**The Les Paul That Launched a Legend: Joe Walsh’s Humble Hand-Off Gives Jimmy Page His Iconic “Number One” Guitar**
Some of the greatest moments in rock history don’t happen on stage—but in quiet, generous exchanges between musicians. One of the most legendary of these involved two guitar heroes: Joe Walsh and Jimmy Page. What started as a simple act of friendship ended up shaping the sonic identity of Led Zeppelin and redefining rock guitar forever.
In the late 1960s, Jimmy Page was still playing Fender Telecasters, including the one he’d used during his Yardbirds days. As Led Zeppelin began to take shape, Page was on the hunt for a Gibson Les Paul—a guitar with the tone and sustain he needed to elevate his sound. But no matter where he looked, he couldn’t find one that felt right.
Enter Joe Walsh.
At the time, Walsh—already known for his guitar chops and tone obsession—owned two Les Paul Standards. When Page mentioned he was looking for one, Walsh saw an opportunity to contribute to something greater. “I kept the one I liked the most,” Walsh recalled, “and I flew with the other one. I laid it on him and said, ‘Try this out.’”
Page did. And instantly, he knew it was the one.
Walsh sold it to him for nothing more than the cost of the trip—a true musician’s gesture. That guitar, a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard, would soon become Page’s “Number One,” the instrument behind the blistering tone of *Led Zeppelin II* and countless live performances. As Page later amassed a collection of guitars, none would eclipse the bond he had with that one.
What began as a modest transaction between friends became one of the most important guitar hand-offs in rock history—a moment of generosity that helped forge the sound of
a generation.
