Clearly both exhibited that instantly recognizable Les Paul grunt, but the Slash seemed more feral, less tamed.Ĭompared with the Goldtop’s almost ‘polite’ Custom Bucker pickups it sounded both edgier and honkier: the bridge pickup a bit like having a wah pedal 10 per cent cocked the neck tone’s a trifle fatter, too. Playing through Fender Blues Junior and Yamaha THR30II amps with a Custom Shop ’57 Les Paul as our ‘control’ guitar, it was an interesting match. You can rock - and indeed blues, pop, indie and even jazz - to your heart’s content Of course, the Les Paul’s limited upper access still applies, but if it was good enough for Jimmy Page, and indeed Slash. That, along with the polished medium-jumbo frets (approximately 2.28mm wide with a height of around 1.14mm) and perfect setup, means you can rock - and indeed blues, pop, indie and even jazz - to your heart’s content. It’s certainly very similar if not identical to the neck you’ll find on the current ’50s Standard here with a depth of 22mm at the 1st fret and 25.4mm at the 12th. Slash stipulates a 50s-style, medium-to-chunky C-profile neck and that’s what most of us seem to prefer these days. There’s no sanding marks on the rosewood ’board or on the celluloid inlays, as there often used to be the frets are all seated, crowned and polished to perfection, and the action just as you’d want it - low enough for comfort but with zero buzzes and rattles. The attention to detail that’s so clearly gone into the finishing carries over to the fretwork and setup. But compared with what else is out there (and considering what goes into making a Les Paul compared with some more expensive bolt-on-neck guitars), that looks like a fair price for an instrument that wouldn’t let you down on stage at the Budokan, O2 Arena or Carnegie Hall! Feel and sounds And at 4.3kg (9.46Ib) this one is at the upper reaches of ‘normal’ for an original 1959 Les Paul. Received wisdom and experience tells us that lighter guitars can be more resonant and dynamic, and heavier ones more thrusting in the mids - just what many want from their Les Paul. In our experience companies often take a bit more care over them, too, so when done right, we like ’em. Some, like Steve Lukather with his Music Man ‘Luke’ models, getting right down to specifics with the designers others, perhaps like Slash, taking the basic instrument he already uses and tweaking it cosmetically with a few suggestions about pickups and so on. There’s certainly plenty around from big makers such as Gibson, Fender, Music Man and PRS, and quite a few from the smaller ones, too, such as Vigier and Fret-King. Hence the finishing here is superb: it’s flat and beautifully buffed, with no sinkage or orange peel binding scraping is flawless and the whole thing looks like it’s been put together with genuine care and attention. For years we’ve pointed out inconsistencies in quality control, and that seems to be something the new team is determined to put behind it. Other touches include classic ‘keystone’ pegs on Gibson/Schaller tuners, Slash’s ‘Scully’ cartoon on the rear of the headstock, and a truss-rod cover with the guitarist’s signature (there’s a plain one in the case, along with the appropriate color pickguard, should you prefer a more regular look).Īt this point it’s probably worth mentioning a noticeable step up for Gibson. The reissues carry a pair of similarly naked Custom Burstbucker Alnico IIs: the Limited Editions sporting double-black with matching surrounds, while Appetite Burst has zebra coils with cream rings, and our November Burst double-black with cream.įor years we’ve pointed out inconsistencies in quality control, and that seems to be something the new team is determined to put behind it It’s clearly not something that bothers Slash or he would surely have stipulated weight relief as part of the package.Įarly GN’R Les Pauls (actually replicas built by Kris Derrig and Max Baranet) featured open-top humbucking pickups. In fact, back then a weighty Les Paul was more or less a rite of passage. Play any Les Paul from the '70s or '80s and it could be anywhere from eight to 10 pounds.