Guitar

Slash Guitar Collection
Everyone knows SLASH favors the Gibson Les Paul guitar, so you might be surprised to see the assortment in his collection of 100+ guitars. There are Guild Acoustics, B.C.Rich electrics, and more Gibsons than you can count! SLASH owns several late-50's Les Paul Standards. Once, a treasured Standard that originally belonged to Aerosmith's Joe Perry came into SLASH's hands. Joe had had his favorite guitar taken by his ex-wife or stolen (depending on which story you read), and a dealer eventually got hold of it and offered it to SLASH. SLASH snapped it up as it symolized all those wonderful Aero and rock shows that were his influences. Joe pleaded with SLASH to have it returned, but SLASH didn't - until Joe's 50th birthday when SLASH presented it as his gift to Joe! a '59 Les Paul copy, a '56 Les Paul gold top, a '69 Les Paul custom, and several new Les Pauls that he plays on stage. There are also a '59 Gibson Flying V, a '58 Gibson Explorer, two Ernie Ball/Music Man Silhouettes, a '52 Fendor Telecastor, a '65 Fender Stratocaster, both a '63 and a '65 Gibson Melody Maker, a 60's Gibson SG, and a Fender 6 string bass all of which are used for recording. Slash plays slide on a Travis Bean electric. His acoustics include a Guild 12 string, a Gibson J-100, a Martin D-28 acoustic, a Ramirez classical and a Dobro. There is also the wonderful Gibson SLASH Signature Les Paul Classic model with the Snakepit insignia. Most of SLASH's guitars are kept entirely stock.

Here's some additional information on the SLASH signature guitar. The original red signature with the mother-of-pearl snake on the neck and painted snake logo was made by the Gibson Customshop. The Gibson Customshop Slash Model Les Pauls were made from 1996 to 1998. There were a total of 73 made; 75 If you count the 2 Slash owns. The man who did the Snakepit carving on the top said that he is not doing any more. This guitar retailed for around $8,000. They can be purchased from dealers at prices higher than the original or as low as from $4,800 to $5,500. It pays to be a cautious shopper. With the end of manufacture byGibson CustomShop, Gibson Epiphone brought out a similar but much less expensive "copy". The guitar is also that beautiful red, but the snake logo is a sticker rather than paint. The mother-of-pearl snake on the neck is missing. There is just a white marking going up the neck. Still, it is a fine guitar with great sound to it. SLASH had to pass judgment on it, and he thinks the Epiphone is a good guitar. At the SLASH's Snakepit 1999 pre-album shows, SLASH started showing off his newest signature guitar. This beautiful double neck was designed by SLASH and manufactured by Guild. The Crossroads Double Neck changes from a wailing six-string to a mellow Guild 12-string with the flip of a mini-switch. The body is carved from a solid mahogany block with an acoustic chamber under the 12-string side. This chamber has a traditional rosewood bridge for a true acoustic 12-string sound. The body of the electric side is solid and sports SLASH's Seymour Duncan pickups. It is then coated with a laminated flame maple top and finished in black, red, green, white or antique burst. It is now available in a solid top AAA maple version. An absolutely stunning guitar to see and hear. SLASH has the transparent green model, and he has dubbed his newest signature guitar "Godzilla"!

SLASH selects from all these his main performance guitar. It is the '87 Gibson Les Paul standard. He often uses a B.C. Rich Mockingbird on stage, too. SLASH now tunes all his guitars to standard A-440.

As for strings, SLASH uses Ernie Ball Slinky R.P.S. strings of gauge 11-48. He likes to play with the heaviest picks he can find and prefers purple Dunlop Tortex 1.14 mm picks. Most all of his live guitars are equipped with Seymour Duncan Alnico II pro humbuckers. His guitar straps are custom made.

SLASH is known for Gibson guitars and Marshall amps. Just as there is a Gibson signature guitar for SLASH, there is also a SLASH signature amp. At the end of 1998, the SLASH signature guitar was selling from $1800 to $3500 (case included), and the SLASH amp for under $900 (includes "snakeskin" cover). The SLASH amp was only manufactured in 1996, so it is not always easy to locate. For live appearances, the JCM SLASH Marshalls are used for a dirty sound. For the dirty tone, the SLASH recommended settings are: Presence: 7, Bass: 7, Mid: 4.5, Treble: 7, Output Master: 6, Lead Master: 10, Input Gain: 6.5. The JCM SLASH Marshalls are used for a clean sound, too, when modified with KT88 output tubes. The SLASH Marshall should be tuned this way for the clean tone (SLASH recommendations): Presence: 0, Bass: 9, Mid: 3, Treble: 5 1/2, Output Master: 10, Lead Master: 0, Input Gain: 4. The 2555 Silver Jubilee at 50 watts is used for the Heil Talk box. All tubes are groove tubes.

Some more amp information: In 1987 the Silver Jubilee was issued as the 2555 model for that year only. In 1988 the 2555 model was issued in black only for just that year and then discontinued. In 1998 Marshall issued the JCM SLASH. It is an exact reproduction of the 2555 model. This was a limited run. SLASH uses groove tubes, E34Ls output tubes, and GT12AX7 for pre-amp (also known as ECC83), preferably #5 value output tubes. With limited production of these amps, availability is only through the used market. (Interested guitarists should contact Guitar Center for a computerized list of all their stores.)

SLASH has a unique playing style that is reflected in his live setup. He uses 4 Marshall 4 x 12 cabinets, 2 straight cabs stacked on top of 2 straights, and all are loaded with 70 watt Marshall/Celestion Vintage 30 speakers. The two top cabs are driven by two separate JCM SLASH signature amps dedicated to his clean sound. Similarly, the two bottom cabs are driven by a a pair of SLASH signature heads set for his distorted rhythm/lead tones.