The Slash Les Paul Signature Model by Epiphone

Guns N Roses pretty much ruled hard rock when I first started playing guitar. Because of this, my playing has been influenced by legendary guitar hero Slash. He is best known for his time in Guns N Roses and, later, Velvet Revolver. He has influenced two generations of guitarists and appropriately has his own signature guitar that he actually plays in the studio and on stage.

This guitar did not have the initial hype around it that signature guitars usually would but it has started to get a following. Some music stores have a really hard time keeping them in stock. Gibson USA produces a version that is made in the USA and is priced that way as well. If you are lucky you can find one of them for about $2,800. They have almost been sold out so you will usually only be able to find the Epiphone version that is made in China. Both are essentially the same except the USA version is considered to be a much better quality made instrument by many people. Both are handmade which is very rare these days in import guitars. They are available in a tobacco sunburst and gold top finish.

Since you will find many more Epiphones than Gibson versions I figured I would go over the specifications for the Epiphone. For what its worth though they essentially have all the same designs. The body and neck wood used on all models is mahogany with a set neck with a rosewood fretboard. This is very common in Les Paul guitars, but it does make them much heavier than a typical Stratocaster or strat style guitar that many people start out with. The neck is a tad bulkier than many Les Pauls and is styled like a late 1950s model. It is not like holding a bat, but if you are used to a slim profile neck this guitar does take getting used to. It has 22 medium jumbo style frets with block inlays. The guitar is made with a 24 ¾ scale compared to the typical 25 scale found in most guitars. The pickups are Seymour Duncan Alnico Pro-II humbuckers in the neck and bridge positions. These are very good pickups and give a great mid range punch when you solo. The bridge is slightly different than a typical Les Paul. It is a tune-o-matic bridge. This is not a locking tremolo, but it does give more tuning stability than a typical stop bridge that you will find on many Les Paul guitars. You can usually find this guitar for $800 at the very low end or $999 at the highest you really should consider paying for it. I have not seen any priced used lately.

I played one of these several times. A friend of mine has a sunburst version and a gold top version since he is a huge Slash fan. I am sure he will buy another color if one comes out. Even though I am greatly influenced by Ace Frehley, who has almost exclusively used Les Pauls, I really never had been a big fan of the instrument. The first thing I don't like very much is the last five frets are not very easy to get to if you are playing what at the bottom of the neck on a solo. I also have never like mahogany as far as body wood. It has a really nice sound to it, but I find it to be rather heavy. I have always preferred guitars made of alder on ash. The pickups are really nice. I actually have one in a customized Les Paul that I had made that uses alder. The pickups are one of the best features in the guitar. The biggest thing I would have against it is the price. Most signature model guitars are expensive and you are paying for the name. For the price of this guitar you could buy an ESP/LTD EC model with a locking tremolo and EMG pickups for about $800. The neck on the ESP is much more comfortable to play and the price is great compared to the quality. I have also found instruments made in Korea to be much more superior to those made in China. If price is not an object, you like Les Pauls, and you really like Slash then this is a very high quality instrument. I don't see this being a good value and if you are not a fan of Slash then there really is no reason to buy this guitar.

Sources.

www.gibson.com

www.guitarcenter.com