# Music by Genre > Rock, Folk Rock, Roots Rock, Rockabilly >  John Paul Jones

## JeffD

Some beautiful stuff here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLU08nOtUkc

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## Gutbucket

I new he was a good picker, but that was nice. I doubt if Page could play it that good.

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## JeffD

Just beautiful.

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## Dave Greenspoon

What a beautiful arrangement.  Anyone recognize the mando he's on?

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## John Hill

JPJ is crazy talented. Love that Zep logo on the TRC.

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## Rick Schmidlin

Hope he plays mand  on the Zep reunion tour.

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## jefflester

> What a beautiful arrangement.  Anyone recognize the mando he's on?


I am unable to see the clip at the moment, but JPJ almost exclusively plays instruments made by Andy (acoustics) and Hugh (electrics) Manson. I would assume the mando was made by Andy Manson.

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## cbarry

Great clip. Very tasteful and beautiful. Anyone care to comment on one of the youtuber's comments?

"Also for those of you who have no experience in the matter playing mandolin is exponentially easier than standard guitar,"

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## John Flynn

> Great clip. Very tasteful and beautiful. Anyone care to comment on one of the youtuber's comments?
> 
> "Also for those of you who have no experience in the matter playing mandolin is exponentially easier than standard guitar,"


No doubt posted by one of the pimple-faced head bangers who hangs around his local Guitar Center when he is cutting class, doing endless, mindless riffs through amps turned up to "11." His comment fits right in with some of the other sophomoric replies to that video.

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## woodwizard

Enjoyed that ... very nice

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## Gutbucket

:Grin: In the early years after John Bonham's death, I often wondered what became of JPJ. It appears he was probably the busiest of the Zepplin groups members. He's produced and performed with many artists, and while this might raise eye brows, I think he was and is the most talented member of the group. Of course he didn't use a violin bow on his instruments or bare his chest while on stage.

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## MandoGordon

I was at Wintergrass a few years back manning the Eastman booth, we were in a room with one other dealer which turned out to be a great setting for some informal jams but got a little lonely when things were happening elsewhere which was a lot of the time. I had been sitting around during a particularly long quiet spell picking on the prototype mandocello that we had with us when this gentleman comes in and picks up a mandolin and starts picking a Fairport Convention tune that I knew. I tried throwing on some accompaniment and we both had a fun hour or so trying to figure out how I should be picking along with him on the mandocello. Turns out that being Brits we had a number of tunes in common but soon my fingers gave out and we struck up a conversation. I asked what he was doing at the festival and he said he was there to see Uncle Earl because he was due to produce their next album and the festival gave him an opportunity to see them several times in one weekend in the same place. We talked for a little longer about England and how much we loved the States and he wandered off to the next room. A week or so later after the show I got a call from my good friend Bonnie at Bourgeois Guitars wondering how the show went for us. After we got through talking shop she asked me if I had seen any good new bands. I told her about Uncle Earl and she said she knew all about them. She then asked me if I had heard who was producing their new album and I told her I had met him at the show and that he was a really nice polite Englishman and that we had picked a few tunes together. I almost fell off my chair when she told me that I had been totally oblivious to the fact that I had been playing along with one of my early music heroes John Paul Jones.

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## Elliot Luber

Someone on YouTube commented that JPJ didn't like to seek the limelight. I think that's true. Not only didn't he bare his chest and stuff bananas in his pants when I saw the Zep in '75, but he was hiding behind his amplifier most of the evening and played some of his solos with one finger on a keyboard. I assume he was having a bad night, but Ron Wood came out and joined them  for Communications Breakdown, so we were all happy about seeing the Gods. I liked that recent clip on YouTube, and agree JPJ has really showed a new dimension to his play -- and perhaps he's on the same trajectory as Robert Plant these days.

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## Chris "Bucket" Thomas

Man, I have watched that about 10 times over the past week....still AMAZING.

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## JeffD

JPJ was at Swannanoa OldTimey week. He drawa absolutely no attention to himself. We jammed with him for a long time before we had a clue who we were jamming with.

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## Elliot Luber

It's cool that he could be such a big rock star and not be recognized. David Gilmour always says in interviews that they deliberately designed Pink Floyd so its individual members could go to the supermarket without being bothered.

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## JeffD

> so its individual members could go to the supermarket without being bothered.



I have gone one step further. Not only can I go to the supermarket without problem, but not even fellow musicians recognize me as a world class super star.

 :Laughing: 

In fact, the only one who knows is one of my nephews, and he's gonna grow up soon.

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## Elliot Luber

I know what you mean. I couldn't get myself arrested these days if'n I wanted to. My wife and one of my two kids hates my playing (it's not that bad, but they hate my practicing).

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## PseudoCelt

> ...JPJ almost exclusively plays instruments made by Andy (acoustics) and Hugh (electrics) Manson. I would assume the mando was made by Andy Manson.


On Andy Manson's website, there are some photos of a mandocello he made for JPJ, presumably built to match the mandolin in the video. The colour, inlays and the shape of the end of the fretboard are the same.

Patrick

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## Steve Ostrander

That's awesome. I've been working on this song lately. Wish I could play it like that.

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## Mattg

Yup, JPJ produced the last Uncle Earl album, "Waterloo, Tennesee", and a really funny kung fu clogging video from one of the songs. It's a great album. He does a cameo at the piano. Casey Dreason does a cameo as well. Search youtube for "Streak O' Lean Streak O' Fat" to see the video. Abigail Washburn sings in Mandarin against an old time tune. The Earl Girls are musical goddesses!

JPJ has shown up in the bluegrass scene a bit. There is also youtube of him playing on stage with the Duhks.

That was a great story meeting JPJ at the booth. Absolutely priceless.

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## jefflester

JPJ also produced Sara Watkins' (Nickel Creek) solo album that is due out in the spring.

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## Mattg

Great. I'll have to watch for Sara's album. 

I just watched the video that started this thread.....again. wow

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## JeffD

It wouldn't surpize me to discover that he is a lurker here on the forum.

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## Alastair Brown

> Great clip. Very tasteful and beautiful. Anyone care to comment on one of the youtuber's comments?
> 
> "Also for those of you who have no experience in the matter playing mandolin is exponentially easier than standard guitar,"


Some years ago, either here on the Cafe or on CoMando, someone told the story of Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull saying on stage that mandolin is easy - only to be challenged, by someone in the audience, to play "Rawhide".

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## Richard.g.hampton

I agree that JPJ is really self-effacing. I sat next to him for a week in John Moore's mando class at the UK's Sore Fingers Summer School - and I learnt a heck of a lot just from watching him. It says something about the guy that a player like that is always learning. I remember that after one day, we all went as usual to the bar for the jam sessions that go on well into the night. After a time I sat in on the edge of one session in which a guy was playing some wonderful cajun accordian and singing. JPJ was sitting in simply using the mandolin to provide the effect of the triangle; another lesson - it's all about the music and making the whole thing sound good; no ego there at all

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## frankseanez

Too tasty, that!

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## Taube Marks

To echo mando Gordon's post:  a couple of years ago I was in a mandolin class at Sore Fingers (the British bluegrass and old time "camp" held each year in the Cotwolds), sitting next to a slightly built man with a nice mandolin.  

I glanced at his name tag, it said "John Jones..."  

"Some alias," I said, and we laughed.  I sat in that class for most of the week, exchanging quips etc. before it finally clicked who he was!  All that was apparent was that he was an extremely nice chap, had a damned nice mandolin and matching mandola, that we shared the same tasts in shoes (MBTs) and that he could play durned well.  When the teacher asked him what he did, he simply said "kind of a studio musician."  Very unassuming.  He came back again the next year too. 

Some fo the old time jams were something else, and he played his "buffalo" as Reyna Gellert called it in the teachers' concert. 

Taube

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## SternART

He was in some of my classes at the first Mandolin Symposium in Santa Cruz.....had been traveling with Chris Thile et al touring after they met at Merlefest.  I told him he looked a lot like a rock musician I had seen open for Vanilla Fudge years ago........he admitted it was indeed his first American tour.  BTW Led Zep blew away Vanilla Fudge that night.

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## Keith Erickson

It's just great to see some of my childhood rock hero's like John Paul Jones and Alex Lifeson playing mandolin family of instruments.  

....but since this is a JPJ thread, let me get back to him.  I have to admit John Paul Jones is one heck of a musician.  This version of Going to California is just full of class.

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## JeffD

The mandolin is simple to explain, and simple to understand, but it takes a lifetime to play well.

"Four unison pairs, tuned in fifths, starts on G, two frets per finger, use a pick." All the rest is up to us!

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## Fliss

> On Andy Manson's website, there are some photos of a mandocello he made for JPJ, presumably built to match the mandolin in the video. The colour, inlays and the shape of the end of the fretboard are the same.
> 
> Patrick


There are also photos on Andy Manson's site of a "minimalist" mando he made for John Paul Jones: http://www.andymanson.co.uk/photos-group-55.html  which is different from the one in the video, but the one in the video does also look very like a Manson.  

I had the privilege of (briefly) sampling a mando by Andy Manson at the weekend, and it was a beautiful work of art.  

Graet video btw, thanks for posting that!

Fliss

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## Tripp Johnson

Saw JPJ at Merlefest a few years ago, sitting in with various groups.  I didn't know he would be there and at first I just stood there staring. Truly a rock icon. I think his role in Led Zep has yet to be fully understood or appreciated.

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## catmandu2

I'm a huge JPJ fan.  Don't know much about him regarding mando--I've heard some of his recorded music; I'm a working bassist as much as a mando player...and grew up on Zep.  I'm an upright bass player of jazz, folk, and bluegrass, but I default to Page and JPJ riffs whenever I have a bass guitar in my hands.

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## jefflester

He was a "student" at the first mandolin Symposium in 2004. First photo is from the concert when he played an octave in duet with Grisman. 2nd photo was about 2 AM the final night. He was ready to leave, but Chris Thile was his ride and Chris was busy picking with the teenagers.

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## Ed Goist

Here's wishing a very happy birthday today to John Paul Jones!
Jones was born on this date in 1946.

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## John Soper

Some people aren't very retiring...

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## f5loar

JPJ is a pretty serious mandolin picker.   I understand he recently joined that LL owners club.

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## Mandolin Mick

I thought I'd resurrect this old thread to say that John Paul Jones uses Elixir Strings because Chris Thile recommended them to him.

IMHO Jones was the most talented member of Zeppelin, certainly the most versatile.  :Wink:

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## Kevin McELvanney

I recommend Led Zeppelin: When giants walked the earth - Mick Wall. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even to non fans. Have a lot more admiration for J.P.J after reading it. Recently enjoyed his work with Them Crooked Vultures (Josh Homme, Dave Grohl) seemed like he was having fun at the shows. Not a great deal of mando content but good all the same  :Mandosmiley:

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## Ed Goist

*Happy Birthday to the great John Paul Jones!* 
The multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger, record producer, and bassist and mandolin player for the legendary Led Zeppelin was born on this date in 1946.

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## ibanezed4yrs

still a page fan.. lol

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## Beanzy

> 


I think that may be his LL that Thile played at the Borderline gig. Sequential serial numbers too!

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## Barry Wilson

always been a JPJ fan. I was mainly a bass player for many years. had a blond 71 jazz to emulate the great one in looks anyway hehe. 

love in that clip above when JPJ finishes his solo and the crowd erupts. singers just had to laugh as they couldn't even hear themselves

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## McGruff

Loved this. Very melodic and soulfully and not over done.

Any recommendations for other players similar to this clip?

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## Richard.g.hampton

> Loved this. Very melodic and soulfully and not over done.
> 
> Any recommendations for other players similar to this clip?


Here's another nice one........http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7t8yJGezXI

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## Mark Robertson-Tessi

> I recommend Led Zeppelin: When giants walked the earth - Mick Wall. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even to non fans. Have a lot more admiration for J.P.J after reading it. Recently enjoyed his work with Them Crooked Vultures (Josh Homme, Dave Grohl) seemed like he was having fun at the shows. Not a great deal of mando content but good all the same


Thanks for the recommendation

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## Hillsdale Leroy

Yes, he does have a Loar, I recently saw a picture of him and Chris Thile with thiers in London I think.

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## Darren Bailey

There's a cracking picture of his Loar next to Thile's in the interview recently posted on this site.

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## Merula

I used to play in an East European band years ago and JPJ sat in on bass balalaika 

There is a link to it on this page:

http://accordion4.tripod.com/id3.html

We ended up doing several gigs with him including playing for his daughter's wedding.

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## Ed Goist

> I used to play in an East European band years ago and JPJ sat in on bass balalaika 
> 
> There is a link to it on this page:
> 
> http://accordion4.tripod.com/id3.html
> 
> We ended up doing several gigs with him including playing for his daughter's wedding.


*Very, very cool!*

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## Ed Goist

I can't believe I'm just finding these now! 
Two of my favorite musicians. I wish the audio were a little better, but this is still fantastic!

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vates

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## Brian Sharpe

Loved it!

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