“The story of the instrument is the whole journey of it"

One of Jimmy Page‘s most famous guitars is being reissued to mark 50 years since the release of Led Zeppelin‘s debut album.

The legendary axeman played the iconic ‘Dragon’ on Led Zep’s self-titled debut and Fender have now honoured its history by releasing four new guitars that are inspired by the design of Page’s original Telecaster.

The guitar began life in its ‘Mirror’ form in 1967, when Page added mirrors to the creation in a bid to individualise its design. But by the end of that year, it was stripped and instead painted with the iconic ‘Dragon’ design that still exists to this day.

The new offering from Fender is a recreation of those two designs and is available in both Custom Shop and production line options.

“The story of the instrument is the whole journey of it – from Jeff Beck having it, to passing it on to me with such good spirit,” Jimmy Page said of the Dragon.

“It’s a lot of love in that gesture and the journey of it through The Yardbirds and how it was used on the first Led Zeppelin album…the journey all the way through here today. Now, it’s been restored back to its true beauty and we’ve actually been able to sort of clone it.”

Unsurprisingly it doesn’t come cheap – with the Dragon retailing at £23,259. The original Mirrored Telecaster is also available for the same price.

If you’re in the market for something cheaper, the production model of the Mirror is available for £2,349 while the Telecaster costs £1,259.

Or, Led Zep also marked their 50th anniversary by releasing the ‘Anniversary Interviews’ album which features 34 interview clips of Page alongside surviving members John Paul Jones, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page.