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There are few pairings in rock more iconic than a top-hatted Slash wailing on a Les Paul in front of a stack of Marshall amps. Maybe that’s why, when he switched to Magnatone, he brought them into the band’s sphere in secret.
Marshalls have powered the sound of both Slash and Guns N’ Roses’ most iconic records, which made his switch to Magnatone in 2023 – a change inspired while working on his blues record, Orgy of the Damned – very surprising.
“It was a big deal for me,” he says of the switch in the new issue of Guitarist. “When we went in to do the record and started pre-production, I started jamming these arrangements, and I just didn’t want to use my normal Marshall sound. I had a couple of Fender Twins, a couple of Fender Deluxes, a Vox half-stack, and a vintage Vox combo.
“I went through different amps, and when I got to the Magnatone, which had been given to me but I’d never used before, I ended up using it for every song.”
Cue his eureka moment.
“It was a big revelation because it gave me a kind of clarity,” Slash continues. “I think I was starting to get tired – as much as I hate to say it – of the very predictable Marshall sound, which I’m sort of known for.”
Slash’s signature 100-watt, British-voiced Magnatone arrived ahead of his bluesy solo record, joining an artist roster that includes Billy Gibbons and Mike Campbell. A purple snakeskin practice amp also arrived earlier this year. But when returning to GNR after Orgy..., the amps were given little fanfare.
“Unbeknownst to anyone else, I actually replaced my Marshalls on the next Guns N’ Roses tour with the Magnatones, and that became my thing,” he reveals. “I got together with Magnatone a little later, and we designed the 100-watt [SL-100] model, which is what I’m using now.”
Orgy of the Damned, a musical side quest that saw Slash reconnecting with his blues roots, felt like fair game for him to try other amps and even, heaven forbid, play a Strat or two. With GNR, it was a different story, so he’s found a way to have them work side by side.
Slash’s full interview features in the new issue of Guitarist, which celebrates 100 years of the Gibson Flat-top acoustics. Head to Magazines Direct to grab a copy today.
