Gibson's productive partnership with Slash has borne more six-stringed fruit in the form of another addition to its Les Paul stable, the Slash “Jessica” Les Paul Standard in Honey Burst with Red Back. Dubbed "a piece of rock ’n’ roll history reborn", Gibson's latest is based on the Guns N' Roses icon's much-loved live weapon of choice.
"This guitar has been with me since 1988," Slash said of the guitar that's been his go-to stage instrument for over 30 years, in the excellent Slash: The Collection book. "It's faded, I fucking dropped a cigarette on it... I named it when I was drunk but I don't remember what the catalyst for that was!"
The new Jessica replica is built around a non-weight-relieved mahogany body topped with a three-piece plain maple top, while the neck is crafted from mahogany in '50s Vintage profile.
Sonically, it's driven by two Custom Burstbucker pickups with Alnico 2 magnets, ab ly augmented with hand-wired electronics, including Orange Drop capacitors, proven to offer a range of tones from clean and articulate to the trademark overdriven sounds featured on GNR smashes like Welcome To The Jungle, Paradise City, Sweet Child O’ Mine, and many more.
Slash first acquired the Jessica, when he retired his Kris Derrig and Max Baranet Les Paul replicas in the late '80s and Gibson sent two factory seconds as candidate replacements.
“Both of ’em were pretty identical, with a bright Cherry Sunburst,” he recalls. “I started using those on the road for a while, then I had them refinished so that they were a little duller. And that became my main stage guitar and the backup all the way through Guns N’ Roses and on through Velvet Revolver, and now with Guns again.”
The Gibson Slash Jessica Les Paul Standard is available now at $3,199/£2,999. For more details and background, head over to gazette.gibson.com now.
