Ok, this is probably an obvious answer but..I'm looking for Page's early live tone like on the BBC recordings. That fuzzy "you shook me" is what I'm after. I know it's Marshall amps but what's a good box for this? Was he using the tonebender? What about the Soulbender, Yardbox, 69, I don't know because I havn't had the priviledge of finding all these to test out. Help me out, please!

first off, he didn't use marshalls yet on that album; he used a little supro combo with a telecaster. As far as fuzz, I believe he used a vox tone bender. I think they still make them.

On the subject of Vox Tone Bender...

They're not made anymore, you could probably find a 90's re-issue used for a fair price. They go re-issued in a limited run but are still easy to find used as many people seems to hate them. Those are housed in a black box. I got one of these and like it. There's a picture of it at; http://www.angelfire.com/pq/glorbz/images/Voxv829.jpg

Don't think of finding a 60's Vox Tone Bender(grey cast box) unless you got deep pockets they're hard to find and expensive.

The re-issue is said to be built exactly like the original(so Vox says on their webpage anyway) and many people say that they're horrible to the originals... but not many of them can A/B them to say so, as much of those comments are based on memory after owning one during the 60's and comparing it to their re-issue some 30yrs later... memory plays tricks when mixed with nostalgia. But this saying is confirmed by many effects builder/modder so who knows... what matters is what the person using it thinks!

Whoa now partner. Page didn't use a Vox Tone Bender, he used a Sola Sound (or Colorsound) Tone Bender. A different beast. The Vox is said to sound horrible -- that goes for the old ones and the new ones. If you want Page's early tone get a Yardbox or a Soul Bender. You could also fork over big money for a vintage Sola Sound or Colorsound Tone Bender plus there are several reissues of the Colorsound Tone Bender (Mark III, Supa Tone Bender, etc). Stay away from the Vox.

Amps-wise it's hard to say. He supposedly used a Supro of some sort. There's an old Supro of his with a 12" speaker at the Rock Hall. Not a Thunderbolt I suppose since those have 15" speakers. There's Tone Bender all over disk 1 of the BBC Sessions but through what amps? I've heard he used Rickenbacker amps around that time!

Thanks for the replies. That kind of reaffirmed was I was thinking. I heard the Vox tonebenders suck from a lot of people too. I went to the Fulltone site and listened to the clip of the soulbender and that pretty much nails it. As far as amps, I'm talking live so the supros aren't my issue. I just thought he used marshall way back at BBC because of the pic in the cd case. Anyway, thanks again!!

I may be jumping in a bit late on this, but I tested both the Soul Bender and Yardbox out at the same time (had them both in a signal chain) and I preferred the Yardbox. It's a bit cheaper than a Soul Bender but sounds a lot better.

There was a discussion about the Yardbox and Soul Bender a few weeks back. Scroll down and I'm sure you'll find it.

I like them both but chose the Yardbox cuz it's $50 cheaper and has a tad more treble. I'm really loving that little box.

I seem to recall that early on Page used an old Rickenbacker amplifier (?). I know he used a Tele on the first couple of albums and on the solo to "Stairway to Heaven." When I saw LZ in 1977 he used Marshalls.

I'm not sure if this is correct, but I read some time ago that in the early Zep days Page used a Silvertone or Danelectro guitar to a certain degree, mostly in the studio but also for some live stuff - for sure an important factor soundwise.

Page used the danelectro on tour circa 78'and I believe on such tunes as "travelling riverside blues". From what I've read he used the supro exclusively on the first album and sparsely throughout later albums in, addition to the solo on stairway.

He used a Danelectro U2 on Kashmir. From what I hear, he primarily used a Les Paul
Marshall Stack combination with a Vox wah.

I was reading the Zep concert file book - cool if you can find it - and apparently around the time of the BBC sessions, Page was using Rickenbackers left over from the Yardbirds days and was just briefly switching over to Orange amps - not clear which were in use for all the sessions. He then went on to Marshalls. The Supro was definitely in use in the studio but not live. He was using a Tele at the time live. And as to Effects pedals, I like the Soulbender for that Zep I tone - do not buy a VOX tonebender! The Yardbox is also cool and as to which is "better," it is a matter of your own ears and how much you have to spend.

One would be hard pressed to nail down an amp on any given tune on any LZ record ...
One Cat says it was a Supro... I don't think so. A studio log claims that the solo in "Stairway" was copped with a Supro T-Bolt & a Tele ...At no point does sound surface in "YSM" (not even a little bit) Nevertheless,there's no doubt it was a Telecaster on the tune in question & your ear will tell you that NONE were done any type of 100 watt Marshall stacks ... My best guess is mid-sized 30watt combo ... the fuzz came from a Sola sound (the new YARDBOX rules) ,the tube in the echoplex, & the amp overdrive ...The Echoplex played a big role in the "YSM" sound ...