Slash Appetite For Destruction
(from Gibson official website)
Working hard to record Guns N’ Roses’ 1987 debut, Appetite for Destruction, Slash was experiencing nothing but frustration trying to achieve the tones he was seeking with a range of contemporary electric guitars he was using. Then someone handed him a reissue-style Les Paul Standard, and that was all she wrote. With this legendary rock machine in hand, Slash laid down the deadliest rock riffs of the decade—propelling songs like “Paradise City”, “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, and “Welcome to the Jungle”—and fired up the biggest-selling debut album of all time in the process.
Slash has been a devoted Les Paul player ever since, throughout his years with Guns N’ Roses and later with Slash’s Snakepit and Velvet Revolver. He has taken a number of Gibson Signature models on the road, and owned and recorded with near-priceless vintage late ’50s ’Bursts. To honor his achievements on the instrument, Gibson’s Custom Shop introduces the Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul, a guitar made in the image of the axe that launched a thousand riffs.
The Guitar That Saved Rock N’ Roll
The Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul is crafted in the image of an original 1958-’60 Les Paul Standard, and available in strictly limited numbers, with 100 guitars hand-aged and signed by Slash himself, and another 300 finished with the Custom Shop’s VOS process. All examples carry a uniquely figured maple top with nitrocellulose Butterscotch finish, amber top-hat knobs, rosewood fingerboard with traditional trapezoid inlays, and packs the added punch of “zebra-coil” Seymour Duncan Signature Series Alnico II Pro Slash humbucking pickups, at the artist’s request.
Topped off with aged-nickel Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece and a precision-PLEK cut bone nut, the Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul sings and sustains like few guitars on the planet. Playability, naturally, is flawless, thanks to a solid one-piece Grade A mahogany neck with Slash's preferred slim ’60s profile, and the 12" fingerboard radius and 22 medium frets that have made Les Pauls notorious for big, meaty rock bends for more than 50 years. All Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Pauls come with a lined hardshell case with silkscreened Slash signature, a Certificate of Authenticity, an Owner's Manual and adjustment literature, and a rare bonus of a deluxe vinyl LP edition of Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction. Check it out now at your authorized Gibson dealer.
Body and Finish
The Custom Shop Slash “Appetite ” Les Paul is crafted from a uniquely figured maple top and solid one-piece lightweight mahogany body. It is sprayed with nitrocellulose lacquer in a Butterscotch finish that replicates a beautifully faded vintage Les Paul Standard. The maple-mahogany combination and thin nitro finish help to bring the most out of these guitars, both tonally and visually.
Body
Species
Each Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul is made from a highly and uniquely figured two-piece maple top attached with ultra-strong Franklin Titebond 50 glue to a solid one-piece lightweight mahogany body. The maple-mahogany combination has been used on Les Pauls since the model debuted in 1952, and has become the most classic tonewood combination in electric guitar history.
Tonal Characteristics
The Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul’s body woods present the classic combination of outstanding clarity, definition and treble bite from the maple, and superb depth and richness from the mahogany, all of which are elements that are found in the legendary tone of the original Les Paul Standard. This is one of the most revered wood combinations of all time, and truly offers a “best of both worlds” design in the way that mahogany and maple complement each other to offer superior resonance, sustain, depth, clarity, and definition.
Design
The Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul follows the body lines and dimensions of the original Les Paul Standard, with a gently arched carved top and rounded lower bout, and combines the classic tonewood combination of mahogany back and carved maple top.
Weight
Weights vary slightly, but the Gibson Custom Shop selects light stocks of solid one-piece mahogany for use in the Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul.
Available Finishes
Color
The Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul's top finished in Gibson's exclusive Butterscotch "Unburst", to replicate the look of a vintage Les Paul from which all the cherry element of the sunburst has faded, and only a deep amber glow remains. The back and sides are finished in a classic vintage cherry.
Butterscotch - VOS
Butterscotch - Aged
Process
The Custom Shop Slash “Appetite” Les Paul is hand-finished in nitrocellulose in a process that closely replicates the finishing process applied to original Les Paul Standards of 1958-’60. Finishing is monitored to ensure minimum build-up, in an effort to produce a finish that breathes with the guitar and enhances natural resonance. Once finishing is complete, 100 guitars are hand-aged by the Custom Shop, while another 300 are treated to the proprietary VOS finish and hardware ageing process. The result, in each case, is a guitar that looks and feels like a gently aged 1958-’60 Les Paul Standard.
Just as original ’Bursts were finished 50 years ago, the Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul is given a striking, well-buffed, gloss-nitro finish, which is then aged in one of two different processes, as described below.
Neck and Headstock
The guitars neck and headstock are made in the classic tradition of the original 1958-’60 Les Pauls. Carved from a single piece of mahogany, and topped with a rosewood fingerboard, the design incorporates Gibson’s lauded 17-degree back-angled headstock, which contributes greatly to the instrument’s resonance and sustain.
Neck Species
The neck of the Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul is constructed from one solid piece of Grade A mahogany for improved strength and resonance.Tonal Characteristics
The mahogany neck enhances sustain and resonance through its outstanding transference of vibrational energy to the body, while the rosewood fingerboard contributes warmth and richness to the guitar's overall tonal complexity.
Neck Profile
The neck on the Custom Shop Slash “Appetite” Les Pauls are carved to Slash's own preferred Slim neck profile, which closely replicates the famously fast-playing Les Paul Standards of the last year of production in 1960.
Tolerance
When fitting the neck and body together, we take advantage of our precise measuring equipment so that all angles, pitches and alignments maintain a proper tolerance. Not only does this help to keep your guitar in tune but it also maintains proper string alignment relative to the fingerboard.
Joint
Gibson uses what is known as the Mortise & Tenon joint to bind neck to body so that the two pieces form one solid unit. On the Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul this fixture includes the deep-set “long neck tenon” that substantially increases sustain and resonance, and thereby improves the overall tone of the guitar.
Headstock Angle (Pitch)
JJust like the original Les Pauls of 1958-’60, and many classic Gibson models, the Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul headstock is carefully angled at Gibson’s traditional 17 degrees. This subtle yet crucial element of the guitar’s design increases pressure on the strings and helps them stay in the nut slots. An increase in string pressure also means there is no loss of string vibration between the nut and the tuners, which equals better sustain.
Truss Rod
Gibson’s traditional truss rod, found in nearly all of our guitars, is highly responsive to the individual adjustments you’ll want to make to personalize and optimize string action and sustain.
Logo
The traditional, period-correct Gibson logo is inlaid in mother of pearl across the top of a holly headstock veneer, with “Les Paul Model” silkscreened along the center of the headstock, as on original Les Paul Standards from 1958-’60.
Adhesive
The adhesive used to join neck and body is Franklin Titebond 50, one of the strongest glues on the market today.
Fingerboard Species
The Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul carries a Grade-A rosewood fingerboard, which is both hardwearing and sonically superlative, adding sweetness and depth to the guitar’s overall sound.
Frets
In the image of the later versions of the original Les Paul Standards, the Custom Shop Slash “Appetite” Les Paul’s fingerboard carries 22 medium-jumbo frets, which further aid string bending and playing speed.
Tonal Characteristics
Rosewood fingerboards are known for their rich, round tone, which contributes added depth and dimension to the overall complexity of the Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul’s voice.
Just like that of the original ’Burst, the 12" radius of the Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul fingerboard provides smooth note-bending capabilities and eliminates “dead” or “choked out” notes, common occurrences on fingerboards with lesser radiuses, and is another feature that has helped to make this guitar a blues-rock legend.
Inlays
The Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul fingerboard carries pearloid trapezoid position-marker inlays, echoing the traditional look of the original Les Paul Standard.
Nut Material
The nut on the Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul is made from bone for superior resonance and sustain. It is installed into the top surface of the neck, butting up to the end of the fingerboard, and its nut slots are precision cut with Gibson’s PLEK system to ensure precise fit, break angle, and string spacing.
Nut Width
The width of the nut on the Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul is approximately 1 11/16", a width that is in line with traditional Les Paul Standards, and preferred by countless players.
Pickups and Electronics
To Slash's own specifications, the Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul carries a set of “zebra-coil” Seymour Duncan Signature Series Alnico II Pro Slash humbucking pickups, which are made in the image of the original Gibson PAF humbucking pickups. From a rich, throaty wail at the neck position to a muscular, eviscerating roar at the bridge, these pickups offer all the tonal versatility that has made the Les Paul Standard famous. Their full splendor is transmitted via a Switchcraft selector switch, high-quality potentiometers with Sprague capacitors, and a robust Switchcraft output jack.
Pickups Model
The Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul is equipped with a pair of Seymour Duncan's new Signature Series Alnico II Pro Slash humbucking pickups, calibrated for depth and definition at the neck position and added power and sustain at the bridge position. These pickups replicate the glories of Gibson's original PAF humbucking pickups of the late ’50s and early ’60s, for a full, singing tone with outstanding clarity.
Magnet Material
The pickups are made with Alnico II bar magnets, just like many of the most prized original PAF humbuckers.
Tonal Characteristics
In the neck position, the Alnico II Pro Slash model is thick, creamy and vocal, with a rich, singing quality that excels at evocative rock and blues-rock lead work. In the bridge position, this pickup has more bite, aggression, and an enhanced treble response. Between them, they perfectly capture the tone that Slash himself has made famous.
Electronics
Volume and Tone Controls
Just like the original Les Paul Standards, the Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul uses an independent Volume and Tone control for each pickup. These consist of high-quality 500k audio taper potentiometers, with .022 Sprague capacitors wired to the Tone controls for a smooth, musical roll-off of high frequencies.
Toggle Switch
The Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul features the classic three-way Switchcraft toggle switch with cream plastic tip.
Output Jack
The guitar features a 1⁄4” output jack made by Switchcraft, for years of trouble-free service.
Hardware
In the image of the great Les Paul Standards of the 1958-’60 the Custom Shop Slash “Appetite” Les Paul wears a classic set of aged nickel-plated hardware. A Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece offer uncompromising resonant coupling between strings and body, while a set of vintage style tuners combine an authentic vintage look with efficient modern performance. (The hardware on 100 guitars is hand aged, while hardware on another 300 is aged in the VOS process.)
Tuning Keys
The headstock of the Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul carries a set of vintage style, green-tulip button nickel tuners, which provide a classic look in line with the model’s lineage, and smooth, robust performance, with an efficient 12:1 turn ratio.
Trussrod Cover
The truss rod cover on the Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul follows the period-correct “antique bell” shape of the originals, and is made from black and white vinyl plastic.
Strap Buttons
According to Slash’s preference, the Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul is provided with strap locks, making it ready to rock.
Pickguard
The guitar carries no pickguard, to emulate the look of Slash's favorite Les Pauls, from which the pickguards have traditionally been removed.
Bridge
In the image of its predecessor, the Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul carries a die-cast zinc Tune-o-matic (ABR-1) bridge that is plated in aged nickel. This bridge provides a firm seating for the strings, allowing the player to adjust and fine-tune the intonation and string height in a matter of minutes. It also yields excellent coupling between strings and body, maximizing resonance, tone and sustain.
Tailpiece
An aged nickel-plated aluminum stopbar tailpiece keeps things tight at the tail end.
Control Knobs
The Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul carries translucent amber top-hat knobs.
Strings
The Custom Shop Slash “Appetite for Destruction” Les Paul is fitted with vintage strings, sizes .010 - .046.