Song Rig

Heartbreaker

Jimmy Page · Led Zeppelin II · 1969

Tone Overview

What Makes This Sound Unique

Raw, dry and unaccompanied — the solo break (around 2:20) is one of the first documented uses of hammer-on/pull-off tapping technique on a rock recording. No reverb, no echo, just the bare Les Paul into the Marshall. The fastest and most aggressive Page on record up to that point.

Signal Chain

11958 Gibson Les Paul Standard
2Marshall Super Lead 100W
3No effects

Amp Settings

Gain / Volume9

Bass5

Mid7

Treble8

Presence8

Higher treble and presence than most Zeppelin tracks — the solo break requires definition for fast runs to be intelligible. At lower settings the hammer-ons blur together. This is the Super Lead at near-maximum gain: all preamp drive, no pedal compression to soften the attack.

Technique

How to Play It

The unaccompanied section features cascading hammer-ons and pull-offs descending the neck — practice the left-hand figure slowly before increasing tempo. The brief two-hand tapping moment predates the technique's widespread adoption. The solo rewards note-for-note learning because the phrasing is extremely idiosyncratic.

Budget Alternative

Achievable With

Humbucker guitar (Les Paul or SG) into Marshall or equivalent at maximum preamp gain. The raw, dry tone is straightforward to dial in — the technical challenge is entirely in the left-hand hammer-on accuracy at full tempo.

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