Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Guitar Amps
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Artist news
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • Drums
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • You Oughta Know
  • Fake AI band
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • Wrecking Crew
Recommended reading
Kane Hibberd, the photographer behind the Scale exhibition in London, poses in front of his photographs – guitars features will include Kerry King of Slayer's BC Rich and Tom Morello's Arm The Homeless S-style.
Guitars Exhibition featuring life-sized photos of 100 legendary artists' guitars to open in London
The Gibson Les Paul Music City Special – 50th Anniversary is a limited edition hybrid that combines the old Marauder and Music City Junior, and offers them in wine, tobacco sunburst and ebony finishes.
Guitars Gibson celebrates 50 years in Nashville with limited run twist on a cult electric played by KISS
Kirk Hammett of Metallica wears a studded denim jacket as he plays live with his Mummy ESP signature guitar
Artists “Guitars should be played”: Kirk Hammett has been anonymously selling his guitars online
A bare-chested Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin performs at Earl's Court, London, in 1975. Guitarist Jimmy Page plays his Gibson Les Paul Standard in the background.
Artists Robert Plant is selling gear for charity, including totally unique John Birch-modded ‘62 Stratocaster
Gibson Custom Serj Tankian Les Paul Modern: The System Of A Down frontman performs with his brightly coloured new signature guitar, which features original artwork from the man himself.
Guitars Serj Tankian and Gibson team up for limited edition Foundations Les Paul Modern Sublimation
Epiphone goes high-end with its Inspired By Gibson Custom 2025 collection: [from left] the '63 Firebird in Polaris White is joined by a 1959 Les Paul Standard, a '64 SG Standard, a 1960 Les Paul Special in TV Yellow and a 1962 ES-335 reissue.
Guitars Epiphone expands and upgrades Inspired By Gibson Custom range with 8 stunning "reissue" electrics
On the left, a Gibson Les Paul Standard Double Cut, solid-bodied, in Vintage Cherry Sunburst, it looks like the archetypical singlecut. On the right, the new Les Paul Parlor, a guitar that applies the LP aesthetic to a small-bodied acoustic.
Guitars Gibson has just unveiled a new Les Paul like no other
  1. Guitars
  2. Electric Guitars

In pictures: 17 stunningly decorated Gibson Les Pauls, designed for superstar guitarists

News
By Michael Astley-Brown published 24 October 2017

Slash, Rick Nielsen and Gary Clark Jr models up for charity auction

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

You’ve seen one-off Les Pauls before, but not quite like this: VH1 Save The Music Foundation has partnered with the Gibson Foundation to produce a host of guitars that pair a superstar musician with a visual artist to create one unique piece.

The guitars will be auctioned off to raise funds for musical instruments for a dozen schools - many of the guitars are set to go under the hammer at Julien’s Auctions Rock N Roll Icons collection on 4 November.

Until then, have a scroll through our gallery and take in the sheer craft, with comments from the artists themselves…

Page 1 of 18
Page 1 of 18
Musician: Mark Ronson

Musician: Mark Ronson

Design inspiration: "My work is inspired by music and people who not only think outside of the box, but redefine what the box is.

"Working on this guitar for Mark Ronson was a perfect fit for my work because he creates a bridge between underground culture and mainstream."

Page 2 of 18
Page 2 of 18
Musician: Gary Clark Jr

Musician: Gary Clark Jr

Design inspiration: "The design of this guitar is based on the creative energy transfer that Gary Clark Jr. exudes to his audience during the height of his live music performances.

"There is an exact moment when Gary’s strumming hand becomes a blur, the atmosphere becomes electric, and the audience truly lets their “everyday” guard down in order to become one with the music. It's a beautiful thing.

"The multitude of colors is as much a tribute to psychedelic guitar rock as it is to the concept of visualizing music notes as swatches or feelings of color. The exposed wood on various parts of the guitar mimic the organicness of where the whole creation of music originates from."

Page 3 of 18
Page 3 of 18
Musician: Vivian Campbell

Musician: Vivian Campbell

Design inspiration: "Inclusivity and love were key elements in the creation of the custom Gibson guitar.

"Vivian Campbell penned the words and I integrated them into the guitar along with graphics and sketches of immigrants passing through Ellis Island in the early 20th century (based on photographs by Augustus Sherman)."

Page 4 of 18
Page 4 of 18
Musician: Wayne Kramer

Musician: Wayne Kramer

Design inspiration: "The Gods of the Motor City spoke to me and said 'Hudson, put Cadillac bullets and chrome all over Wayne's Les Paul.' And I did."

Page 5 of 18
Page 5 of 18
Musician: Slash

Musician: Slash

Design inspiration: "I decided to do a scorpion protecting the pick as only Slash is allowed to play this guitar - the scorpion is making sure that's the case. I wanted to make it really bold and gnarly so it stuck out and was easily seen and understood.

"I was quite aware of visuals that are used a lot with Guns N' Roses and Slash in general, so I tried to keep away from the obvious. Drawing directly onto a guitar is tough for illustrators for obvious reasons, so I tried to used the shape to my advantage and emphasize the awesome shape of the guitar.

"It was a real privilege not only to design a piece for Slash, but to do it directly onto a brand new Gibson."

Page 6 of 18
Page 6 of 18
Musician: The Roots

Musician: The Roots

Design inspiration: "Being a musician (drummer) myself, I always draw inspiration from the world of music. I try to portray the sounds as I visualize them as characters that live in my universe, my Bluniverse.

"Since the Gibson guitar was a joint effort between myself and THE ROOTS, the inspiration behind it came from their musical repertoire and the bandmates themselves! I drew the inspiration from the groove of their music and translated that flow from the stage right onto my canvas... and the rest is history!"

Page 7 of 18
Page 7 of 18
Musician: Rick Nielsen

Musician: Rick Nielsen

Design inspiration: "The Checkered Past Les Paul is an ode to Rick's lighthearted personality and his ongoing love of checkers, on his clothing and guitars, throughout his career."

Page 8 of 18
Page 8 of 18
Musician: J Balvin

Musician: J Balvin

Design inspiration: "Every stroke of paint and every moving line when added together, like DNA, creates a life form."

Page 9 of 18
Page 9 of 18
Musician: Chris Stapleton

Musician: Chris Stapleton

Design inspiration: "As far as inspiration, as you know, Chris and Morgane (his wife) are long time friends. A couple years back they took a trip west to dig deep while their first record was in the works.

"As an artist, I am drawn to realism along with traditional style. I love the nostalgia of traditional western art. That being said, I drew inspiration from my appreciation for that style of art, and paired it with Chris's outlaw country image which eventually spawned the bronco enclosed in the minimalist landscape."

Page 10 of 18
Page 10 of 18
Musician: Miley Cyrus

Musician: Miley Cyrus

Design inspiration: "I wanted to tie in something organic with the instrument… so much music is created on the computer, I thought this would remind folks of music's natural roots."

Page 11 of 18
Page 11 of 18
Musician: Corey Taylor

Musician: Corey Taylor

Design inspiration: "I aimed to make a conceptual portrait of Corey Taylor when I painted the Gibson Les Paul for VH1 Save the Music Foundation this year.

"While I've done scores of likenesses throughout my professional life, even the exaggerated images have been fairly straightforward. Corey is a uniquely-versatile, multi-discipline artist of great energy so anything fairly straightforward would do him an injustice in my view, so I did my best to cut loose."

Page 12 of 18
Page 12 of 18
Musician and visual artist: Patti Smith

Musician and visual artist: Patti Smith

Design inspiration: Patti Smith penned the lyrics to her song, "People Have The Power," on the Gibsonguitar she designed for this project.

Page 13 of 18
Page 13 of 18
Musician: Wyclef

Musician: Wyclef

Design inspiration: "This guitar is a representation of freedom, and so is Wyclef.

"I was listening to his music when the song 'Lady Haiti' came on, and it just hit me. '1804 you made my people free'… I wanted to take that feeling of freedom and unity and express it through my art."

Page 14 of 18
Page 14 of 18
Musician and visual artist: Robert Longo

Musician and visual artist: Robert Longo

Biography: Robert Longo is an internationally recognized visual artist known for his large-scale works in various media: drawing, sculpture, film, performance and music.

Longo is also a member and co-founder of the art-rock band Barbara Sukowa and the X-Patsys, in which he plays the electric guitar.

Page 15 of 18
Page 15 of 18
Musician: Robby Krieger

Musician: Robby Krieger

Biography: Australian husband-and-wife visual artists, DABSMYLA, employ a shared design language that dictates subject matter, positioning, color theory and perspective.

With this established framework and unspoken set of rules - strengthened by over a decade of working together simultaneously - their singular goal is to tell an expansive story that is wholly unique to their own experiences.  

Page 16 of 18
Page 16 of 18
Musician: Shawn Mendes

Musician: Shawn Mendes

Biography: Domingo Zapata is a Spanish-American Artist born in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

Currently, Zapata maintains studios in his Gramercy Park townhouse in New York City, the Design District in Miami, and Hollywood. In these private ateliers he produces Neo-Expressionist paintings as well as sculpture. He paints in both oil and acrylic, often incorporating mixed-media, collage and graffiti.

Page 17 of 18
Page 17 of 18
Musician: Warren Haynes

Musician: Warren Haynes

Biography: Sean Vranizan is a multidisciplinary artist born and raised in San Francisco who uses a multitude of mediums to create, spanning from logo branding to photographing with nontraditional cameras.

He brings his unique typographic sensibility in the form of hand painted murals, custom font designs, and vintage signage photography.

Page 18 of 18
Page 18 of 18
Michael Astley-Brown
Michael Astley-Brown
Social Links Navigation

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism, and has spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as a decade-and-a-half performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.

Read more
Kane Hibberd, the photographer behind the Scale exhibition in London, poses in front of his photographs – guitars features will include Kerry King of Slayer's BC Rich and Tom Morello's Arm The Homeless S-style.
Exhibition featuring life-sized photos of 100 legendary artists' guitars to open in London
The Gibson Les Paul Music City Special – 50th Anniversary is a limited edition hybrid that combines the old Marauder and Music City Junior, and offers them in wine, tobacco sunburst and ebony finishes.
Gibson celebrates 50 years in Nashville with limited run twist on a cult electric played by KISS
Kirk Hammett of Metallica wears a studded denim jacket as he plays live with his Mummy ESP signature guitar
“Guitars should be played”: Kirk Hammett has been anonymously selling his guitars online
A bare-chested Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin performs at Earl's Court, London, in 1975. Guitarist Jimmy Page plays his Gibson Les Paul Standard in the background.
Robert Plant is selling gear for charity, including totally unique John Birch-modded ‘62 Stratocaster
Gibson Custom Serj Tankian Les Paul Modern: The System Of A Down frontman performs with his brightly coloured new signature guitar, which features original artwork from the man himself.
Serj Tankian and Gibson team up for limited edition Foundations Les Paul Modern Sublimation
Epiphone goes high-end with its Inspired By Gibson Custom 2025 collection: [from left] the '63 Firebird in Polaris White is joined by a 1959 Les Paul Standard, a '64 SG Standard, a 1960 Les Paul Special in TV Yellow and a 1962 ES-335 reissue.
Epiphone expands and upgrades Inspired By Gibson Custom range with 8 stunning "reissue" electrics
Latest in Electric Guitars
Charvel Angel Vivaldi Signature Pro-Mod Nova-7 NAT: The new S-style is eight years in the making and in some of the promo pictures it looks like Angel Vivaldi has been on horseback for much of that time.
Angel Vivaldi and Charvel unveil state-of-the-art 7-string for levelling up your shred game
Zach Myers of Shinedown is bathed in blue stage lights and plays his custom-relic'd Silver Sky.
Shinedown’s Zach Myers on Paul Reed Smith, signature model updates, and that relic’d Silver Sky
Fender Custom Shop Ariel Posen Stratocaster: Posen's new signature model was inspired by the Jazzmaster and has custom-wound AP-90 pickups. Check out those cupcake-style control knobs.
Ariel Posen’s new Custom Shop signature Strat is A) stunning and B) inspired by a… Jazzmaster?
Epiphone 1957 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue
“A really vintage‑flavoured friend”: Epiphone 1957 Les Paul Goldtop Reissue review
The Gibson Les Paul Music City Special – 50th Anniversary is a limited edition hybrid that combines the old Marauder and Music City Junior, and offers them in wine, tobacco sunburst and ebony finishes.
Gibson celebrates 50 years in Nashville with limited run twist on a cult electric played by KISS
PRS SE NF 53: the super-versatile bolt-on electric gets a long-awaited SE release, and here all three finish options – White Dog Hair, Black Dog Hair and Pearl White – are photographed in front of a pair of PRS half-stacks.
PRS remixes its NF 53 for the SE line – and it's a serious workhorse electric for under a grand
Latest in News
Handwritten note saying 'And if you go forward...'
“Don’t. Toy. With. Us. We’re fragile”: Fleetwood Mac fans are all a-flutter about latest rumours
Massive Attack perform in concert at the Parco della Musica in Milan. Milan (Italy), June 18th, 2025
“We won’t stand by and allow other artists be threatened into silence”: Massive Attack announce grouping of pro-Palestinian artists
IK Multimedia Tonex One Brown Sound Anthology Limited Edition: these special run mini pedals offer the Tonex One in red, yellow and white, each presenting a specific era of EVH's classic tone.
“The anthology fully captures an artist’s tonal journey as he changed rock guitar forever”: Eddie Van Halen’s holy grail tone from a Tonex One mini pedal? IK Multimedia unveils the Brown Sound Anthology
Steve Miller of the Steve Miller Band performs live onstage at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 26, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana
"Heat, unpredictable flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes": Steve Miller cancels tour due to... the weather
Billy Joel
“Once you’ve seen this film, you’ll never hear Vienna the same way again," says Billy Joel doc director
Costumed members and singer Tobias Forge of the Swedish rock band Ghost perform at Uber Arena on May 7, 2025 in Berlin, Germany. The concert is part of the Skeletour World Tour 2025
“A life-changer for the existence of the band”: Tobias Forge says Ghost’s gig phone ban has been a success

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...