There are sources that claim that the studio version of Ten Years Gone has as many as 14 distinct guitar parts. That’s something The Stairway Project will weigh in on when we finish our analysis & recording of the song in a later article, but it certainly explains why Led Zeppelin found playing it live so incredibly difficult.
Jimmy’s B-Bender
In this relatively rare live Zeppelin performance you’ll see Jimmy Page using a B-Bender equipped Fender Telecaster. Not used on the studio recording, the use of the B-Bender live allowed Jimmy to cover the main guitar figures of the song as they were originally conceived, while adding some unique melodic flourishes that seemingly float on top of the main guitar figures as he manipulates the B-Bender mechanism. As with many Led Zeppelin songs, the live arrangement is a revered and unique expression of the song, and is valued unto itself by fans.
John’s Triple Neck Andy Mason Guitar
John Paul Jones also used a unique instrument on the live arrangement; a handmade triple neck, comprised of a mandolin, and both twelve and six string acoustic guitars built by luthier* Andy Manson. For reasons of complexity, Ten Years Gone was not performed very often by Zeppelin but it remains a fan favorite. We’ll be looking at both Jimmy’s B-Bender equipped Telecaster and Jones’ custom 3 neck guitar in a later article as well; for now enjoy the following:
*A Luthier is someone who builds or repairs stringed instruments and the word origin comes from the word lute.
Feature Image Credit: Led Zeppelin by Paul Hudson, via flickr, CC BY 2.0