The 1959 Les Paul that has come to be known as “Number Two” was purchased by Page in 1973 after trying for some time to acquire an exceptional second Les Paul. This was several years after having acquired his other legendary Les Paul—“Number One”, a ’59 ’Burst with shaved-down neck profile and no serial number—from Joe Walsh. “Number Two” was essentially all original when he acquired it though Jimmy did have some modifications done to the neck shape so that it would more nearly match the feel of his “Number One”. The neck is certainly slim but not to such extremes as the now-ultra-slim neck on “Number One”. It had a strong, beautiful sunburst finish with a red element that had faded to a dusky amber-brown, along with a clear serial number dating it to 1959. Page played this Les Paul frequently through his days with Led Zeppelin, and in the early ’80s decided to make it an even more versatile instrument and “explore the full range of what the two humbuckers have to offer”.

Page designed a switching system for coil splitting, series/parallel, and phase-reverse options for both pickups, and employed a skilled electronics technician to devise a working schematic and make his sonic vision a reality. The result comprised a push/pull pot on each of the guitar’s four standard controls, plus two push-button switches hidden beneath the pickguard, all mounted on a ’59 Les Paul Standard that is otherwise a superb example of the breed, both in tone and playability.

The Custom Shop Jimmy Page “Number Two” Les Paul was recreated with intense, inch-by-inch examination of Page’s original guitar, inside and out. The process of getting it right involved the production of a number of hand-built prototypes, each of which was checked and critiqued in detail by Page himself. Approval of the final iteration was only offered after the legendary artist had intricately examined and extensively played this last prototype in his London home—after which it was given the thumbs-up, worthy of being the template for the Custom Shop Jimmy Page “Number Two” Les Paul. Only 325 examples will be produced in total: 100 will be aged by vintage-reproduction master Tom Murphy; 25 more will be aged by Tom Murphy and signed by Jimmy Page; and 200 will be finished to Gibson’s VOS specs.

Body
Top Figured Maple
Back Solid Mahogany
Binding .090, Cream
Body Type Non-Chambered
Average Weight 6.5lbs
Adhesive Franklin Titebond 50
Neck
Species Mahogany
Profile Page "Number Two"
Truss Rod Traditional
Joint Angle 4° (+/- 15 seconds)
Adhesive Franklin Titebond 50
Neck Fit
Joint Mortise & Tenon
Adhesive Franklin Titebond 50
Joint Angle Tolerance +/- .005"
Fingerboard
Species Rosewood
Frets 22
Radius 12"
Nut/E.O.B 1.687/2.062
Inlays Aged Acrylic Trapezoid
Other Page Fret Wire/Tortoise Side Dots
Nut
Material Nylon 6/6
Width 1.687
Slots Gibson PLEK System
Headstock
Inlay Mother of Pearl
Logo Period-correct Gibson logo with "les Paul Model" Silkscreened in Gold
Truss Rod Cover Vinyl Plastic "Antique Bell"
Average Weight .94 lbs
Tuners
Model Die Cast Grover tuners
Tuning Ratio 12:01
Bridge
Type Tune-o-matic (ABR-1)
Material Zinc Surrounded by a die casting alloy
Plating Polished Nickel
Tailpiece
Type Stop Bar
Material Zamak
Plating Chrome
Hardware
Knobs Gold Top Hat
Pickguard Reissue Cream with Two Push-button Switches Underneath
Toggle Switch Washer Cream with Gold Silkscreen
Strings .009 - .046, vintage strings
Strap Buttons Schaller Straplocks
Pickups
Neck Position Jimmy Page BurstBucker, Covered
Bridge Position Jimmy Page "Number Two" Bucker, Uncovered with Black Bobbins*
Magnet Material Jimmy Page BurstBucker: Alnico III
Jimmy Page "Number Two" Bucker: Alnico V
Electronics
Potentiometers 2 Push-Pull Volume Controls, 2 Push-Pull Tone Controls
Type 500k Audio Taper
Custom Switches Two Push-button DPDT Switches Mounted Underneath the Pickguard
Coil Wiring Parallel-Machine Wound
Toggle Switch Vintage Three-way with Amber Plastic Tip
Output Jack 1/4" Switchcraft
Finish
Color Page Burst “Number Two”
Process Aged: Tom Murphy Aged VOS: Lightly Aged In-house
Sealer Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Case
Type Custom Shop
Case Exterior Black Pleather Silkscreened with Jimmy Page Signature
Case Interior Maroon Crushed Velvet
Gibson Custom Case
Accessories
Certificate of Authenticity