by Bryan Hillebrandt
Perhaps few guitars adequately express the true spirit of classic rock excess like the Gibson EDS-1275 double neck. During the 1970s, you could find an EDS-1275 in the hands of many legendary guitar players—most notably, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page. Played on some of the most enduring classic rock opuses, this huge slab o’ guitar stands with many other signifiers of arena rock icons: the gong, the flash pots, and the Jack Daniels bottle filled with harmless iced tea.
The first double neck Gibsons were produced in 1958 and were actually similar to the Gibson ES-175 model which was popular with jazz guitarists. These guitars, like the ES-175s were actually hollow body guitars with both six string and twelve string necks and dual cutaways. In 1962 the EDS-1275 became a solid-body guitar resembling the Gibson SG. This is the model that Page and others brought into the spotlight.
The EDS-1275’s body is made of a solid block of mahogany and its necks are made of maple with rosewood fretboards. The 12-string neck is on top. There is a three-way selector switch to switch between the two necks. Interestingly, this makes it possible to set the guitar to have both guitars on at the same time. John McLaughlin, the guitarist who played on Miles Davis’ groundbreaking Bitches Brew album, used an EDS-1275 and has said that he would leave both necks on to take advantage of the sympathetic vibrations and overtones that the unused guitar would pick up. The guitar also has two volume and two tone controls. The pickups are traditionally the 490R Alnico humbuckers.
The EDS-1275 is perhaps most closely linked to Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. Scenes of him wielding his 1275 in The Song Remains the Same are some of the most exciting classic rock moments captured on film. The story goes that he started playing the double neck guitar due to necessity. When the band were working out how to perform Stairway to Heaven in concert, Page needed a way to play both the quiet beginning part (the part played on acoustic in the studio recording) and the searing solo and ending. He decided that the 12 string part of the guitar would allow him to do the beginning and then allow him to switch seamlessly to the 6 string for the blistering ending.
Of course Page is not the only rock god to strap one of these beasts on. The Eagles have used them, most notably on Hotel California where Don Felder played a white 1275 during the famous duet solo with Joe Walsh. Other notable 1275 wielders are Alex Lifeson of Rush and Steve Howe of Yes. (Of course, we should mention that Slash has played one as well, but he came later and I think we can all agree that he probably only used one because all of his heroes did.)
So what are your options if you want to go double neck? Well, you can shell out a ton of cash for a vintage one or you can spend the same and buy a new one (the Gibson custom shop still makes a limited amount of these every year). If you don’t want to drop a ton of coin on a real Gibson, you can of course get a brand new Epiphone copy of the EDS-1275 at a fraction of the price. Of course, if you’re looking for an even more recession friendly option, there are about a million knock off models at bargain prices. I can’t personally speak to the quality of these guitars, but more often than not, you get what you pay for.
And if you’re hell bent on being as excessive as the most excessive classic rock acts, you may just have to go all out and get one of these slabs to go with your gong. (Remember what I said about the iced tea in the whiskey bottle though, that’ll get you into a lot of trouble.)
