Artist Signature Series · Led Zeppelin 50th Anniversary · 2019
The Dragon Telecaster
Fender × Jimmy Page · 1959 — 2019
In 1967, Jimmy Page stripped a Telecaster down to bare wood and painted a swirling dragon across its body using house paint. That guitar went on to record Led Zeppelin I. Sixty years later, Fender brought it back — exactly as Page left it.
The Artwork
Painted by Hand,
Born from Art School
The Dragon paint job didn’t begin as a grand artistic statement — it began as a practical problem. After Page had spent months with eight circular mirrors glued to his Telecaster’s body for visual effect during the Yardbirds’ 1967 run, he decided to strip the guitar entirely and start again. Drawing on his formal art school background, he took the bare wood body and painted it himself — covering it in bold, swirling darts and curls of green, orange, yellow, blue, and red that coiled and snaked across the body, forming what observers would come to call a psychedelic dragon.
He also replaced the white pickguard with a transparent acrylic piece laid over silver-grey diffraction film — giving the whole instrument an otherworldly, iridescent shimmer under stage lighting. It was purely Page’s own creation, with no outside artist involved.
For the 2019 tribute, Fender Masterbuilder Paul Waller — who visited Page at his London home to research the project — reproduced the artwork in meticulous detail. The Custom Shop version includes hand-painted flourishes by Page himself; the production model faithfully recreates the design under a satin lacquer finish that preserves the original’s aged, organic character.
“Jimmy actually invited us to his house in London to spec the guitar out. More than a year later, we’ve managed to bring this guitar and the evolution of Jimmy’s career back to life.”
— Paul Waller, Fender Masterbuilder, on building the Dragon Telecaster, 2019
The Instrument
Vintage-Correct
In Every Detail
The production Dragon Telecaster was released in Summer 2019 at $1,399.99 — built on the exact specification of Page’s original 1959 instrument. The custom “Oval C” maple neck profile was developed to match Page’s original Tele precisely, and the 7.25″ fretboard radius and 21 vintage-sized frets recreate the playing feel of the late-’50s Fender era.
Two Jimmy Page Custom Single-Coil Tele pickups deliver the bright, cutting Telecaster voice that defined the early Zeppelin sound — that raw, aggressive neck tone from the recording of Led Zeppelin I. A ’50s-style two-piece alder body and a top-loader bridge round out the vintage-accurate spec.
The Artist
Jimmy Page
The Sorcerer
James Patrick Page (born January 9, 1944, in Heston, Middlesex) is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most inventive electric guitarists in rock history. A trained session musician who played on hundreds of recordings before he was 21, Page joined the Yardbirds in 1966 — and it was there that he first got his hands on the 1959 Telecaster that would come to define his early career.
“It’s no secret that Jimmy Page has long had a thing about dragons — a creature that features extensively in his personal iconography, dating back decades.”
The guitar was a gift from Jeff Beck, who gave it to Page in thanks for recommending him to the Yardbirds. Page played it with the Yardbirds, first in its natural blonde finish, then with eight round mirrors affixed to the body, and finally — in its most iconic form — with the psychedelic dragon design he painted himself in mid-1967, drawing on his formal art school training.
When the Yardbirds dissolved and Page formed Led Zeppelin in October 1968, the Dragon Tele was his primary guitar. It appears throughout Led Zeppelin I (released January 1969), one of the most visceral and influential debut albums in rock history. Page used it live through early 1969 — including for the famous solo on “Stairway to Heaven” during rehearsals — before an unfortunate incident in which a well-meaning friend stripped and repainted the body, destroying the original artwork and altering the guitar’s tone. Page salvaged the neck, but the original body was lost.
In 2018, Page restored the Dragon design on a replacement body, and in 2019 — coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Led Zeppelin I and in collaboration with Fender — the world finally got a chance to own their own version of one of rock’s most sacred artifacts.
A History in Five Acts
From Beck’s Gift
to Rock Legend
The 1959 Telecaster that became the Dragon guitar has one of the most extraordinary life stories in rock — spanning three decades, two legendary bands, and one remarkable act of restoration.
Fender produces a Telecaster in Fullerton, California. An ash body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard — nothing unusual. It sits in a shop and waits, unaware of what’s coming. Years later, Jeff Beck acquires it.
Jeff Beck gifts the Telecaster to Jimmy Page as a thank-you for getting him the Yardbirds gig. Page, already an established session legend, joins the band himself later that year. The guitar is still in its original blonde finish.
Page first adds eight circular mirrors to the body in February 1967. By mid-year he removes them, strips the guitar to bare wood, and hand-paints his famous dragon design — swirling greens, oranges, yellows, reds and blues — using house paint and his art school instincts.
Page uses the Dragon Tele as his primary guitar for Led Zeppelin’s debut album, recorded in September 1968 and released in January 1969. The raw, biting Telecaster tone runs throughout, captured in just 36 hours of studio time. The album changes rock forever.
After returning from a tour, Page discovers a friend has stripped the dragon paint job and repainted the body — intending it as a gift. The act destroys the sound and wiring. Page salvages only the neck. The original dragon body is lost forever.
Celebrating 50 years since Led Zeppelin I, Fender releases four Artist Signature guitars based on Page’s Tele — including the Custom Shop Dragon (Masterbuilt by Paul Waller, 50 units at $25,000) and the production Dragon Telecaster at $1,399.99.
The Full 2019 Collection
Four Guitars.
One Legend.
Released across 2019, the Jimmy Page Signature Telecaster collection spans the entire history of the instrument — from its original blonde finish to the iconic dragon — in both Custom Shop and production versions.
The dragon artwork reproduced under satin lacquer. Custom “Oval C” neck, 7.25″ rosewood board, Jimmy Page Custom pickups. Page-consulted spec.
Viewing Now
White Blonde lacquer finish with Page’s “Oval C” neck profile and Jimmy Page Custom pickups. Includes a vintage tweed case with eight round mirror tributes.
Hand-painted by Paul Waller and Jimmy Page himself. Page-signed headstock. Custom ’58 hand-wound pickups. Includes Anvil flight case, violin bow, rosin, certificate of authenticity.
Period-accurate white blonde lacquer with eight hand-fitted circular mirrors. Page’s handwritten signature on the headstock. Custom ’58 hand-wound pickups. Vintage tweed case with certificate.
Full Specifications
Built to Play
Body & Finish
- Type’50s Two-Piece Alder
- ShapeTelecaster
- FinishSatin Lacquer
- ArtworkDragon — Green, Orange, Yellow, Blue, Red
- PickguardTransparent Acrylic / Diffraction Film
- OrientationRight-Handed
Neck & Fretboard
- NeckMaple · Custom “Oval C”
- FinishTinted Lacquer
- Joint4-Bolt Bolt-On
- Scale25.5″
- FingerboardRosewood · 7.25″ Radius
- Frets21 · Vintage Style
- Nut Width1.650″ (42mm)
- InlaysPearloid Dot
Electronics & Hardware
- Pickups2× Jimmy Page Custom Single-Coil Tele
- ControlsMaster Vol · Master Tone
- Switching3-Way Blade
- BridgeTop-Loader · Vintage Tele Style
- StringingThrough-Body or Top-Load
- TunersVintage-Style Die-Cast
- HardwareChrome
- Strings.010–.046
Own the Dragon
Where Mysticism
Meets the Telecaster
The Jimmy Page Dragon Telecaster is a limited production instrument — a faithful tribute to one of rock’s most storied guitars, now increasingly sought by collectors worldwide.