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lead guitar from “stairway to heaven” by led zeppelin | ToneDB

stairway to heaven

led zeppelin

lead guitar

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Tone Profile

A bright, overdriven electric guitar tone with a touch of spring reverb, creating a soaring and emotive sound.

Gear

Gibson Les Paulinstrument
ReverbSweetwater
Supro Coronadoamp
Reverb$660Sweetwater
Sennheiser MD421microphone
ReverbSweetwater
Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Faceprocessing
ReverbSweetwater

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The Story

Jimmy Page's lead guitar tone on "Stairway to Heaven" was recorded at Island Studios using his Gibson Les Paul through a Supro amp, with a Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face providing the warm overdrive. The guitar was recorded with multiple overdubs to create the layered, soaring sound, with natural room ambience contributing to the spacious character of the recording.

Production Credits

Producer: Jimmy Page

Engineer: Andy Johns

Recorded at: Island Studios, London

Signal Chain

Instrument: Gibson Les Paul

Amp: Supro Coronado

Microphone: Sennheiser MD421

Processing: Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face

Recreation Tips

  • Start with a Gibson Les Paul into a Supro Coronado amplifier.
  • Use a Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face to add a warm overdrive.
  • Experiment with microphone placement to capture the desired room sound.
  • Add a touch of spring reverb in post-production to enhance the ambience.

Original Gear

  • Gibson Les Paul(guitar)
  • Supro Coronado(amp)
  • Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face(pedal)
  • Sennheiser MD421(mic)

Substitutions & Recommendations

Epiphone Les Paul Standard 50s$400-$500

Alternative to: Gibson Les Paul

Offers the essential Les Paul humbucker tone and sustain needed for Page's soaring lead parts at a budget-friendly price

ReverbSweetwater
Supro Delta King 10$500-$600

Alternative to: Supro Coronado

Modern Supro amp that captures the vintage tube saturation and midrange character of Page's original Supro

ReverbSweetwater
Dunlop Fuzz Face Mini Germanium$150-$200

Alternative to: Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face

Authentic recreation of the original germanium Fuzz Face circuit that provided Page's warm, singing overdrive

ReverbSweetwater
Neural DSP Archetype Nolly$100-$150

Alternative to: Complete signal chain

Includes vintage amp models and fuzz circuits that can recreate the layered, overdriven character with built-in reverb

ReverbSweetwater
Shure SM57$100-$120

Alternative to: Sennheiser MD421

Industry standard dynamic mic that captures midrange detail and can achieve similar guitar cabinet recording results

ReverbSweetwater

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

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