Looking for the right Les Paul - a Slash dilemma!

chrishill901

I'm looking for some advice on what Les Paul to get but it's a multi-faceted dilemma so perhaps I'll describe the thought process. Firstly, I'm a stickler for a label, its got to be Gibson. Secondly I'm a huge Slash fan.

I decided I wanted to finally get a signature Slash Les Paul that I have wanted since before signature Slash Les Pauls even existed and I now have enough money to do so. I looked at all of the available signature models - my favourite being the VOS cigarette burn one but they cost way too much. I don't really want to spend more than £3000. I decided recently, as some of you may have seen, that it was Goldtop or nothing as it was Slash playing the goldtop on the Tokyo VHS that inspired me to pick up guitar. They are very rare though and I have read a few reviews that suggest that they aren't as good as the Vermillion and the Rosso Corsa. The Goldtop can go from anywhere from £2500-3000 which is very much in used R7 Goldtop territory and obviously a lot more than the Vermillion/Rosso corsa which are potentially better instruments. Now I know for a fact that the R7 will be the better guitar, so logic says go for that, but my desire for a signature Slash is great - I love signature guitars and its an itch I really want to scratch, not to mention the resale of the Slash Goldtop being potentially much greater in the future with it having the signed plaque. But it should be about the best guitar right?

So I start looking into R7s and realise that since 1999, when Slash's 'Tokyo' 1987 pre-historic Goldtop was stolen, he has been playing R7s; the Goldtop he has been using live for GnR for all of the 'Not in this Lifetime' tour is a 2014 R7. In fact there are very few pictures of him playing the 2008 USA Goldtop with the scribble logo - he basically paid it lip service presumably for promo purposes, the same as he did with the Vermillion and Rosso Corsa that got replaced with his own custom shop versions of them without the scribble logo.

So this is where my head is at. Whats the point in a signature Slash if they aren't good enough for him, should I get the R7? I'm fairly certain though that unless I got a signature Slash I'd still have the desire for one... Do I compromise on colour and get a Vermillion, pay the money for the 2008 goldtop? If I do that though I'll know that I could have had an R7! But If I got the R7 I'll still want something 'Slash'

Any suggestions? Any thoughts on signature guitars? I know a few people on here really dislike signature guitars. I don't like how Slash nowadays seems to play something for 6 months, then release it as a guitar and then stops playing it like the Anaconda and presumably the new Brazilian Dream. If I got a Slash I'd want it to be something of significance to me, hence the Goldtop. The VOS with the cigarette burn is based on a guitar he still plays, as is the AFD. I don't mind the vermillion because he played that when I saw him in 2014 (although not the scribble USA one, he had a custom shop one), but I don't like signature models that just have the name for moneys sake.

stickyfiddle

He's had a bazillion different signature models and hardly ever plays any of them. Honestly, just about every Slash model is "just the name for money's sake", apart from maybe the early 2000's one with the piezo bridge. 

I would get the best guitar you can with the features you want, which sounds like an R7, or a plaintop R8 for the Appetite thing. Add the applicable set of Seymour Duncans and you're set.

FelineGuitars

Surely this Derrig/Slash inspired beauty is a no-brainer ...and a brilliant price too

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/140632/

Twinfan

^ what stickyfiddle said.  Get the proper Slash Alnico Pro II Seymour Duncans and nice R7/R8/R9.

FelineGuitars

And with the all access neck joint - those high notes are an easy reach

ellwood

My True Historic R7 is flat out the best Les Paul I have played. And I’m a huge Slash fan. Go with the R7 - but play a few first...

chrishill901

Thanks! I wondered how long it would be before someone would mention that Feline... as much as I would love to own that guitar and I’m convinced it’s probably the best one discussed so far, there is a 12 year old version of me that won’t settle until I have a ‘Gibson Les Paul’... if I already had one I’d buy that Feline in a heartbeat!

the R7 does seem the logical choice but there is still that urge to own a signature model! I’ve seen an R7 darkback VOS new for £3099 which seems good?

Freebird

Didn't Slash play replica Gibson (fake) guitars? And when he did play Gibsons, I do believe they were a trio '87 Les Paul Standards.

chrishill901

Freebird said:

Didn't Slash play replica Gibson (fake) guitars? And when he did play Gibsons, I do believe they were a trio '87 Les Paul Standards.

Yep, 2 87 standards and an 87 pre-historic 1957 goldtop. (Basically a standard with 57 specs). 

John_P

I’m looking for a goldtop at the moment as well - a few way overpriced (IMO) R7s but I haven’t seen many other used ones and not come across any Slash models.    
I saw the new dark back advertised but it still feels expensive after the recent discounts on R8s and 9s although it’s probably reasonable for a new one. 

I’ve seen a couple of vermillion models for sale so give me a shout if you decide to go that way but I suspect it’s a goldtop you really want.   

abw1989

Like yourself, I am a massive Slash fan. I always wanted the signatures too but the cost was far in excess of what I could afford. As such, I set about getting the looking and sound on a budget. So here are my 'Rossa Corsa' and 'AFD' replicas. Both are Epiphone Plus Top Pro LPs fitted out with Iron Gear Tesla Sharks and Orange Drop caps wired in the 50s style. I'd say they cost me about £350 each for the guitar and parts. 

Obviously, you have a lot more to play with money wise, so as many have said, I'd go for an R7 gold top or plain top that looks relatively close to what you are after then get the Seymour Duncan pickups.

Freebird

chrishill901 said pp:

Freebird said:

Didn't Slash play replica Gibson (fake) guitars? And when he did play Gibsons, I do believe they were a trio '87 Les Paul Standards.

Yep, 2 87 standards and an 87 pre-historic 1957 goldtop. (Basically a standard with 57 specs). 

I've got an '89 Standard with the same spec. The necks are really great, I can see why Slash chose to play his live on stage  

Guitar_Slinger

abw1989 said:

Wis'd.  I'm a Slash fanboy and bought a used LP in 1993, which is a black 1987 Standard.  About 10 years ago I went to a rock guitar workshop and played the demo guitar, a lovely vintage Paradise guitar. 

Get it out of your system @chrishill901

johnl

As another massive Slash fan I'd go for a lemon R9 with some Seymour Duncans for the Appetite look...

chrishill901

@Guitar_Slinger I’ve got a Vintage Paradise!!

i don’t actually like the appetite look haha!

Guitar_Slinger

I don't either TBH but it was the demo guitar with humbuckers.  Once I picked it up to play, I couldn't see the front anyway, so who cares!

Kvaksalver

The exchange rate won’t do you any favors at the moment, but there is a Slash signature listed in Denmark here: https://www.dba.dk/elguitar-gibson-slash-afd-les/id-1048709175/

lp59boy

chrishill901 said:

I'm looking for some advice on what Les Paul to get but it's a multi-faceted dilemma so perhaps I'll describe the thought process. Firstly, I'm a stickler for a label, its got to be Gibson. Secondly I'm a huge Slash fan.

I decided I wanted to finally get a signature Slash Les Paul that I have wanted since before signature Slash Les Pauls even existed and I now have enough money to do so. I looked at all of the available signature models - my favourite being the VOS cigarette burn one but they cost way too much. I don't really want to spend more than £3000. I decided recently, as some of you may have seen, that it was Goldtop or nothing as it was Slash playing the goldtop on the Tokyo VHS that inspired me to pick up guitar. They are very rare though and I have read a few reviews that suggest that they aren't as good as the Vermillion and the Rosso Corsa. The Goldtop can go from anywhere from £2500-3000 which is very much in used R7 Goldtop territory and obviously a lot more than the Vermillion/Rosso corsa which are potentially better instruments. Now I know for a fact that the R7 will be the better guitar, so logic says go for that, but my desire for a signature Slash is great - I love signature guitars and its an itch I really want to scratch, not to mention the resale of the Slash Goldtop being potentially much greater in the future with it having the signed plaque. But it should be about the best guitar right?

So I start looking into R7s and realise that since 1999, when Slash's 'Tokyo' 1987 pre-historic Goldtop was stolen, he has been playing R7s; the Goldtop he has been using live for GnR for all of the 'Not in this Lifetime' tour is a 2014 R7. In fact there are very few pictures of him playing the 2008 USA Goldtop with the scribble logo - he basically paid it lip service presumably for promo purposes, the same as he did with the Vermillion and Rosso Corsa that got replaced with his own custom shop versions of them without the scribble logo.

So this is where my head is at. Whats the point in a signature Slash if they aren't good enough for him, should I get the R7? I'm fairly certain though that unless I got a signature Slash I'd still have the desire for one... Do I compromise on colour and get a Vermillion, pay the money for the 2008 goldtop? If I do that though I'll know that I could have had an R7! But If I got the R7 I'll still want something 'Slash'

Any suggestions? Any thoughts on signature guitars? I know a few people on here really dislike signature guitars. I don't like how Slash nowadays seems to play something for 6 months, then release it as a guitar and then stops playing it like the Anaconda and presumably the new Brazilian Dream. If I got a Slash I'd want it to be something of significance to me, hence the Goldtop. The VOS with the cigarette burn is based on a guitar he still plays, as is the AFD. I don't mind the vermillion because he played that when I saw him in 2014 (although not the scribble USA one, he had a custom shop one), but I don't like signature models that just have the name for moneys sake.

Chris I have a few slash les pauls

2008 vos
2008 goldtop
rossa corsa
58 first burst vos
anaconda vos
anaconda signed

the goldtop is cool and I too watched as a 14 yr old the Tokyo vhs concert but I find the neck too skinny for me, like a 60’s neck. The Rossa Corsa has not a thick neck but very comfortable and the flame top is amazing, it’s basically exactly the same specs as the USA AFD but just red. Obviously the best one is the vos but they go for around 6-7 K right now. The Anaconda is cool even though he’s stopped playing it and didn’t play it much in the first place. I brought my signed one as a bit of investment but I recently picked up a vos version for £2500 and it plays really great, better than my signed one and is after all really a 58 spec les Paul with a slightly different neck carve as per slash’s specs but green is not everyone’s cup of tea but I think it’s cool.

chrishill901

@Kvaksalver thanks for sharing, I’m not actually a fan of the look of the AFD, it wouldn’t be my preferred finish!!

@lp59boy I am in awe of your collection!! And thank you for such a useful post! And herein lies the problem, I can’t just go try one because they’re not in the shops any more. I just assumed the GT would be the same neck as the Rosso Corsa, or if anything a bit thicker as it’s based on a guitar that was based on a 57 goldtop. But I don’t know if that’s a problem for me until I play one, which won’t happen! I tend to prefer 50s necks but I played a 2018 tribute satin which I believe had a slim taper neck and I liked that too, although not as much! And is there a difference between ‘slim taper’ and ‘60s slim taper’ because the Rosso Corsa is described as the former but it sounds like the GT is the latter? Would the tribute satin I played be more like the Rosso Corsa or the GT? I wish they’d put 1st and 12th fret measurements on the spec sheet so you could at least compare with numbers

Rabs

The 2019 Traditional comes in a colour very reminiscent of the rosso corsa...  You could get one of those and put some Slash type pickups in it and get a Slash truss rod cover... Sorted

https://www.andertons.co.uk/electric-guitars/gibson-usa-2019-les-paul-traditional-2019-in-cherry-red-translucent-lptd19hcnh1190001514

https://i.imgur.com/sRQuJzO.jpg?1

TINMAN82

Rabs said:

The 2019 Traditional comes in a colour very reminiscent of the rosso corsa...  You could get one of those and put some Slash type pickups in it and get a Slash truss rod cover... Sorted

https://www.andertons.co.uk/electric-guitars/gibson-usa-2019-les-paul-traditional-2019-in-cherry-red-translucent-lptd19hcnh1190001514

https://i.imgur.com/sRQuJzO.jpg?1

Yeah. And the dark tobacco traditional looks a lot like his earlier tobacco signature too. They’ve really done a great job on that one. Looks a lot like my special run Perry burst R8.