Innumerable musicians aspiring to mimic Jimmy Page's iconic sound have sought to unravel his amplifier secrets, and now, Sundragon delivers an authentic replica of the legendary guitarist's obscure amplifier collection.
In the world of rock music, few guitarists have had as significant an impact as Jimmy Page. Known for his work with Led Zeppelin, Page's unique tonal palette has been a source of fascination for many. Let's delve into the details of two of his iconic amplifiers, replicated by Sundragon Amplifiers, and the modifications that contributed to his distinctive sound.
First, we have the Marshall Super Bass amplifier. Channel 2 of the Sundragon replica offers a less clear, more ragged and raw sound, providing a useful contrast with the bluesy, expressive, and vocal characteristics of Channel 1. The clean-up on this replica is particularly impressive, with small volume-control adjustments taking a Les Paul from ferocious to chiming cleans. The tremolo on Channel 2 generates a thick pulse at lower frequencies and graduates to a 'Bang Bang' flutter at full speed, making it a valuable addition to the replica.
The Supro amplifier, another staple of Page's sound, underwent a "Secret Supro Mystery Mod" that transformed it into a 120-watt version, capable of handling high feedback loads with greater power and possibly a different tonal character. This modification made the Supro more robust and uniquely responsive under high gain conditions, contributing to Page's distinctive amplified tone during that era.
The control panel of the Sundragon replica of Jimmy Page's Supro amp includes dual inputs and a dedicated volume control for each channel, a shared tone control, and speed and intensity controls for the tremolo channel. The replica features recreated transformers by Heyboer, New Old Stock GE 6550 valves, Allen Bradley and Iskra resistors, and Philips 'mustard' capacitors, aiming to capture the essence of the original.
Interestingly, the speaker used in the budget version of the Sundragon replica of Jimmy Page's Supro amp is a Jensen P12Q, while the preamp valves were Mullard ECC83s, and the 6L6 power valves were made by General Electric, just like the originals.
A limited-edition run of 50 Sundragon replicas of Jimmy Page's Supro amp was produced, each one signed by Jimmy himself. The Super Dragon replica of the Marshall Super Bass, currently listed at $22,500 on Sundragon's website, is still available. No 'budget' version is currently on the market.
Mitch Colby, an amp builder and former executive vice president of Korg, helped to analyze Jimmy Page's Supro amp to determine its unique tone. Custom-made Warehouse speakers were chosen for the matching 4x12 cabinet of the Super Dragon replica because they were the closest match to Jimmy's Celestion Greenback G12H30s.
Channel 1 of the Sundragon replica of the Marshall Super Bass has a purer sound, and overdrive increases gradually. Higher tone settings make the sound more gainy and brighter. The inputs in the Sundragon replica of Jimmy Page's Supro amp are configured with one input being full and the other having a little more top-end with a cut in the bass. Both channels are voiced differently, and the tremolo channel has less bass than the other. Jimmy Page used all four inputs when he recorded Zeppelin's first album.
The repairer of Jimmy Page's Supro amp used a non-original Pulsonic cone with a smaller-diameter voice coil than the Pulsonics commonly used in Celestions. Despite being played loud, the Sundragon replica of the Marshall Super Bass allows the natural tone of a guitar to come through, with the bass end holding together well.
In summary, the modifications made to both amplifiers involved increasing volume and clarity (Marshall Super Bass) and enhancing power handling and feedback sensitivity (Supro), which together contributed to Jimmy Page’s signature tone by enabling louder, clearer, and more dynamically rich amplification tailored to his playing style.
- Jimmy Page, renowned for his work with Led Zeppelin, is known for his unique tonal palette in the world of rock music.
- The Sundragon Amplifiers' replica of Page's Marshall Super Bass amplifier offers a contrasting sound between its channels, with Channel 2 providing a raw, ragged sound and Channel 1 offering bluesy, expressive, and vocal characteristics.
- The control panel of the Sundragon replica of Jimmy Page's Supro amp includes dual inputs, dedicated volume controls for each channel, a shared tone control, and speed and intensity controls for the tremolo channel.
- The speaker used in the budget version of the Sundragon replica of Jimmy Page's Supro amp is a Jensen P12Q, while the preamp valves were Mullard ECC83s, and the 6L6 power valves were made by General Electric.
- A limited edition of 50 Sundragon replicas of Jimmy Page's Supro amp was produced, each one signed by Jimmy himself.
- Custom-made Warehouse speakers were chosen for the matching 4x12 cabinet of the Super Dragon replica because they were the closest match to Jimmy's Celestion Greenback G12H30s.
- Channel 1 of the Sundragon replica of the Marshall Super Bass has a purer sound, and overdrive increases gradually, while the inputs in the Sundragon replica of Jimmy Page's Supro amp are configured with one input being full and the other having a higher top-end with a cut in the bass.
- Mitch Colby, an amp builder and former executive vice president of Korg, helped analyze Jimmy Page's Supro amp to determine its unique tone.
- The repairer of Jimmy Page's Supro amp used a non-original Pulsonic cone with a smaller-diameter voice coil than the Pulsonics commonly used in Celestions.
- The modifications made to both amplifiers, including increasing volume and clarity (Marshall Super Bass) and enhancing power handling and feedback sensitivity (Supro), have been crucial in creating Jimmy Page’s signature tone.
- Jimmy Page's unique tonal palette and the iconic amplifiers replicated by Sundragon Amplifiers, such as the Marshall Super Bass and the Supro, have been a source of fascination for many in the world of music, entertainment, and even sports-betting, with NFL and American football often associated with rock music.
