Gibson Unveils Slash Appetite For Destruction Les Paul

Gibson are currently working on guitar inspired by the Les Paul ´59-inspired copy that Slash used on Guns ‘N ‘ Roses legendary album Appetite For Destruction and they´re offering a preview at the NAMM show in California.

Gibson´s statement:

“Gibson Guitar will offer guests at the show a special sneak peak advance showing of the the upcoming release of the latest Slash 2010 ‘Appetite´ Les Paul. Inspired by the axe that the legendary Guns and Roses guitar hero played on the multi-platinum selling Appetite For Destruction album and practically every recording since, this may be the most highly anticipated guitar launch of the year. As a result Gibson is offering a sneak peek preview of this amazing work in progress at the Gibson/Monster Booth #4242 at the Anaheim Convention Centre. Take a good look at the latest in a series of prototypes being skillfully constructed by the Gibson USA Division luthiers for Slash´s, and your, inspection. Slash will be visiting the Gibson/Monster booth on Saturday 16th January at 3:30pm to check out the guitar, take a few pictures and sign some autographs.”

“Included are the features one would expect to be included in a guitar of this magnitude from the traditional style weight relief mahogany body with AAA figured maple top to the new Seymour Duncan Slash Signature Alnico II pickups. Special capacitors have been selected by Slash to create the vintage Les Paul sound he demands and Tone Pro hardware with historic machine heads, locking bridge and tailpiece to keep it all in tune and performing like a star.

Features on the 2010 Appetite according to Gibson (pictured above):

- Traditional style weight relief Mahogany body with AAA Figured Maple top

- Unique neck profile made for Slash features rounded 60´s shape

- Traditional style weight relief Mahogany body with AAA Figured Maple top

- Rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid inlays

- Un-burst top with faded cherry back lacquer finish

- Slash signature smoking skull with top hat artwork for peghead face

- New Seymour Duncan Slash Signature Alnico II pickups

- Special capacitors selected by Slash for vintage tone

- Tone Pro hardware with historic machine heads, locking bridge and tailpiece

A Controversial Guitar:

The is Gibson guitar is due as a - surprise - limited edition in Gibson and Epiphone forms in a few weeks. But it may reignite a debate that has bubbled in certain circles for over twenty years:

what guitar did Slash actually use on Appetite For Destruction?

There are two suspects for the guitar he used as his main stead for the album. But whatever the answer, it wasn´t a Gibson - although the company's fabled 1959 run of Les Pauls was the chief inspiration for these guitars (which would have probably earned a cease and desist order from Gibson´s lawyers if they´d heard about them at the time) so it´s fair enough to see the originators cash in. And maybe they´re thankful for the interest in the Les Paul that a guitar hero like Slash has brought.

The story of the guitar Slash used on Appaetite For Destruction can be quite a confusing story - depending on where you look and who you listen to - with Slash often giving an ambiguous version of it over the years. Perhaps intentionally.

At the time the guitarist - unhappy with his initial recorded guitar tone - went in to lay rerecord parts during a single session in 1987 with a Marshall head at LA's Take One studios he may have obtained two guitars for the job just in time. These two were a ´59-inspired flametop LP-shape reportedly built between 1984-85 (one of a run of around 50, according to Slash) by a Redondo Beach-based luthier at Music Works (

Jim Foote

or the more likely candidate, his employee, the late

Kris Derrig

) and another ´59-style built by

Max Luthier

(aka

Peter Baranet

).

Hence the confusion.

Here

in a forum thread regarding the issue on www.mylespaul.com, the debate becomes so heated that someone claiming to be Baranet actually ends up posting to give his side of the story. It´s a very interesting read for the guitar-inclined Guns fan.

However, in his 2007 autobiography Slash seemed to have put an end to the matter, stating ‘the late´ Jim Foot [sic] built the guitar he used on the album and that the Cat In The Top Hat continues to use as a go-to friend in the studio. Except Jim Foote is still alive, so did he actually mean Derrig? Was the Max guitar used on Appetite as well?

Was that immortal tone actually a Marlin Sidewinder and all this hoo-ha is just a ruse?

Mystique is always good in rock n´ roll so maybe we should leave it there.