Sweet Child O' Mine! The Epiphone Slash Signature Series is coming...

Epiphone Slash Les Paul
(Image credit: Slash / Instagram)

GEAR 2021: If one of the biggest gear news stories of 2020 was Gibson's expansive range of Slash signature guitars, 2021 has begun with Epiphone getting in on the act.

Perhaps it was only matter of time, but the Slash Signature Series is coming to Epiphone and will feature the same finish options as the Gibson models. 

The news was shared by Slash himself, with the Guns N' Roses guitarist sharing a picture of the five Les Pauls on his Instagram account. "Here they are in all their glory, the Epiphone Slash Signature Series due out this year," he wrote. "They play & sound killer. & look good too."

A post shared by Slash (@slash)

A photo posted by on

There are no details on specs just yet, but looking at the picture above, it looks like many of those little details from the Gibson run have made it to the Epiphone models. The Appetite Amber, Vermillion Burst, November Burst, Anaconda Burst and "Victoria" Goldtop finishes are all present and correct. And the tone controls match the hardware.

Of course, those maple tops to be veneers, or at least not quite so thick, but then the price is going to be a lot more approachable for the average player. And don't be surprised if the Epiphone models boast similar electronics to their Gibson counterparts.

Epiphone has been on one heck of a hot streak of late, with models such as the Prophecy Series Flying V and 50s Les Paul Standard so generously spec'd and well-built that they might make those who have long coveted a US-built Gibson reconsider.

With Slash having let the cat out of the bag, expect official confirmation from Epiphone, and we'll bring you news of the spec just as soon as it is announced.

• NAMM 2021 is cancelled, but we'll be covering all the big January gear announcements right here on MusicRadar.

Jonathan Horsley

Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars and guitar culture since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.