Jimmy Page on loaning instruments to Metropolitan Museum exhibit, including guitar on which he wrote

(2 Apr 2019) JIMMY PAGE ON LOANING INSTRUMENTS TO METROPOLITAN MUSEUM EXHIBIT, INCLUDING GUITAR ON WHICH HE WROTE 'STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN'
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is about to make history with a major exhibition showcasing rock and roll instruments. The collection consists of more than 130 pieces on loan from the genre's biggest names.
Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page contributed a substantial portion of his collection and spoke to the Associated Press Monday (1 APRIL 2019) in New York. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was impressed that fans will pass by an array of ancient statues as they make their way to the exhibition.
But it was the first thing they would encounter after that had piqued his attention.
"They said that you approach the gallery through Greco Roman statues, and then the first thing you see is Chuck Berry's guitar. I said, 'What? The original one, the blonde one?' And they said, 'Yes.' And I said, 'What would you like? Just tell me what you want to help this along and you can have whatever it is that you want,'" Page said.
He's loaned seven of his guitars to the exhibition, as well as costumes and amplifiers.
Among those loaners was the one that Page used to write most of the Led Zeppelin songs fans have come to love.
"When I was in The Yardbirds, I wrote songs on it, because the thing is, it's not the sort of thing where you would go home and set up a huge amplification system just to play a few riffs. To explore the guitar and the writing process, I would do it on the acoustic most of the time. Not all the time, but most of the time. And that, that particular guitar is the, is the vehicle whereby the first album Led Zeppelin was written, the second album is written, the third album is written, and the fourth album is written. And it's the guitar that actually culminates in playing 'Stairway to Heaven,'" Page said.
Other musicians who have loaned their instruments include Keith Richards, Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen and The Who. Posthumous guitars, some in pieces, come from Jimi Hendrix, Prince, and George Harrison.
There's also a burnt-up organ belonging to the late Keith Emerson, of Emerson, Lake and Palmer.
This is the first time a major museum will show the cultural impact of the instruments of rock music, and there will certainly be pieces with which spectators can identify.
And that even applies to the curator of musical instruments at the Metropolitan Museum.
James Dobney plays drums, so his favorite piece is a drum kit.
"The Ludwig drum set at the very beginning of the exhibition that was Ringo Starr's first Ludwig American drum set. He bought it, I think it was in 63, and used it for a while in Britain before the Beatles came. But it was his earliest American set that he was very proud of, so I think that is an icon, and I think everyone is going to love seeing that," Dobney said.
His partner in the exhibit, Craig Inciardi, curator of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, has more of a fondness for guitars, especially the ones that led to rock's most well-known songs.
"We have several of the primary composing instruments for some of rock and roll's most important artists. Jimmy Page was talking about the Harmony Sovereign, which he used to compose nearly every Led Zeppelin song, and we have equivalents of that with other musicians: Don Everly, Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen. So we have the signature guitar of a lot of rock and roll's most important artists and they're all here together," Inciardi said.
The exhibit opens on Monday and runs until October, when it transfers to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Find out more about AP Archive: www.aparchive.c...
Twitter: / ap_archive
Facebook: / aparchives ​​
Instagram: / apnews
You can license this story through AP Archive: www.aparchive.c...

[@padgemahaj3167]

Led zeppelin should have a proper museum of there own

[@jimmorrison3830]

100 %

[@chaseywoot]

Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny

[@jeshkam]

*their

[@jennifervalentine3596]

I just saw it today. I couldn’t believe I was looking at these incredible guitars - and not only that his amps, theremin, and dragon suit. I am not worthy! ❤️

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

90% of the best songs and instrumentals had their origins in in-expensive instruments.."Clunkers" we used to call them, guitars bought for little money or gifted or just found in the rubbish can inspire a person to write a masterpiece.

[@なんて悪い名前だ]

My mom is the one who told me about this, she is much more cooler than me. Wish to visit in time and thank you for posting this ap

[@sjmuffler1]

Go! It is a very happy place. Everyone can't help but smile and chat. It's not an exhibit as much as an experience.

[@tdz69]

What I love about Jimmy is he’s so well spoken and polite and that’s so opposite of much of the blistering rock he gave us. Almost like a jekyl and Hyde thing going on. This seems to be a common thread with some of the most incredible and nastiest musicians of our time. Lol.

[@elainemclaughlin9417]

Jimmy Page is a musical genius. He's learned to speak and control his nerves over the years. He used to be a mess! Couldn't be still, lots of twitching, I'm sure drugs didn't help.. But , I find most people who are genius are a bit different. He was always ahead of his time. I'm so glad , because he and Zeppelin made some outstanding music!

[@jamesbond4633]

Life has such strange anomalies. At the end Don Felder is playing Hotel California and he tells Jimmy Page to look away as a joke. I saw Led Zeppelin in 1977 at the Pontiac Silverdome and before the concert through the sound board they kept playing the whole Hotel California album (probably on cassette) over and over as the band came on rather late. I think it started around 9 when it was supposed to start at 8 I believe.. One of life's ironies that Don would then be playing it in front of Jimmy Page so many years later!!!!

[@jeffreymiddleton4063]

He's a wizard black Magick for everyone merry Christmas

[@markhill9275]

Even Sir James Bond cannot outcool James Patrick Page! Aka God!

[@pipersglenbb7086]

If Jimmy says he bought a Martin guitar I believe him but I'm sure in the mid '70s Martin would have gladly given him one free of charge. Maybe even paid him to use it.

[@josephnotoempire2949]

Steve Howe next please? It's nice to see the models of pickups and tone preamps getting demystified, in regards to how some sounds are captured in song. Jimmy Page is a sound engineer. He was the composer picking the instrumentation. Page is the reason the drums are so revered on Zepplin albums. Truly the reason I and so many others, like a Steve Albini - became so interested in audio engineering.

[@craigzinga]

Guitar Mecca! Took so many photos, very unexpectedly emotional !

[@GuyGuinivereOfficial]

big aw 1:50

[@STV-H4H]

I recently watched a video where jimmy showed this same amp setup in his home which was so incredibly cool. Seeing it in real life in America would be a dream (I guess the video that’s being shown in this exhibit was what I saw.) come true.

[@fostexfan160]

What a ridiculous time to cut this video short!? Are you a BBC disc jockey by any chance?

[@jamesfreschi3136]

Just wondering what the boxes on top of the Marshall amps are? One is probably an echo-p;lex but is there an attenuator of sorts there?

[@jamiemorgan4146]

Very cool.... And I’m never much impressed with anything! 🤚🏻🙌🏻👊🏻👋🏻🤙🏻

[@robstimson4234]

Funny story. Up in Massachusetts Sept [?] 2019. My buddy Dean Cassell [childhood friend, fantastic bassist, South Dartmouth MA] tells me about this rock 'n roll exhibit at the Met. l've got one free day, l decide to go check it out. Automobiles, Trains, Taxis to get there on time.l arrive, like, 5 minutes before closing time. l sweet-talk a security guy who sweet-talks a docent, and l am allowed in for, like , 12 minutes. My camera was a Nikon Coolpix at that point. So l blow thru the exhibit, like a Yankee on meth, and photograph every exhibit that has significance for me. l think l took 50 pics in 12 minutes. You do the math. Love ya JP! And the Who. And the Beatles. Etc, etc, etc..l will never be able to stroll leisurely thru that exhibit.

[@looking_33]

Right across from Eddie Van Halens!! Wow I really don't know which I'd look at first!!!

[@fortunatoofamontillado1059]

Glen Frey rolled over in his grave when Felder played Hotel California

[@elainemclaughlin9417]

That's the truth!! Felder never could sing, oh my gosh! And he's tried to take credit for that song forever! He's a very good guitarist, but he's not a composer.

[@joeswampdawghenry]

@@elainemclaughlin9417 he did compose that song,, frey an henley were amazed! Plus don is from Florida,, so that in itself makes him great,, aaaand the Eagles would not even b giants if not for that song,, which felder composed, the guitar riff.. Not the lyrics

[@elainemclaughlin9417]

@@joeswampdawghenry He may have created the riff, but he wants to take credit for the song. Annnndd, Don Henley is from Texas annnd Glenn Frye was from Detroit?? They also had lots of hit songs before Hotel California, it didn't make them.

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

Beatles logo by "Ivor Arbiter".

[@littleclay5875]

cool video - until he started singing

[@krishnananda4133]

history!! the magician

[@RodCornholio]

Ok, now play _Stairway to Heaven_ on one.

[@dvas2686]

Wish I knew about this during the 12 years I lived on Manhattan. Shame, as I would have loved to see these in person, especially the Page stuff. Bad marketing, COVID, or me being oblivious?

[@houseofaromatics8659]

Don Felder is high!

[@ferramirez4570]

The Hermit himself.

[@jimmorrison3830]

This should have a million👍🏻... Come on man I live in New York how do I miss this

[@sixstringsensei6673]

I wish this show would come to LA

[@kevinr.3542]

Too many people would set up tents and never leave the museum

[@stevenwaxman371]

Paige

[@Johnny-te4rv]

That’s where Jimmy’s instruments belong……in a museum.

[@mjphoto45]

The Beatles set wasn't the same Bass head as was seen on Ed Sullivan

[@davidallen346]

Jimmy Page has the most modest guitars collection compared to any other Rockstar guitarists on the planet. Maybe he has more expensive guitars in the storage who knows !?

[@jamesfreschi3136]

What are the boxes or devices that are on top of the Marshall Amp heads? I'm guessing one is an echo-plex - I guess what I am wonder is one of the boxes an attenuator of some sort?

[@arthowardmusic3209]

@@jamesfreschi3136 It was his theramin, which he used to make weird noises in the middle of "Whole Lotta Love." He had two Echoplex tape units up there, also.

[@joesteers1940]

I imagine he doesn’t play electric much nower days. Apparently he only keeps a few acoustics to hand around his house. A bit of a tangent but kind of interesting... Jimmy lives in a grade 1 listed property in London. Built by a renowned 19th century architect the house has been dubbed the ‘Tower House’. I’ve driven past it a couple of times and it’s exactly the kind of place you’d imagine him to live haha! Anyway I’ve read that he doesn’t like to play through amps in the house because areas of the architecture are quite fragile and he’s concerned that the vibration could have bad effects on certain aspects of it . That’s what was in an interview a couple of years ago anyway.🤷‍♂️🤔 I like to imagine he still breaks out Heartbreaker every now and then though 😂

[@elainemclaughlin9417]

@@joesteers1940 You're right, but he does have a country home where I'll bet he breaks out the electric! Also in the movie/documentary, It Might Get Loud, he seems to have quite the collection! I think he's so particular about them , and I'm sure some would sell for millions ( just because they belonged to him) . You should watch that movie, you could tell more than I can I'm sure.

[@bhagmeister]

More Jimmy….

[@robinleebraun7739]

The word is LENDING, not loaning. Loan is a noun, lend is the corresponding verb. Jimmy Page should bone up on his English.

[@tombodensick4437]

He can't lend his sheet music because so much of his music is stolen!

[@RawPower7]

The greatest guitarist of the world and who wrote the greatest guitar-riff of all times-Smoke on the water.

[@mjphoto45]

They stole Stairway from Spirit Taurus

[@mercronniel3122]

Shut up

[@bigkm1974]

Wrong! Not guilty verdict

[@joeswampdawghenry]

Not really,, but that part has a similar sound,, but not all the same notes or structure, to bad spirt didnt come up with something legendary, but they may hav inspired a wee....wee touch

[@elainemclaughlin9417]

@@joeswampdawghenry Right. I would imagine, over the years of listening to so many types of music , Jimmy had lots in his head. He may have remembered some of this and that. He always made all music his though! Great riffs like no other!

[@mikeodonnell6799]

I sure would like to meet him and also walk the grounds of Headley Grange