# Jimmy Page Guitar Trick **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 9, 2009, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-page-guitar-trick/480487 "2009-01-09T04:11:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2009, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-page-guitar-trick/480487/21 "2009-01-09T22:41:27Z")
There was some Shrapnel label shredder (Paul Gilbert maybe?) who used to attach a guitar pick to an electric drill. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-page-guitar-trick/480487/22 "2009-01-10T20:30:13Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > I believe Clarence White was known to play with a quarter sometimes, in order to get a “thick” sound out of his acoustic guitar. Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top uses a quarter…and yeah, **Dio** , it was Gilbert back in his Racer X days… ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2009, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-page-guitar-trick/480487/23 "2009-01-10T23:14:34Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > …and yeah, **Dio** , it was Gilbert back in his Racer X days… And up through one of the Mr. Big singles. I saw Bachman from BTO play a solo with a drum stick (as someone up thread suggested). As **Dio** mentions, it got old really quick. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2009, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-page-guitar-trick/480487/24 "2009-01-10T23:40:37Z")
> [@Omegaman](#): > > I always enjoyed Eddie VanHalens use of a screwgun. He striped it like his ax. Nice.🙂 Does it give off an electromagnetic field that affects the pickups? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-page-guitar-trick/480487/25 "2009-01-11T06:10:34Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top uses a quarter My recollection is that he used a peso, filed down. I’m skeptical, not least because Billy always was full of beans. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-page-guitar-trick/480487/26 "2009-01-11T07:09:43Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I think most rock guitarists like to give the bow a try if they ever get the chance. You can make some weird noises with it, but it gets old fast – especially to the other band members. Kawabata Makoto plays bowed guitar on a regular basis…but then again, “weird noises” is pretty much what his bands are all about, so I guess it works in that context. ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-page-guitar-trick/480487/27 "2009-01-11T10:10:58Z")
> [@sqweels](#): > > Does it give off an electromagnetic field that affects the pickups? Yes. You can essentially hear all motors through a guitar pickup. You can hear the radio by placing a portable radio close to them. One of the better uses of alternative guitar playing techniques I heard live was Joe Gore using seemingly every thing and anything _except_ a pick on PJ Harvey’s To Bring You My Love tour. That band was _tight_. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-page-guitar-trick/480487/28 "2009-01-11T10:52:57Z")
Nigel Tufnel played _his_ guitar with another guitar. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-page-guitar-trick/480487/29 "2009-01-11T11:24:20Z")
> [@Scissorjack](#): > > Nigel Tufnel played _his_ guitar with another guitar. Nah - he used the violin instead of the bow on the guitar! And he left one guitar in a stand and strummed it with his foot… \*\*squeegee \*\*- I hear you about the Reverend Willie G - he is full of stories. I read about the quarter years ago when I was in Scotland and ZZ Top was in the UK for one of the big festivals - in the interview they asked if he was still using quarters and when he answered yes, they gave him a 5 pence piece to use in the UK…but it was a goofy hard rock / metal magazine IIRC, so who knows… ---
**Author:** ![BigShooter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f07891/32.png) [@BigShooter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigShooter)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-page-guitar-trick/480487/30 "2009-01-11T16:02:10Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > My recollection is that he used a peso, filed down. I’m skeptical, not least because Billy always was full of beans. Indeed, he did (and still does) play with a filed down peso. It’s one of the main components of his sound. I know this because he told me - in person. He’s a business associate of a friend of mine who runs a tattoo shop in Tucson, AZ. Interesting guy, Billy is, although I’ve only met him once - briefly… ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-page-guitar-trick/480487/31 "2009-01-11T16:40:09Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Nah - he used the violin instead of the bow on the guitar! And he left one guitar in a stand and strummed it with his foot… And the best part is how he became concerned that the violin was out of tune. One of my favorite heavy-metal moments. 🙂 I’m happy to say I have never used a violin bow on my guitar. Beer bottle, bar glass, mic stand, other random unremembered objects of various materials, yes, but not violin bow. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-page-guitar-trick/480487/32 "2009-01-11T16:45:50Z")
> [@BigShooter](#): > > Indeed, he did (and still does) play with a filed down peso. It’s one of the main components of his sound. I know this because he told me - in person. He’s a business associate of a friend of mine who runs a tattoo shop in Tucson, AZ. Interesting guy, Billy is, although I’ve only met him once - briefly… Did you talk vintage guitars with him?? He has a huge collection, not just Pearly Gates ('59 Les Paul sunburst) but a Flying V and tons of others… ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/59ef9b/32.png) [@Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_fight_the_hypothetical)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-page-guitar-trick/480487/33 "2009-01-11T16:56:16Z")
> [@An\_Arky](#): > > Yeah! > > [Obligatory YouTube Link](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmxMqV00cUE) Dude, thanks for that link! ---
**Author:** ![BigShooter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f07891/32.png) [@BigShooter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigShooter)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-page-guitar-trick/480487/34 "2009-01-12T17:49:09Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Did you talk vintage guitars with him?? He has a huge collection, not just Pearly Gates ('59 Les Paul sunburst) but a Flying V and tons of others… Nope. I barely talked with him. We mostly talked about cars… I was awed in his presence, though. He’s always been one of my favs… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-page-guitar-trick/480487.md?page=1)