Imagine being the biggest rock star on the planet and losing your favorite tool. Not just any tool, but the one you used to record the solo on "Whole Lotta Love" and basically every session hit in London during the mid-sixties. That is exactly what happened to Jimmy Page in 1970.
For 45 years, the jimmy page black beauty—a 1960 Gibson Les Paul Custom—was the "Loch Ness Monster" of the guitar world. People whispered about it in bars. Collectors scoured pawn shops in the Midwest. Page himself even took out ads in Rolling Stone begging for its return. He basically told the world: "No questions asked, just give it back."
Nobody did. At least, not for a long time.
The story of this guitar isn't just about a piece of wood and some wire. It’s a saga of theft, a "black belt" baggage handler, and a recovery that feels more like a Hollywood script than real life.
The Night it Vanished in Minnesota
It was April 1970. Led Zeppelin was tearing through North America. They were loud, they were dangerous, and they were traveling fast. After a gig at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, the band was headed to Canada.
Jimmy Page had modified this 1960 Les Paul Custom with two extra toggle switches. It was a weird setup, designed to give him instant control over the three humbucking pickups. He’d bought it back in '62 when he was still a session guy. It was his workhorse.
Then, at the airport, it just... evaporated.
One minute it was on the luggage cart; the next, it was gone. For decades, the theory was that a baggage handler at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport nabbed it. Nate Westgor, owner of Willie’s American Guitars, later heard stories about a specific employee who was a black belt and supposedly threatened to kill anyone who talked.
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The guitar didn't leave the state. It sat under a bed. For twenty years, it stayed hidden in the Twin Cities while Page became a god and the guitar became a ghost.
How the jimmy page black beauty Hidden in Plain Sight
In 1993, a guy walked into Willie’s American Guitars in St. Paul. He had a black 1960 Les Paul Custom. He claimed it was Jimmy Page’s stolen guitar.
Nate Westgor and another expert, Pete Alenov, looked at it. They were skeptical. The most obvious tell—those two extra toggle switches Page had installed—was missing. There were no holes. The finish looked smooth. They figured the guy was just another dreamer with a vintage Gibson.
Westgor ended up buying it for about $5,000, which was market value for a regular 1960 Custom back then. He eventually sold it to his employee, Paul "Bleem" Claesgens.
Bleem played that guitar for the next 20 years.
He played it in dive bars. He played it in his power-pop band, Propeller. At one point, he even used the heavy mahogany body as a shield when beer bottles started flying during a rough gig. Honestly, it's kind of hilarious to think about. A guitar worth roughly $3 million today was being used to block flying glass in a Minnesota bar.
The Black Light Discovery
The truth didn't come out until 2014. The guitar needed some routine maintenance, and while it was on the bench, Westgor decided to look closer. He used a black light.
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Under the UV light, the "sinking" of the lacquer revealed the truth. Two circular patches glowed differently. Someone had professionally plugged the toggle switch holes and refinished the top decades earlier. Then, they noticed a very specific mother-of-pearl inlay on the fretboard that matched old photos of Page’s guitar exactly.
The "Black Beauty" had been in their shop the whole time.
The Trade of a Lifetime
Nate and Bleem knew they couldn't keep it. It belonged to Jimmy. But how do you just call up a member of Led Zeppelin?
They went through a connection in the Rolling Stones camp, who put them in touch with Perry Margouleff, a close friend of Page. In 2015, they flew to Dallas to meet Page's representatives.
Bleem wasn't just going to give it up for nothing—he'd owned it for two decades—but he wanted to do the right thing. Page, being a class act, didn't just take it. He traded Bleem a pristine 1959 Gibson Les Paul Custom (worth around $45,000) as a "thank you."
When the jimmy page black beauty finally made it back to Jimmy’s house in London, he reportedly sat with it for 20 minutes over a cup of tea before even opening the case. He was terrified it wouldn't actually be his.
Technical Specs: What Made This 1960 Custom Special?
If you're a gear nerd, you know why this specific year matters. 1960 was the tail end of the "golden era" for Les Pauls.
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- Pickups: Three PAF (Patent Applied For) humbuckers. These are the holy grail of tone.
- The Neck: It had a "Slim Taper" profile, much thinner than the chunky '58 or '59 necks. Page loved fast necks.
- The Mod: Those two extra toggle switches. They allowed him to turn each pickup on or off independently, which was way more flexible than the standard three-way switch.
- The Hardware: It featured a Bigsby tremolo tailpiece and gold-plated Grover tuners.
Before the theft, Page used this guitar for almost every session he played on from 1963 to 1966. If you hear a Gibson on a mid-60s British pop hit, there's a 90% chance it's this exact instrument. It’s the sound of "Downtown" by Petula Clark and "Sunshine Superman" by Donovan.
Actionable Insights for Collectors and Fans
If you're looking to capture the vibe of the jimmy page black beauty without spending $3 million, here is how you handle it:
Look for the 2008 Reissue
Gibson released a limited run of 500 "Jimmy Page Les Paul Custom" replicas in 2008. These were made before he got the original back, based on his memories and old photos. They feature a 6-way toggle switch that mimics his original custom wiring.
The "Fretless Wonder" Reality
Original 1960 Customs are often called "Fretless Wonders" because they came with very low, flat frets. They are great for sliding, but if you want to bend strings like Page, you'll likely need to refret a vintage model with taller wire.
Check the Serial Number
Page’s original serial number was 06130. If you ever see a vintage 1960 Custom with evidence of plugged holes on the top near the controls, you're looking at a guitar with a story to tell.
Verify with Black Light
As this story proves, black light is the ultimate tool for vintage guitar authentication. It reveals overspray, repairs, and plugged holes that the naked eye simply cannot see.
The recovery of the Black Beauty is a reminder that in the world of vintage instruments, things are rarely "gone" forever. They’re just waiting in a basement or a small-town music shop for someone to turn the light on.
To truly understand Page's sound, you have to look at the "session years." While his '59 Standard (Number One) is more famous for the late-Zeppelin era, the 1960 Custom was the foundation of his career. It’s the guitar that paid his bills and helped him build the most legendary band in rock history.