The G&L Rampage may have been consigned to the dusty racks of a hundred pawn shops if it hadn’t been for Jerry Cantrell of Alice In Chains.

He made his bones on an original ‘80s Rampage. This Tribute version is an affordable take on the man’s megabucks US signature Rampage, but don’t think that it’s just for Jerry fans. Thanks to its flat fingerboard profile, the G&L Tribute Rampage Jerry Cantrell Signature (try saying that with a gob full of Coco Pops) is a shredder’s delight.

In place of Jerry’s preferred Seymour Duncan JB humbucker a custom wound job keeps costs down while providing decent clean tones and enough power to satisfy anyone with a jones for the dirty stuff. The only sticking point on our guitar, literally, was the Kahler 4300 X-Trem vibrato which didn’t always return to pitch at first. Look out for that before you part with your lolly.

That aside, this Rampage is a killer ‘80s throwback with big price tag tone, sustain and playability.

Verdict

Getting hold of an original ‘80s Rampage at a reasonable price would be the Devil’s own task. That’s why this Tribute model has been causing such excitement among Cantrell fans and G&L aficionados. Aside from the fact that it’s not a particularly versatile guitar, we love its tone and playability. It’s also not a million miles away from the spec and build quality of Jerry’s US signature. Upgrade to a Seymour Duncan JB ’bucker and you’ll get even closer.

4 Stars

Pros: Awesome shredder, bags of tone.
Cons: Lacks versatility.

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