There’s an old saying amongst guitar shop owners: “Nothing sold more Les Pauls than Jimmy Page’s Telecaster.”

I can see why Jimmy would use the Les Paul for live-- it allows you to be messier, play around a little more, and have fun. The Tele sounds more exact, crisp, and clean, which is what you'd go for in-studio. Both are beautiful; both do Zep justice.

Les Paul for Black Dog for sure, probably telecaster for the other ones. Tele definitely has a bit more of that distinctive Led Zeppelin feel to it.

I just got a TELE and DAMN!! I have been playing for years why the HELL didnt I get one before!! LOVE IT!!

He recorded the solo for "Stairway" on a Tele...still blows my mind.

Surprised me, but I think I like the Tele sound better. Seems a little clearer ringing out better. The Les Paul sounds almost as good.

I'm digging the Tele for Jimmy Page. The riffs sounded better to me. He also used the Tele with the Yardbirds.

Telecaster : Hot Dog And Ten Years Gone Les Paul : Black Dog, Moby Dick In "Heartbreaker" the two guitars have a nice sound i think.

"sorry that was out of tune :(" *insert les paul joke here*

Finally, someone showing some love to the song hot dog

I liked the sound of the telepaul but the lescaster was nice too 😁 🙃

The tele has a lower output so really the gain needs to be hiked up just a bit when using a tele to get a proper like for like comparison. Other than that it's 50/50. I liked Moby Dick on the tele a lot though.

Hmmm? Back then the recording gear was quite different from what we have now and what worked well in the studio may not have worked well at a live venue. The punch of the Les Paul with the amps that they were using then provided a lot more punch that would reach the back rows better. For clarity in the recording studio the Tele had the high frequencies that would cut through the mix when recorded but hard to control at live events.

I'm a huge fender guy but the Les Paul sounds way better imo, more of that beefy/mean sound

Tele sounds more like Page's playing on the records, so it's easy to see that he used it in the studio (sometimes live as well, but quite rarely). Btw. Ten Years Gone is my favorite Led Zep song. Cool video!

I love the beefy sound of the les paul, I definitely prefer it over the twangy Telecaster. That being said, Zep's 1969 live performance of dazed and confused where Jimmy used a tele was amazing.

The Tele always sounds twangy...The song: "Ten Years Gone" really evokes so much emotion (even the clean beginning) - man, what good song writing Jimmy Page had!

The tele actually sounds more like what we hear on the album versions of every single one you played

Les Paul just has a larger sound.. probably because of the rosewood and humbucker .. but I have to choose the LP just sounds more full and better

I own a 1996 Jimmy Page Les Paul, it has 4 push-pull knobs making it very versatile for playing out of phase and as a single-coil like a telecaster. With a wah and his special MKII tone bender, he was able to recreate virtually all his recorded songs on the Les paul during live shows.

Whether he used a tele or a les Paul in the recordings, I think the most sought after page tone was the msg live tone. Which was his lp standard plugged into a Marshall super lead.

Oh man, the Hearthbreaker would sound massive with both guitars together (Now I got that I'm like 3 years late for this video lol)

The Les Paul! No shame on the Tele it definitely rocks Led!

That clean tone for ten years gone sounds exactly like the record when you played it on a Tele

Ten years gone sold me on the tele. Fantastic, accurate, and iconic sound

i thought it all sounded better on a tele

Man I got so many chills when you started playing ten years gone

I likes the sound of both.You should record both of them and PAN one right and PAN one left. I bet it would sound amazing.

Gibson Les Paul all the way. Always thought they had a meatier raw sound.

the painted tele Jimmy used from the Danish radio show looks so nice and sounds mesmerizing

They both sound good, but I prefer, mostly, the beefier sound of the Les Paul.

Tele definitely. Lot more cleaner sound

The Telecaster sounded much cleaner and crisper than the les Paul to me, especially on 10 years gone...however the individual players comfort level with the instrument is a huge variable that needs to be taken into account. Jimi Page’s style lends itself to playing a Les Paul for live performances as there is much more “room” to hide a mistake or sloppy playing. But in the studio when the playing needed to be spot on and tight the Telecaster is the one for sure.

Tele for Ten Years Gone/Hot Dog, and the LP for the other three.

if set the same, the Les Paul will clearly have a fuller sound. It's the humbuckd. You can adjust the settings for the Tele to sound almost exactly like the LP. So it comes down to taste and which guitar feels more comfortable for you playing.

1- Tele 2- Les Paul 3- Les Paul 4- Les paul 5- Tele

That tele is the truth man, wanna sound like Led Zeppelin crank up that telecaster.

Teles also don't have the tuning problem Les Pauls do. Both sound good here, just different. That tele sounded great

Tone is great on both but the Tele is brighter and more defined while the LP is louder and more powerful both are great choices:)

For me Les Paul! Not a huge fan of the tele though. Btw, have you considered removing the scratch plate from your LP? I just did it on mine, after 15 years of playing it, and I don't understand why I didn't do it sooner! It looks so much cooler now

For Ten Years Gone I actually like both if I were to record a cover with those tones it sounds great I'd use the Tele for the clean part and the Les Paul for the distortion

Definitely sounds like Tele is closer to the studio recording. AWESOME video BTW! Great theme for a video!!!

Some may not know this, but guitarists doing crunchy stuff in the studio usually use a cleaner tone to get a bigger sound. Yes, cleaner is bigger, just ask Angus Young, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Peter Townsend, Steve Howe and Mr. Page himself. Jimmy Hendrix played fairly clean most of the time and his sound was huge. So, I think that in order to control the crunch and keep it articulate Jimmy Page played his Telecaster with appropriate gain dialed in on his amp and/or with pedals on most of the Zep studio stuff. BTW, it is not a good idea to use the same settings for a L.P. and Tele. Surely the cleaner single coil pickups on the Tele want a bit more amp gain than the L.P.'s thicker-sounding, humbuckers. Even different amps, etc. would be appropriate to maximize the tone of for each guitar. Let us also remember that studio recordings and the various instruments we hear on them are usually highly processed and EQed during the mixing stage and that the overall sound is further processed and EQed during the mastering stage.

I think Tele to record with and Gibson live.

Stairway was recorded on a telecaster.....and the Tele sounds better than the LP. Just my opinion.....except for Ten Years Gone sounds better on the LP.

From what I have read..... Page did use a Tele on most recordings rather than the Les Paul (which was his stage gear).

Les Paul sounds great; powerfull and warm with lot of mid tones. But Fender thin shap single coils may be better for "cut throuhg the mix" when playing solo.

I think I preferred the tele on every riff

Page said Heartbreaker was the first song he recorded on a Les Paul.

I feel like in our modern era of recording it would be fantastic to record both guitars synchronized. Les Paul got obviously the main tone perfectly but Telecaster got his own fenderesque attack wich can add some interesting punch to the whole thing.

Its also true that Page used a lot of coil tapping and phase switching in his LPs pickups to get a lot of single coil sounds.

My Analysis Heartbreaker -sounds better on the Les Paul, but sounds more like the recording with the Tele Black Dog - Les Paul sounds better Hot Dog - Tele sounds better and more accurate to the recording Moby Dick - Les Paul killed it, Tele did okay Ten Years Gone - Les Paul sounded better/richer and more accurate to the original recording

Telecaster all the way obviously!

I'm a Les Paul or SG kinda guy, but that Telecaster surprised me. I like the way it sounds more than a Stratocaster. If only Fender/Squier would do the Faraday cage thing in the pickup cavities. Telecasters seem highly underrated. It's the one Fender style guitar I think I'd own if I wanted some single coil action.

Got to work on your fourth finger bends, I did, it really paid off with a bit of time and support to the little guy.

Telecaster sounds warmer, and more Led Zeppelin like...I just love how the the les paul sounds though. Kinda has a heavier sound to me

Jimmy actually did a lot of recording as well as live playing with a tele, including the guitar solo in stairway to heaven. Personally I think the tele sounds better, but the guitarist is what really makes the difference and he is one of the greatest of all time.

Jimmy used a rosewood fretboard tele. Not sure it would make an IMMENSE difference, but something to think about.

At some point back in the late 80's or early 90's, when Page was asked by a guitar magazine what his favorite guitar of all-time was, he responded without hesitation: "Fender Telecaster". But favorites aside, he very much understood the strengths of every guitar he used, and which one worked best for what song and situation (studio recording vs. live concert), and used them accordingly.

heartbreaker sounds so much better on a tele

that tele sounds awesome is it a custom or a made in Mexico one?

Wow. Thanks! I'm now convinced Jimmy obviously used a tele to record most, if not all of the riffs you played on this video.

That Tens Years Gone, i need to learn that.. beautiful!

the les paul has a very cool bite that any other guitar has.

less Paul not because I own one, but the telephone has too much twang

LP: Black Dog and Moby Dick Tele: Heartbreaker, Hot Dog, Ten Years Gone

I think he did use both guitar for some musics, like using the Tele in some solos, but recording the rhythm with the Les Paul, and I think that he did never used the EDS-1275 for recording, he used a fender 12 strings guitar.

Gotta go with the Tele, Jimmy was infamous with that Dragon Tele in the early years.

Tele all the way.

I think of myself as more of a Les Paul guy but try to keep my mind open when it comes to what I hear. To me that Telecaster totally nails the Zep sound on most of those riffs. I'm selling my Tele but am now not sure, (again!).

Interesting video. I'm a huge LZ fan, and to my ears the Tele is much closer to the actual album sound in every riff except Ten Years Gone, which was of course off Physical Graffiti, a later album, so was probably recorded with the LP. Having said that, I'm no expert anyway, and my stable is full of LP's. Now I'm gonna maybe someday have to get a Tele. love your work Robert, keep it up. \m/

The Tele needs a violin bow. my pick is the LP! plus it was versatile for Jimmy with the rhythm/treble switch for those Zep tones.

I say les Paul because I'm pretty sure thats what jimmy page used most of the time plus it has this ruff sound that just makes it sound amazing

Jimmy used the telecaster on the first album, then the Les Paul from April 1969 on live with the telecaster back again live '77 on. Recording with Telecaster and Les Paul throughout the band's career.

I'd never thought much about this, but since getting more into Led Zep for the first time yeah the Telecaster sounds right for the vast majority of their stuff.

Def tele on Ten Years Gone

Love ur vids

All the songs on the first album were played on the telecaster, in the studio. Most of what followed was played on the Les Paul. Notable exceptions are the solo for Stairway which was the tele, Hot Dog was on the tele and In the Evening on a strat. The tele is brighter and sounds better for most arpeggiated riffs, but for power, presence and sustain there’s no substitute for the Les Paul. Unfortunately it’s not a proper comparison unless you’re using a ‘59 Les Paul against a ‘59 Telecaster.

I think the telecaster sounds too much calm, dont know how to explain... but LP, omg, i really love it sounds, heavier maybe but i love it !

les paul sounds better. it has a richer sound. better tone.

Should’ve played some Stairway. XD

One important point to consider: Most who have played the old LPs from 58 & 59 agree that the pickups have the clarity of a Tele. So Tele and small amps in the studio to control volume; then LP and large amps on stage for more volume and presence in the venue. Similar tone.

Jimmy Page is Alex Lifeson's guitar hero and interestingly Lifeson has said that he actually used a Tele in the studio to record a lot ( if not most) of the Rush material.

As much as it pains me, I think I've gotta say the Teletwanger sounds more accurate. 😁 I think that the Les Paul was overdriving the amp more than I expected!

Not even close...Les Paul = BEEF!!! That is 100% grass-fed beefy tone goodness!

This type of comparison is fun, but there is so much more to a guitars sound than just the guitar. Just by positioning the mics in the studio makes a huge difference. Using more than one mic also makes a huge difference. Andy Johns has an interview on KZfaq about recording Zeppelin 2 and Zeppelin 4. He said that he remembers that Page used the Les Paul for 4 but the Telecaster on the previous albums - unless it was an acoustic song. He doesn't say anything about the much fabled Supro Thunderbolt amp that Page supposedly used...

The reason why there's a debate at all is because when Page switched to LP's, his tone changed, but not really that drastically. His guitar and amp settings kept his tone bright and thin by the standards of most LP players. The key difference is that it made his chording a bit beefier. And don't forget that he had tapped coils put into his LP's as well, so live he could switch into a more fendery single coil sound if he wanted. In the end, his default tone is still got some fender sound, regardless of what he's playing.

Obviously Les Paul

les paul

Actually this is not a fair compare/contrast thing. The truth is for at least a good portion of things Page used a LES PAUL with a lot of weird switches and wiring. For first album all TELECASTER but on other albums he used more and other guitars like the Danelectro for Kashmir

when you're recording, you often want a thinner sound (tele) since the bass and drums carry the bottom. tele cuts thru better. also page got that really 'squeezing' sound, especially for the lead work. Most guys then used hum bucker guitars for live work because the single coils picked up too much noise and fed back too much at high volume amplification. With just a guitar, as here, the LP sounds 'better' because it is fuller and richer.

Everything sounds better on a Les Paul. Why is that? How can this sixty year old instrument STILL be the best sounding electric guitar in the world?

They sound better on an 8 string.

I am a LP and SG player, but I have to give all five to the Tele for suiting the part better. Moby Dick was the one that was hardest to decide. I struggle with Fender scale length tho, so stick to LP, SGs, or 245s Jimmy appears to have cranked the highs and cut the bass when using a LP for the parts he recorded with a Tele. Still, my fav Page tones are the live ones at Madison Square Gardens with the LP and 200 watt Marshalls. Could be piecing treble, but also really warm and woody sounding by rolling off at times. That live version of Dazed and Confused is genius and his tones were so good. How does one person come up with so many really good original ideas during one jam out? I dunno. I also wonder how often he was using the Tone Bender and also boosting with the Echoplex, because most 'sound like Page' videos never mention those - or the Supro and Deluxe amps etc he used. The studio version of Nobody's Fault But Mine has this gorgeous flanging effect that for me is the pinnacle of flange tones. Another tone of his I really like is the lead tone on You Shook Me. Sounds like a Woman Tone with fuzz, but has a really big reverb or echo that makes it sound huge. Tangerine I think is the other song he has a similar tone in. p.s. I really like that LP KM you got. My fist guitar I bought in New Zealand here in 1986 was a very old J-45 acoustic made in Kalamazoo. That place name is so cool and I always remembered it. What a guitar that was! Next guitar was a pre-law suit Ibanez les paul. To this day the best LP I have ever had. I like SGs too. More of a rowdy attitude and it lets you open up more than a LP. Kind if like LP is the gorgeous nice girl and the SG is the hot bad girl. Yeah, probably should not use women as a metaphor, but can't think of a better way to explain the difference between a LP and a SG. They are not the same. So yeah: Dude, try to find a good SG (they vary a lot, so it take a bit to get a good one)

4 pick ups vs two... the Paul has a fuller sound but the Tele sound is cleaner but could use some gain to equal the Paul for longevity of the note which dies quickly on the Tele. For this set up and demo I like the Paul

Telecaster > Les Paul

I think it sound warmer on the telecaster because it doesn't have humbuckers but overall I like the shape of the telecaster despite preferring the sound of the les Paul. I own an ibanez steve vai strat jem

If you want to compare would it not be best to do so with a guitar straight to an amp?

Jimmy used that telecaster on the first album and live in '69 and early 70 check the Denmark show . I think he started using the Paul by Zeppelin 3

Jimmy actually played an all black telecaster live when he played hot dog in 1979 so yeah