Gibson Les Paul Slash Standard

review
GIBSON SLASH LES PAUL STANDARD
96
GUITARIST APRIL 2020
T
here’s no doubting Slash’s
importance in the resurgence of
the Les Paul’s somewhat flagging
fortunes as the 80s nudged towards the 90s.
Superstrats were the flavour of the times
and Ibanez was the ascendant brand as far
as rock was concerned. But herald 1987’s
chart-topping Appetite For Destruction and
the image of Guns N’ Roses’ top-hatted
axeman wielding his flame-top Les Paul,
and demand for the model skyrocketed.
Of course, Gibson and Slash have worked
together before, but this latest range is a
product of a new regime at the company.
We’ve already seen and heard the ’59 and
’60 Standards (issue 448) and they left
a pretty solid impression. So it was with
genuine excitement that we opened four
pink-lined tan cases to reveal the multi-
coloured spoils within.
The guitars come in four gloss shades:
Appetite Burst (essentially faded ‘lemon
drop’), November Burst (classic Tobacco
Sunburst; our review model), Vermillion
Burst (red-to-black fade), and Anaconda
Burst (green-to-black). Although we
usually love Gibson’s more traditional
finishes, the Anaconda Burst’s vibrant
see-through green over figured maple
with jet black bursting and plasticware is a
particularly fetching combination. The two
classic colours are regular Slash models,
while the duo of more exotic ones are
classed as Limited Editions.
GIBSON SLASH LES PAUL STANDARD £2,599
CONTACT Gibson PHONE [phone] WEB www.gibson.com
What You Need To Know
Yet another ‘signature’ guitar?
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. But many
players like to get involved. 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.
In our experience companies often
take a bit more care over them, too,
so when done right, we like ’em.
Quite heavy, isn’t it?
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. And at 4.3kg (9.46Ib)
this one is at the upper reaches of
‘normal’ for an original 1959 Les Paul.
Two-and-a-half grand is a lot…
Yes, it is. 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!
1
2
3
November Burst is
essentially good old
Tobacco Sunburst
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