Having been leaked in June, Gibson has made it official, with the Slash Les Paul Standard 50s “Victoria“ Goldtop now joining the Slash Collection of signature electric guitars and his J-45 acoustic.
The “Victoria“ Goldtop was follows a familiar spec. It has a 50s Vintage profile mahogany neck, mahogany body with a maple cap, a cream-bound rosewood fingerboard, 22 frets, and a pair of open-coil Custom BurstBucker Alnico 2 humbuckers.
The cosmetic cosmetic appointments are refreshingly subtle. Here we've got Slash's Skully drawing on the rear of the headstock and his signature on the truss rod cover. As with the pickguard, there is a blank truss rod cover in the case.
It might be Slash's signature model, but there is a lot to like about this for anyone in the market for a Les Paul – especially those looking for a rare Goldtop with a dark back.
As with the others in the Slash Collection, the finish and the controls differentiate it, with the “Victoria“ Goldtop equipped with gold "top hat" control knobs. Under the hood, you've got the contemporary Gibson USA components – Orange Drop capacitors in a hand-wired control circuit.
There is no weight relief, so do remember to bend the knees when lifting. Elsewhere, there is a GraphTech nut, a vintage-style ABR-1 tune-o-matic bridge and stop-bar, and vintage Keystone tuners.
The “Victoria“ Goldtop arrives in a brown hard case. Inside you'll find the certificate of authenticity, the aforementioned pickguard and blank truss rod cover, a set of Slash signature Ernie Ball strings (this ships with 10s but he's an animal, sizing up to 11s), and four Slash Jim Dunlop Tortex picks.
Not bad as case candy goes, but would it be too much to ask for a bottle of Jack Daniels and a boa constrictor? Well, something for the Custom Shop to consider...
the Slash Les Paul Standard 50s “Victoria“ Goldtop is priced £2,699 / $2,999 street and out now. See Gibson for more details.
