Gibson Slash 2010 Appetite for Destruction Les Paul
By MNJ
| Posted in Music Technology
The Slash Appetite For Destruction Les Paul is to be announced by Gibson at NAMM 2010. It will be shown to Gibson’s NAMM guests at the show and early reports suggest that it will be available only in limited numbers from the Gibson Custom Shop, although there will be a more widely available Epiphone version.
The guitar only exists in prototype form at the moment which suggests Slash and the Custom Shop are still working over the details. He is scheduled to visit the Gibson stand at some point during the show to talk about the guitar and sign a few autographs. Spotting famous faces at NAMM is not difficult and they generally get left alone but I suggest the arrival of a major rock star like Slash may just cause mild hysteria amongst the attendees.
Curiously, the original guitar Slash used to record the Appetite album was not a Gibson at all but a replica made by a luthier called Chris Derrig. It was given to him during the recording of the album by Gun’s manager, Alan Niven when the guitarist was having problems getting his sound together. It has been used on albums and tours ever since including his time with Snakepit and Velvet Revolver. The guitar was based on a ’59 Sunburst Les Paul and equipped with Seymour Duncan humbuckers and although now retired from the road, remains virtually unaltered apart from new pickup rings which have been replaced several times due to Slash’s somewhat over-zealous right arm.
The Gibson Slash Appetite for Destruction Les Paul features a weight-relieved mahaogany body and a highly figured triple A maple top. He has specified a rounded ’60 style neck profile on this guitar, which would suggest a slimmer profile than the ’59, but not as slim as a current production ’60 model. The top features no burst at all – it could be described as an ‘unburst’ if anything, but retains the deep orange colour of the original. The fingerboard is the standard rosewood with trapezioid inlays.
The headstock will feature the Slash trademark logo, a smoking skull and top hat, just in case anybody is in any doubt which model this is. The pickups will still be Seymour Duncans, but the Slash Signature Seymour Duncan Alnico IIs, and there are special capacitors in the wiring circuit specified by Slash for vintage tone. The bridge and tailpiece are Tonepros, lightweight and accurate reproductions of the original ’50s hardware.
The launch date for this guitar is unknown at present though DV247 will bring you news as it’s announced. In the meantime, this is yet another iconic instrument that Gibson are replicating, and it’s going to cause major excitement for all guitar-playing Slash fans. It’s time to re-learn the riff to Sweet Child ‘o’ Mine, methinks. What else could you possibly want to play the first time you pick up the Slash Appetite for Destruction Les Paul?
Tags: appetite for destruction, appetite les paul, gibson les paul, guns 'n roses, Slash, slash les paul
Slash had two replicas made during this period one was by a guy called Max Baranet and the other one was by Kris Derrig. It’s hottly disputed which guitar was used for the recording of Appetite but I think this release from Gibson clears it up nicely. Hopefully we’ll get to see one in the flesh before they’re all sold!
Professor Edwin Fail