What is and What Should Never Be - Led Zeppelin | Guitar Lesson

[@silverwings1843]

Very few Guitar Artist actually play what they record when it comes to Lead Word. Years back I was watching a Creame reunion with Eric, Jack and Ginger. I was excited to hear those incredible Leads of their Fresh Cream album. On every one of the original songs on that album Clapton just Jammed it!! I was incredibly disillusioned. I heard an interview once with Joe Walsh. He was asked what is going thru his mind when recorning his incredible lead work. He said he would always remember not to get to carried away do to the fact he was going to be called on to play it LIVE. He said Rocky Mountain High was a CURSE he has had to live with his entire career. Said for him to pull it off all the stars had to be aligned each and every attempt.

[@12footchain]

totally agree

[@Bob.Silverstein]

I agree with you. It sounds like a telecaster.

[@djhoneylove5710]

You are the fourth and IMHO most accurate lesson I have seen.

[@wooferdevlin3571]

Jimmy modded his LPs w/phase and coil split to thin them out. I think Jimmy prefers the mystery so that for all time, the key to his sound is: you have to be Jimmy Page. BTW, the Black Beauty was stolen by baggage handler at MSP airport, 1970. Jimmy got it back after the guy's widow sold it to a dealer who, round about, did blacklight test. Also, your slide work on intro, stellar: loud and quiet phrasing, vibrato, and pup' switch. Awesome stuff, dude, keep on!! Ü♫

[@12footchain]

Thanks man, much appreciated. I agree he likes the mystery. I have that split coil and series/ phase mod on my LP, it does create a ton of options. Take care

[@gib59er56]

You just took the words outta my mouth Woof. In fact my Les Paul has out of phase and coil split wired in it and I get to the sounds via volume and tone pots.

[@wooferdevlin3571]

@@gib59er56 Yeah, any modern LP with PCB can be hand wired for night and day sound change. I've a modern Standard with tapping and phase=mad tele tones.

[@ZigbertD]

I've got a Fender Vintera 50's Modded Tele, and I definitely think that 4th position in-series position is THE sound of early Zep. Pair it with the JHS Superbolt (Supro amp-style pedal) and I'm rockin' "Communication Breakdown" for days. Anyway, great lesson, this one of my very favorite Zep tracks, it's kind of unique in their catalog.

[@islander4986]

This is great for a geezer like me who was hearing these guys early in high school. Love playing that A13-E9 rhythm part, the slide lead and the rest. Have to see if I can't get this all down. Thanks!

[@aert88]

Jimmy Page has a post on instagram that says he used the Les Paul on Whole Lotta Love and What is and What Should Never Be, that he built the first album around the Telecaster and the second album around the sonic texture of the Les Paul Standard

[@12footchain]

Yeah I saw he said that in his book too. I got it wrong

[@peterdoiron6435]

I wish they still made music like this. Great lesson Doug.

[@markmacdonald1849]

The bass on this song is a ton of fun as well

[@if6turnedouttobe9]

This is so good it's off the 12 foot chain...Zeppelin II is hands down my favorite Zeppelin album...then of course Physical Graffiti...

[@gib59er56]

And III, HotH, IV, IttOD, LOL!!!!

[@markdesod561]

I wonder how I missed this Classic Song??? Very nice!!!! Thanx Doug!!!

[@damonfraser253]

He did have the wiring changed. He didn't say how. It might have just simply rewired from the early full capacitor neck pu setting to the now normal 3 way switch. But it also could've involved series wiring. I believe he just referred to having the wiring fixed

[@Mike-hr6jz]

I trust your ear and I have never trusted Wikipedia because a bit political bias in certain subjects so everything I get from Wikipedia I take with a grain of salt.

[@stratman9449]

hey this is great....gonna really check this song out....haven't come across anybody "doing" this one as good as this...cheers mate...and thx

[@denise8557]

I agree that isn’t a humbucker sound. I always trust my ear and seems to me you pretty much nailed it!

[@12footchain]

Apparently Jimmy wrote in his anthology book that he used the LP on this song. So...maybe I may redo this vid 😀

[@denise8557]

@@12footchain Well sounds good anyways, and informative!! That’s the real thing…

[@Hallalo]

My Les Paul cs 1959 sounds like a Tele when I roll off the volume. Great video and Page used the number on on this song according to him

[@JasonT-xp3kh]

I have a vague hazy memory of seeing some live footage of Jimmy playing this on the tele. Could be wrong though. It would have been later on in their career maybe around the time of the Knebworth show? The album sure sounds like a tele and I've always gotten the closest to the sound using my S1 equipped tele through a vox amp with some fuzz in front of it. If you get a little creative you can mimic some of his les paul sounds with the same setup. A lot of his sound relies more on playing technique than the particular equipment you're playing through.

[@danielherbert8060]

Awesome. One of my favorite songs that I like so much that I’ve stayed away from so it doesn’t lose the magic. But this is so clear I’ll try it, thanks. Also, playing an American pro ii tele, so it has a push/pull series pickup option, which will be useful here.

[@tylerthompson1842]

Spot on mate

[@robmfk6987]

I’m late to the conversation but it sounds like a Les Paul to me. I have a book named Led Zeppelin All the Songs The Story Behind Every Track and it also says Les Paul. I do appreciate you breaking this song down though.

[@12footchain]

Yeah, I later got the JP anthology and he says its his LP.

[@Sean-cz2li]

They used an Esquire in the studio a lot early on..

[@ro3784]

This is a tune to seriously listen to. There is a cover band that's doing this tune. Might be interesting to listen to all versions but Led Zepplin comes first.

[@douglasalexander4348]

Very well explained, and those variations were very helpful. Did he get that thick fuzzy sound from his tone bender pedal rather than a guitar mod ?

[@12footchain]

Could very well be. Its so hard to get accurate info on JP's gear. I think he likes to keep some mystery about it a lot of times.

[@douglasalexander4348]

@@12footchain He used a tone bender mk2. (Solasound) A space echo as well, which leads me to believe he didn’t mod his tele. Your right, he has selective amnesia ? and a sense of humour, bet he’s laughing his socks off at the speculative kit he used. Anyhoo, thanks for the lesson, especially your alternative ways, very interesting. BTW, I met him at a tribute concert a few years back.

[@savage3960]

My mind was blown when i found out he played stairway including the solo on a telecaster. Thru a Supro amp .All I know is I need a telecaster now! 😊

[@12footchain]

I came to the tele party later in life, but I now know what all those people meant when they say the Tele is a "if you only have one guitar" guitar

[@Mssrmikeone]

Awesome job

[@fasteddie8782]

Awesome man..thanks

[@richard53100]

Excellent.

[@riffcollection]

Awsome tutorial for an awsome song. Thank you so much. But I have to disagree on the Telecaster thing : to me it sounds so much like a Les Paul, and I can get very close to the original feel with the middle position, playing super lightly in the verse with my fingers and hiting hard in the chorus. Plus it’s well documented that this particular song has been one of the first he ever recorded on its newly acquired Gibson. There’s even picture of Jimmy with its Les Paul on the very day he recorded this song.

[@12footchain]

Yeah I saw that in the anthology book after I made this. Oh well

[@joe429t]

Great video. Liked and subscribed

[@12footchain]

Thanks and welcome

[@Weshopwizard]

I thought he was using Hi-Watt (sp?) amps.

[@dominysynclair]

Any idea which guitar he recorded For Your Life on?

[@12footchain]

I am pretty sure that's his lake placid blue strat. He uses the tremelo bar pretty heavy on it which tells me it's not his LP or tele.

[@ROCK-vl5yw]

He used the Les Paul live but used that tele to record?

[@12footchain]

well...at the time i made the video a couple years back, I was speculating wiht the Tele. but Jimmy Page has some books out where he says he used his LP on that song on the record, so I think we should go with that. i may redo this video.

[@theaverageguitarguy7514]

I’m his book the Anthology on page 136 he says “ I played the Les Paul on Whole Lotta Love and What is and What Should Never Be and that decided it for me: “

[@theaverageguitarguy7514]

In his book Jimmy Page The Anthology

[@12footchain]

You're right, I just got that book a couple weeks ago and saw that ...doh! Well, maybe I'll redo this video.

[@avestanstudio537]

I’m betting this was a Dano tune. That would have the series middle toggle. In concert he’d need the Dano tuned to DADGAD.

[@aensley1]

You have a great way of breaking down the song. Thank you.

[@12footchain]

thank you!

[@jeffreymiddleton4063]

Need travell8n riverside blues 8n tab red paul got a good tone

[@12footchain]

gotcha right here kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJ2uk4mmmtJgj9E

[@crungechannel483]

Thank you for your GREAT PERFORMANCE❗😍 If possible plz my ZEP cover too👍😊

[@dominysynclair]

Definitely the Tele.

[@rexxengineering8333]

The isolated guitar tracks sound like tele 100%

[@12footchain]

Yeah, though Jimmy says it was his LP in his anthology books, I made this vid before I saw that. But I agree it sounds a lot like LZ 1 album Tele

[@islander4986]

i wonder if Jimmy isn't playing this (no third?) shape for the big E chord in the big panning outro?: 079900

[@12footchain]

Yeah, probably. And may not play strings one and two

[@islander4986]

@@12footchain I think we may be hearing Jimmy use the same voicing (double hits) in the intro to "Good Times, Bad Times" over Bonham's cool drum part (and the verses?). Dunno', but it sounds pretty good there.

[@roderickgful]

Played well but the opening tone? Maybe a bad recording 🤷‍♂️ Anyway, nice!

[@alisterzarkar7163]

The music was written and composed and delivered with the design and purpose of serving as a platform for improvision and experimentation. And then, for the next half of a century, aspiring musician doing their darnest to duplicate, exactly the way it sounded on the original studio recording. Does that make ant sense at all?

[@rrrrdavid1]

it was the tele and vox ac30.

[@12footchain]

Thats great. Is there anything documented that confirms that?

[@jeffreymiddleton4063]

Les paul live my wayward son said all led zep 2 paul with paf tone

[@12footchain]

yeah i learned that later, Jimmy's book has that made clear. oh well, maybe i'll re-do the video one day :-)

[@pnca00]

Well done Video but tomuch tak, sorry👍

[@MrFrampo56]

So wrong. I don’t know where to start.

[@Vanguardsman]

Try.

[@MrFrampo56]

@@Vanguardsman I have better things to do. If you can’t hear the errors , then you should quit now.

[@jimmyrodasmolestina979]

Stupendous !!! Awesome 👍😎👍