In this excerpt from GibsonTV's The Collection: Slash - watch Slash talk about the original “Jessica” Gibson Les Paul™, his No.1 live guitar you’ve heard on countless Guns N’ Roses songs, Velvet Revolver tracks, and more.
Watch as Slash talks about how he came to own the now famous “Jessica” Les Paul, why he gave it the name “Jessica,” and how this guitar is so unique compared to any other Les Paul guitar Slash owns with its own specific sound as heard on Appetite For Destruction and Use Your Illusion.
As it celebrates 130 years of music history, Gibson, the iconic global instrument brand, has shaped sound across generations and genres of music for over a century, becoming one of the most relevant, played, and loved music brands around the world. With a partnership that has lasted over three decades, the iconic, Grammy-winning guitarist and songwriter Slash, and Gibson luthiers have teamed up to create one of his favorite stage guitars for 30 years.
Introducing the Slash “Jessica” Les Paul Standard from Gibson. Made in close collaboration and with significant input from Slash, the guitar is available via authorized Gibson dealers and on gibson.com.
Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver, and Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators fans will undoubtedly be familiar with the guitar that Slash named “Jessica.” Jessica has been Slash’s main stage guitar since 1988 and is still on the road with him to this day. The original Jessica is a factory second and one of two Les Paul™ guitars that Gibson sent to Slash in the late 80s. Now, Gibson is proud to introduce a new model based on Slash’s old favorite. Jessica features a three-piece plain maple top on a non-weight-relieved mahogany body and a mahogany neck with a 50s Vintage neck profile. Jessica is powered by a pair of Custom Burstbucker™ pickups with Alnico 2 magnets that are hand-wired to Orange Drop® capacitors. Originally a bright Cherry Sunburst, Slash had Jessica refinished, which is reflected, minus the considerable road wear on the original, in the gloss nitrocellulose Honey Burst with Red Back finish used on the new model. Slash’s signature is reproduced on the truss rod cover, the rear of the headstock features Slash’s familiar ‘Skully’ logo, and Schaller Strap Locks are preinstalled on the guitar. Other extras include a Slash guitar pick set, a Gibson USA leather strap, a multi-tool, and a blank truss rod cover inside the included hardshell case.
Explore the full Slash Collection of guitars here.
Watch the interview with Slash, in which he describes the story behind Jessica during his interview on the Gibson TV original series “The Collection”, below.
Jessica is also heavily featured in the stunning coffee-table book The Collection: Slash, which marked the first book release from Gibson Publishing. At over 300 pages in length, The Collection: Slash is a lavishly illustrated, rare and collectible book in large format with numerous photos of the guitarist and his impressive guitar collection.
On the road with Guns in the late 1980s, Slash decided to retire his Kris Derrig and Max Baranet Les Paul replicas. He called Gibson and they sent two guitars with three-piece tops that were factory seconds. In The Collection: Slash, the legendary guitarist describes Jessica.
“This guitar has been with me since 1988,” says Slash when asked about Jessica, the Les Paul Standard that’s been his number-one live guitar for more than three decades. “It’s faded, I fucking dropped a cigarette on it … I named it when I was drunk, but I don’t remember what the catalyst for that was!”
“Both of ’em were pretty identical, with a bright Cherry Sunburst,” Slash recalls. “I started using those on the road for a while, then I had them refinished so that they were a little duller. And that became my main stage guitar and the backup all the way through Guns N’ Roses and on through Velvet Revolver, and now with Guns again.”
Mostly used live for Appetite For Destruction songs and a handful from the Use Your Illusion era, Slash says Jessica is a great and unique-sounding instrument: “I take a lot of guitars out on the road, but this still has a very specific sound compared to all the other Les Pauls I have out there.”
(Photos - Gibson)
