolt amplifier, a small combo amp whose natural breakup at low volumes gave "Good Times Bad Times" and "Communication Breakdown" their raw, explosive quality. By Led Zeppelin II (1969), Page had switched primarily to the Les Paul through Marshall Super Lead Plexis and was using a Sola Sound Tone Bender fuzz and a Maestro Echoplex tape delay that became essential to solos like "Whole Lotta Love." The Echoplex's preamp also fattened his clean signal, a trick Page used throughout his career. On Led Zeppelin IV (1971), recorded at Headley Grange with the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, Page layered a Harmonium and a Gibson EDS-1275 doubleneck (six and twelve-string) for "Stairway to Heaven," while Bonham's thunderous drum sound came from recording his Ludwig kit in the mansion's stairwell. Jones contributed Mellotron M400 textures and a Fender Bass VI on tracks like "No Quarter." Physical Graffiti (1975) showcased Page's expanding palette: a Danelectro tuned to open G, an MXR Phase 90 for swirling textures, a theremin for live performances, and the increasingly prominent use of a Vox AC30 for cleaner tones alongside the Marshalls. Jones' work with a Mellotron, Moog synthesizer, and Fender Rhodes added symphonic depth. Live, Page's rig grew to include Marshall JMP 100-watt heads and the legendary doubleneck for "The Song Remains the Same." Bonham's massive drum sound was achieved with a 26-inch Ludwig bass drum, heavy Zildjian cymbals, and virtually no damping — an approach that influenced every hard rock drummer who followed.