Gibson announces Bill Kelliher Halcyon Les Paul and Lzzy Hale Explorer

Hot on the tail of the 2015 line-up, Gibson has announced two brand new signature models for Mastodon's Bill Kelliher and Halestorm's Lzzy Hale.

The Bill Kelliher Halcyon Les Paul - the Mastodon man's second Gibson model after the Golden Axe Explorer -features Bill's signature Lace Dissonant Aggressor humbuckers, designed to provide increased sustain and power for Mastodon's low tunings. The pickups can be coil-split using the guitar's push/pull volume pots.

The body is the classic Les Paul mix of mahogany and maple, and the has undergone Gibson's modern weight relief process, before being finished in a Gold With Blackburst paint job and gold hardware.

Speaking to Total Guitar about his love for Gibson Les Pauls, Bill says "My brother had a friend who left his Les Paul Studio at our house. I came home one day and there was this Les Paul Studio at our house, a Cherry one. I picked it up and started playing it. I just fell in love with it and I said,'I must have this guitar. What do you want for it? I don't care if you're selling it or not, I'm buying it.' I ended up buying it off the kid a few weeks later. That was my dream guitar, to have a nice Les Paul. I never imagined I'd own one."

The Lzzy Hale Explorer is a signature version of Lzzy's longterm stage guitar (her "classy biatch", as she calls it. It's equipped with two Gibson 57 Classic humbuckers (a hotter one for the bridge position) and comes in Lzzy's distinctive White finish with gold scratch plate, controls and hardware.

Watch the video below to see Lzzy talking about the guitar which inspired her signature model.

Stuart Williams
Drums

I'm a freelance member of the MusicRadar team, specialising in drum news, interviews and reviews. I formerly edited Rhythm and Total Guitar here in the UK and have been playing drums for more than 25 years (my arms are very tired). When I'm not working on the site, I can be found on my electronic kit at home, or gigging and depping in function bands and the odd original project.