Slash: “The Strat is, hands down, probably one of the best, most versatile guitars there is”

MusicRadar's best of 2018: In a recent podcast interview, Slash, one of the most high-profile players of Gibson’s Les Paul, offered surprisingly high praise for the Fender Stratocaster.

The eyebrow-raising revelation came during a chat with Sex Pistols legend Steve Jones on his regular 2-hour slot on 95.5 KLOS, called Jonesy’s Jukebox.

The conversation quickly turned to buying guitars. Slash mentioned that he hadn’t made a purchase since the ‘90s, but had just traded in a whole bunch of guitars for a much-coveted ‘59 Sunburst - “the holy grail of electric guitars.”

However, when asked whether he liked Fenders, the G’n’R man confessed that “As far as I'm concerned and Gibson probably wouldn't want me to say it, the Strat is, hands down, probably one of the best, most versatile guitars there is.”

High praise indeed, though it is slightly strange to hear one of Gibson’s star names bigging-up its arch rival. The company needn’t worry too much, though, as Slash went on to say: "But I've always gravitated to a Les Paul. And there's Strat guys and there's Les Paul guys..." Phew.

Here’s the Jonesy’s Jukebox interview with Slash in full: