Whenever you hear the name Guns N’ Roses mentioned, which member springs into your head first? For us, it’s always the top hat-adorned Slash (sorry Axl…) that is summoned to our mind's eye.
The man behind all those electrifying GNR riffs and succulently-toned solos, Slash has become an iconic, singular figure in guitar history.
In a trawl through our archive of legacy interviews recently, we re-discovered a fascinating chat conducted with Slash way back in 2008. On the heels of the launch of Gibson and Epiphone’s signature Slash Les Paul Goldtops, Slash was eager, back then, to gush about his love of the guitar that he’s most associated with…
“I’ve played so many different Les Pauls, I've always had four, if not 10 Les Pauls out with me on the road, and I think the signature models are basically just accruing information that I've picked up over the years having played Les Pauls for so long,” Slash told us.
When asked why he didn’t push for the incorporation of any ‘crazier’ features into those (or other) signature models, Slash gave a to-the-point answer;
“Well personally all I'm doing is playing guitar. I don't go in for any pyrotechnics and I don't need any bells and whistles and I think the more you cut out of a guitar to make room for any sensationalistic amenities like that the more you take out of the guitar's original sound, and I try to keep it intact.”
He also shared with us his then-current roster of owned guitars. We can only imagine how this number has grown since ’08…
“I've got somewhere between 80 and 90 guitars and I'd say 75 percent of them are Les Pauls. It seems ridiculous - but they all have a unique purpose.”
But, if his house went up in flames, which guitars would he have darted back in to grab?
“Well, it would definitely be benefiting this particular promotion if I said one of my signature guitars,” Slash cheekily said. “But in all honesty it would be the guitar I've been recording with ever since Appetite For Destruction. It's been my main 'go to' guitar for years.
“Having said that I have 80 or 90 guitars there are two that I keep close by with me at all times. Really you only need one or two guitars in your whole career. But you end up collecting a lot of guitars before you discover that reality.”
It’s the 1991 Gibson Goldtop (and a replacement version custom-made for Slash after that particular axe was stolen from him in 1998) that he cited as a particular favourite.
“In the nineties on the Use Your Illusion tour, I picked up a brand new Gibson Goldtop which became a major part of the set and I used it for all of the sort of epic ballads that had long sustaining guitar solos. Sweet Child O' Mine, November Rain, Estranged, Knocking On Heaven's Door, So Fine, and my guitar solo as well, so I did The Godfather with it,” Slash said.
“I think Gibsons are hands down the toughest guitars, I have to say. I smashed one once at a show in New Jersey a while back, and it took a couple of good, heavy whacks.”
