In the late 1960s, as Led Zeppelin was just beginning to shape the sound that would define a generation, Jimmy Page found himself in search of the perfect guitar. At the time, he was still playing his Fender Telecaster—the same one he used during his days with the Yardbirds—but something was missing. He needed a thicker, warmer tone that only a Gibson Les Paul could deliver.
Joe Walsh, then a member of the James Gang and later of the Eagles, stepped in at just the right moment. “Jimmy was still playing the Telecasters that he played in the Yardbirds,” Joe recalled. “He was looking for a Les Paul and asked if I knew of any, ‘cause he couldn’t find one that he liked. And I had two.”
Not wanting to miss an opportunity to contribute to something greater, Joe picked the Les Paul he liked a little less—still an incredible guitar—and personally hand-delivered it to Jimmy. “I flew there and everything. I laid it on him and said, ‘Try this out.’ He really liked it. So I gave him a really good deal,” Joe said. “Whatever my expenses were, that’s what I charged him. But again, I just thought he should have a Les Paul for godsakes!”
That guitar—now iconic—was a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard, and Page quickly adopted it as his main instrument. He used it to record *Led Zeppelin II* in May 1969, channeling its unmistakable tone into songs that would become classics. As his collection grew, Page began referring to Walsh’s gift as his “Number One.” Through countless tours and albums, that Les Paul became a cornerstone of Jimmy Page’s sound and an essential piece of rock history—all thanks to a thoughtful, well-timed gesture from a fellow guitarist.
