Gibson still has the basics covered. If you want a high-end acoustic guitar, you’ll find a number of options, like the Hummingbird, or maybe an Everly Brothers SJ-200. There is no shortage of electric guitars in the catalogue.
But the Nashville-based guitar giant has been branching out of late, launching Gibson Records in partnership with BMG, a fashion line collab with Billy Reid, and now it has opened its own book publishing arm, too.
As with the record label, Gibson Publishing makes its debut with Slash, in a coffee-table book that documents the Guns N’ Roses guitarist’s mammoth guitar collection, with some 400 instruments catalogued inside.
Featuring photography from the legendary Ross Halfin and Gibson’s in-house team, Slash: The Collection is available in Deluxe and limited-run Custom editions.
There are no prizes for guessing that the Les Paul features heavily. Notable LPs include a custom graphic model with cobra inlay on the fingerboard that was toured heavily by Slash in his Snakepit years, and a 1958 model that was one of the first two Sunburst models ever made by Gibson. And it wouldn’t be a Slash and Gibson story without a double-necked EDS-1275 in there too.
But it’s not all Gibson. Slash’s longhorn BC Rich Mockingbird is in there, so too the 1979 Travis Bean that he would bust out for Bad Obsession during the fevered nights of the Use You Illusion tour – those halcyon days when Axl would be in red cycling shorts and a matching suit jacket and that’s just how it was.
Slash: The Collection was put together by written and edited by Gibson editor-in-chief Chris Vinnicombe, and has heaps of interview content for when you can’t drool over the pictures any more. Seriously, in the context of guitar culture, this is borderline pornographic.
Cesar Gueikian, brand president of Gibson Brands, thanked his and Slash's teams, and described the launch as “an important milestone” for Gibson.
“We continue to leverage our iconic past and lean into the future creating more opportunities for music fans around the world to experience original storytelling,” said Gueikian. “With Gibson TV, Gibson Records, and now Gibson Publishing, we are organically growing our own media platform that continues to create compelling original content.”
Just like the good stuff from the Gibson guitar-making branch’s Custom Shop, the Custom edition measures 297 by 420mm and arrives with all kinds of case candy. There is an Axe Heaven Appetite Les Paul miniature, a Slash bandana, a tin of Dunlop guitar picks, a cover poster, four guitar art prints, a certificate of authenticity, and most importantly Slash’s signature. It’s limited to 500 units worldwide.
The Deluxe edition measures 240 by 340 mm and has the poster, the prints and the COA, and the first run of 1000 books comes signed by Slash.
For more details, head over to Gibson.
If you’re not a big reader or struggling for space on your coffee table, you could always watch the Gibson TV segment above, with Slash holding court with Gibson’s Mark Agnesi and talking through some of the coolest pieces in his archive.
