Jimmy Page recently shared insights about his go-to amplifier, the modded Marshall JMP Super Bass 100, which has been a cornerstone of his music career. He described the amp as one that “did flippin’ everything,” reflecting its crucial role in shaping his sound.
As a legendary guitarist for The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin, and other projects, Page has defined the hard rock guitar tone for generations. He began using the Marshall JMP Super Bass 100 in 1969, and it was a key component in all of his studio albums and tours, starting with “Led Zeppelin II.”
In an interview with Guitar World, Page praised the amplifier’s reliability and performance: “[It is] a really hot-wired Marshall, the main one that I would play all the way through my career. It was just the best amp that I’d ever had in my collection. And it was so roadworthy. It did all those Led Zeppelin tours and all the recordings. It did flippin’ everything, y’know?”
The amp underwent significant modifications by top engineer Tony Frank, who replaced its stock EL34 power tubes with cleaner-sounding 6550s. Page highlighted that the amp’s broader dynamic range is particularly evident on Led Zeppelin’s 1976 album, “Presence”: “[It’s] the best example of the sound of my Marshall Super Bass, because it was an album we made in about three weeks, in Munich, Germany. So I wanted to work very efficiently, and that entire album is all Super Bass, along with mostly my Number One 1959 Les Paul.”
Inspired by his long-serving Super Bass, Page’s boutique amp company, Sundragon Amps, recently announced a limited run of 50 Super Dragon half-stacks, designed to recreate the sound of his No. 1 amplifier.
These new amps feature meticulously recreated transformers, New Old Stock GE 6550 tubes, and high-quality resistors and capacitors. Additionally, they come equipped with speakers and cabinets tailored to mimic the original sound. In a statement, Page expressed his enthusiasm for the release:
“The Super Dragon is a faithful recreation of my ‘Number 1’ amp. After recording the first Led Zeppelin record and creating sounds that define rock guitar, I needed an amp capable of reproducing this broad palette of sounds, including the light and the shade in the studio and a live setting. Not only was the volume and tone important, but it needed to have enough power to hear the subtleties of various aspects of my guitar playing. I experimented with different amps until hearing about a fellow in the USA named Tony Frank who was modifying Marshall amps.”
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