The music industry has no shortage of horror stories about headlining acts treated its openers like dirt, denying them a soundcheck, shenanigans with the PA, and so on – but it is not always like that. Sometimes the headliner saves the day.

Mike Sullivan of Russian Circles can attest to that. On Instagram, Sullivan recalls a night at London’s Brixton Academy, in 2007, when the Chicago-based prog metal instrumentalists were supporting Tool, and Sullivan’s guitar amp anxiety – and thus his pre-show anxiety – was spiraling out of control.

At the time, Russian Circles were touring their debut album, Enter, which had just hit record stores the previous year.

They were greenhorns to all of this touring business. Brixton Academy, supporting Tool, this was a big deal. This was also the first time Sullivan had ever used rented gear, and trying to get an electric guitar sound out of it it was impossible.

“I was unfamiliar with the rental gear and for some reason, I couldn’t get a single sound out of the amps during soundcheck,” writes Sullivan.

Time was not on his side. Nor were the venue’s rules.

“Being a union-run stage, we were forbidden to make any noise after a certain time,” he continues. “But I was allowed to keep messing with the amps as long as I didn’t make any noise. I twisted some controls and switches but ultimately left the stage with zero confidence the amps were working at all.”

But Sullivan had Tool guitarist Adam Jones looking over him as his guardian angel. Jones got wind of Sullivan’s predicament. Sullivan was stewing in the dressing room. The clock ticked towards showtime. His nerves were getting the better of him. Then there’s a knock at the door.

“We answer the door to see Adam standing there,” writes Sullivan. “He politely introduced himself and inquired about the amp situation.”

Little did Sullivan know it but Jones was there to save the show – or at least put his amp worries behind him.

“He offered to have his guitar tech setup his backup amp rig behind mine,” recalls Sullivan. “This gesture was one of the most kind and thoughtful experiences of my life. Ends up that my last-minute tweaking of my rentals was successful and I was able to play the set with those. But taking the stage, knowing Adam’s amps were there as a safety net, completely calmed my nerves.”

Jones was already a hero to him for his playing but Sullivan says the experience set an example for him and the band, and he thought he’d share it to mark Jones’ birthday on 15 January.

“I’ll never forget Adam’s personal kindness,” he continues. “To this day, my bandmates and I use Adam’s humility and generosity as a yardstick for our own behavior. I already looked up to Adam as an artist and player but to know he is equally kind as he is talented, makes me value him even more.”

If any musician feels themselves succumbing to cynicism about the music business, about being treated shabbily by headliners, stiffed by promoters, ground down by the bruising economics of it... well, maybe Sullivan’s story can offer a bit of hope.

Also, it isn’t the first time that the kindness of friends – and strangers – came to the rescue of the band.

In 2021, booked to open for System of a Down, Russian Circles got a heap of gear stolen. There were a couple of Gibson Les Pauls, some amps, bass guitars, and even the synths were stolen, which was a problem because they had the presets on them for performing tracks from Gnosis.

Sullivan didn’t panic this time. He put the call out for “anything with humbuckers” and the good folks in Chelsea Wolfe’s band lent him some guitar cabinets and a Dunable Gnarwhal that ended up being his favorite guitar. Hiwatt came out of nowhere and offered him a backline.

This is not just a story about kindness coming to the rescue, it’s also a lesson that not all rented gear stories go bad. This affair ended up changing Sullivan’s rig for good.

“They hit me up and said, 'Hey, sorry to hear about what happened – how can we help? Do you need to borrow some gear before the final shows?’” said Sullivan, speaking to Guitar World in 2022. “Normally I don't take people up on those kind of offers, but I needed gear, you know? There was no way around it. So I was like, 'You know what, let's try this.'

“They set me up with a local rental company that had Hiwatt gear and it absolutely blew me away. The minute I plugged into those amps with my pedalboard, I was shedding gain pedals right and left, just because it sounded so good through the amp. I would probably have never played Hiwatt and fallen for it so hard if not for that experience.”

Some bands write music that is catchy, other bands write music that is intellectually challenging, but very few manage to successfully combine the two. Tool is one of that elite.

With their uncompromising blend of stop-start syncopation, brain-melting guitar riffs and formidable time signatures, singer Maynard James Keenan, guitarist Adam Jones, bassist Justin Chancellor and drummer Danny Carey are among the most accomplished progressive rock musicians in the modern era.

In the specific case of Justin Chancellor, there’s an unusual contrast in that he’s a Brit in a band of Americans. Either way, his basslines sit beautifully against the often complex music that his band makes.

“There’s a vulnerability to our music that attracts people,” Chancellor told Bass Player. “Maynard is up there with the greatest vocalists, I think Danny will go down as one of the best rock drummers of all time, and Adam and I have our own styles. We’re not the greatest, but we try really hard, and there’s an honesty that comes through. People can hear that and relate to it on a deeper level.”

After joining Tool in 1995, Chancellor redefined heavy bass playing with his Wal Bass-driven tone, complex riffs, and ability to make difficult time signatures sound easy. A true juggernaut in both ability and creativity, his bass playing dominates in a powerful band where drums and vocals were previously king.

“I still feel like I’m trying hard to be in a good band, I really do. And I think that’s a healthy approach. If you start to believe the hype about yourself, then you start to lose the bigger picture, and your focus is in the wrong place. You get to enjoy that kind of gratitude when you play your live show, so you don’t need to spend the rest of your time thinking about it.”

So, the million-dollar question: how does Chancellor come up with Tool’s bass parts, which are often complex even when they’re in unison with the guitar?

“A lot of times a riff will come to me when I’m walking my dogs or driving around, and when I go to count it out it’s usually in an odd meter, but you can make anything straight time when you put four beats behind it. That’s something we take full advantage of in our music. And we’ll even overlap time signatures, or take an odd meter and straighten it out within a riff.”

“But then again, I have the advantage of Danny being our drummer, so I can play anything and he latches right on and makes it better. I can bring him something in 7 and he’ll be right on it. Even if something sounds a little uncomfortable, Danny finds a way to groove through it and make it come alive.”

Part of Tool’s cult appeal is that their working methods often remain shrouded in mystery, and unpicking the details of exactly where one idea begins and another ends is something that drives their many obsessive fans with curiosity.

“We have a whole treasure chest of ideas on our phones that we record on our own. Basically, Adam and I have riffs and Danny has rhythms or different time-signature beats, and we try to keep them basic before bringing them in to see what the other members will do with them.

“My role is to marry things together – that’s the duty of bass guitar in general, as the glue in the lower register. It’s something you feel that merges the kick and the guitar strings and the voice. It has melody, but it’s deep down there so it can support everything.”

“We establish a riff so we and the listener can identify it, and then we say, ‘Okay, now how far away from it can we go on this journey?’”

Tool's Adam Jones and Danny Carey lent their musical chops to the Canelo vs. Crawford boxing match on September 13, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, delivering a suitable prog rock spar ahead of the fight.

The very brief performance – 75 seconds in total – sounded like a climactic introduction to a Tool song and made for a rousing start to the highly anticipated fight, which was also streamed on Netflix and saw Crawford win by unanimous decision.

As fitting for such a high-profile affair, Jones brandished his Antique Silverburst Gibson Les Paul as the two virtuosos launched into what sounded like a spontaneous jam, complete with a Tool-style staccato riff and feedback aplenty.

The two recently guested at Black Sabbath's Back to the Beginning extravaganza, alongside their Tool bandmates. Despite signing on late to the festivities, the event saw them perform Forty Six & 2, Ænema – from the 1996 album of the same name – and Black Sabbath's Hand of Doom from 1970's Paranoid.

Speaking about Tony Iommi's influence on his playing in an exclusive interview with Guitar World, Jones said, “Learning later in life that he’s missing parts of his fingers was inspiring because when you’re a kid, and you’re playing guitar, you go, ‘I could never be as good as a real rockstar,’ and here’s a guy that is a professional, a rockstar, and amazing, and he’s missing parts of his fingers. It’s inspiring. It makes you feel like, ‘I can do that.’”

As for Tool's upcoming album, Jones and Maynard James Keenan recently gave fans an update about its progress, stating that they're very much still in the writing process and that one of Jones' riffs is heavily inspired by Black Sabbath.

When Back to the Beginning was first announced, not only was it promised to be “the greatest day in the history of heavy metal”, it also vowed to bring together a mind-bending array of special guest guitar heroes for a range of Sabbath-honoring and supergroup sets.

And arguably the most anticipated supergroup of the evening was the ‘metal Yardbirds’ – a reunion of sorts between three electric guitar greats, all of whom grew up in similar musical circles when they were younger, and whose team-up had been teased by Sharon Osbourne back in February.

That hotly anticipated group comprised Tom Morello, Billy Corgan and Adam Jones, who came together for a Rage Against the Machine/Smashing Pumpkins/Tool super-band that performed two tracks on the night.

Morello, Corgan, and Jones – who shared near-identical early experiences growing up in similar music circles, before branching out into their own styles – were flanked at Back to the Beginning by Judas Priest royalty K.K. Downing, and former Ozzy and Dio bassist Rudy Sarzo, for a rampant Breaking The Law, before a Sabbath nod via Snowblind, from 1972’s Vol. 4.

The songs played host to plenty of whammy and wah pedal action, with the Flying V-wielding Downing, and Les Paul wielders Morello and Jones, delivering a bevy of high-octane guitar solos, each one oozing in a classic rock ’n’ roll spirit.

Elsewhere, Corgan was exclusively assigned to vocal duty for the two songs, meaning the wait to hear the six-string triumvirate of Morello, Jones and Corgan regrettably goes on.

Speaking of his connection to Morello and Jones – and the concept of the 'metal Yardbirds' – earlier this year, Corgan had said, “Somebody will get mad at me, but it's the closest thing to Beck, Clapton and Page kind of growing up in the same hood. We have had our influence in what followed.

“If they want to get mad at me, they can, but that's not an insane theory. I find it really fascinating, because what was it in the water that we were all drinking?”

Intriguingly, Jones says Tool originally turned down the chance to get involved with Back to the Beginning, with curator Tom Morello eager to involve his former schoolmate.

Elsewhere, there were some other noteworthy spots. Steven Tyler, who continues to recover from vocal issues that forced Aerosmith's retirement last year, made a triumphant return to the stage and joined Ronnie Wood, Tom Morello, Nuno Bettencourt and Andrew Watt group for three tracks.

Taking to Instagram to reflect on just shy of 10 hours of riffs and tributes, Billy Corgan had some heartfelt reflections.

“Music is the soundtrack to our lives, but yesterday, in my estimation, was something truly special,” he wrote. “As a three-dimensional soundtrack was being crafted in real time. All to celebrate this coming home for the band once known as Earth.

“Every great journey has trials and tribulations, tragedies and surprises. Therein lies the magic, therein lie the tears. I both whooped yesterday in sheer exultation to be in the right spot at the right moment, and I wept silently as my heroes fell on their wizardly, mythic sword to bid us farewell.”

Like many guitarists before him, when Tool’s Adam Jones describes his early experience with Black Sabbath, he recalls the fear – and excitement – the foursome of Osbourne, Butler, Iommi and Ward elicited.

“I always wanted to do a compilation of music that scared the shit out of me when I heard it for the first time,” Jones says.

“Black Sabbath was like that for me. I loved horror movies, and [Sabbath] had the same temperature to me. There’s just something romantic about it. I feel lucky that there are so many songs I’m obsessed with. I still put that music on today, and I get the same thing I was getting out of it when I first heard it. I can’t say that about a lot of bands.”

Tool signed on to the festivities of Black Sabbath's Back to the Beginning extravaganza late, and like most of the other acts on the bill, as of this writing, they aren’t sure what they’ll be playing. No matter; Jones is just happy to be there.

“I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to it,” he says. “I pinch myself every day. You go, ‘When I was 16, did you ever think you’d meet these guys? Did you ever think you’d open for these guys? Did you ever think you’d have your own guitar line with Gibson? Did you ever think you’d have four Grammys?’ My life’s good, man. It’s good, and on that day, it’ll be even better.”

What led to your involvement with Back to the Beginning?

“It came through Tom Morello. The four of us [in Tool] were on the phone, or texting – I can’t remember – and someone went, ‘I don’t think I can do it.’ Someone else went, ‘Okay, yeah, I think I’m gonna do this other thing.’ I think I even went, ‘Yeah, let’s not do it.’ But it was really an honor that they asked us.”

You weren’t going to do it, but then you changed your mind?

“Months later, Tom contacted me and said, ‘Would you be down to play something with me?’ I was like, ‘Hmmm, that could be fun. Yeah!’ He goes, ‘It’ll just be me, you and Billy Corgan.’ He was thinking we could play a tune, so I said, ‘Yeah, that’s fine. But if plans change, I won’t feel bad if you decide that you don’t want me to do it – but let’s do it.’”

Ultimately, Tool – the whole band – signed on for the show. How’d that happen?

“I was again talking to Tom, and I went, ‘Yeah, I’m sorry we all couldn’t do it.’ He goes, ‘Well, you know Dan [Carey, Tool’s drummer] is playing with these guys, and Maynard [James Keenan, Tool’s singer] is playing with these people…’ I went, ‘I didn’t know that…’ It hit me, and I said, ‘If the three of us are there – and I know Justin [Chancellor, bass] will want to do it…’ I went back to our people and went, ‘Why don’t we just do it? We’re all going to be there.’ That’s how it happened – and why it was announced later.”

How far back does your personal Sabbath fandom go?

“To when I was young. We had different [radio] stations in Chicago that were my main source of music. And I have an older brother and sister who influenced my early taste. It goes way back. I think everyone has the same story of how wonderfully haunting and attractive that music was, how they were innovators and influenced so many people.”

How did Tony Iommi shape your guitar playing style?

“You’re talking, like, ’70s headphones turned up all the way – and air guitaring! [Laughs] Learning later in life that he’s missing parts of his fingers was inspiring because when you’re a kid, and you’re playing guitar, you go, ‘I could never be as good as a real rockstar,’ and here’s a guy that is a professional, a rockstar and amazing, and he’s missing parts of his fingers. It’s inspiring. It makes you feel like, ‘I can do that.’”

Has Tony’s style impacted your riff writing?

“It’s why I’m obsessed with drop D. The stuff he did – the tone, the playing the notes and then pulling off, you know, the open D, or whatever tuning they had that’s comparable – it was just haunting, and the riffs were so good. I could play them, but there’s a vibe, and it’s wonderful. And if you don’t hear it in Tool, you probably aren’t really into Black Sabbath.”

There’s a nuance in Tony’s playing that can’t be duplicated.

“That’s any good guitarist that’s doing their own thing. It’s that thing where they have such a unique style, emotion and passion in their playing. If he picked up any guitar and any amp… I don’t know what the right analogy would be.

“Sometimes I bitch about my equipment, and Buzz Osborne from the Melvins goes, ‘A poor carpenter blames his tools.’ It’s kind of the same concept; it’s [Tony Iommi], it’s his style. It’s very passionate. What I was saying earlier, you know, it’s simple, but I don’t mean it’s simple, I just mean it’s stuff I could play. Do you know what I mean?”

Absolutely. There’s just something about the way Tony plays that can’t be explained.

“Yeah. It’s his emotion and his approach. Maybe there’s stuff he can do with his handicap that other people can’t. It’s fascinating. It just goes to those things where there’s some stuff they can’t teach in school. You have to experience it. You have to feel it. You have to do it on your own. It’s nothing that you’re gonna learn in a book.”

Have you talked about what songs Tool would like to play at the show?

“There are so many. We’re waiting because a lot of them are taken. I don’t know if it’s official yet, which songs we’re supposed to do. I hope they tell us soon because I’d like to do a good job and learn it! [Laughs] To have the [Black Sabbath] band members watch us while we’re playing, I just want to make sure we fucking kill it.”

As a fan and a peer, what does it mean to you to help send off Ozzy and Sabbath?

“It’s exciting. To honor them, and play their music in front of them, and then for them to turn around and do the same thing, but back to the fans and musicians that admire them so much, is really overwhelming. I’m going to be a part of this collective fanbase that’s going to be in Birmingham to share with that. It’s going to be awesome.”

• This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.

The ultimate metal and hard rock extravaganza – i.e. Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath's final show, Back to the Beginning – is fast approaching. The July 5th mega-show will pit together some of the world's most influential names in heavy music at the Church of Sabbath.

Tool's Adam Jones is one such disciple set to be involved. However, as he reveals in the new issue of Guitar World, the band was quite late signing on to the festivities – and he was initially not going to sign on at all.

Like all the other artists involved, Jones and the gang were initially approached by Tom Morello, who's doubling as the show's musical director.

“The four of us [in Tool] were on the phone, or texting – I can’t remember – and someone went, ‘I don’t think I can do it.’ Someone else went, ‘Okay, yeah, I think I’m gonna do this other thing,’” Jones says when asked about his involvement. “I think I even went, ‘Yeah, let’s not do it.’ But it was really an honor that they asked us.”

So what led to his change of heart? It seems like it all boiled down to Morello's persistence (the chance to join an iconic lineup for a historic event didn't hurt either).

“Months later, Tom contacted me and said, ‘Would you be down to play something with me?’ I was like, ‘Hmmm, that could be fun. Yeah!’ He goes, ‘It’ll just be me, you and Billy Corgan.’ He was thinking we could play a tune, so I said, ‘Yeah, that’s fine. But if plans change, I won’t feel bad if you decide that you don’t want me to do it – but let’s do it.’

He continues, “I was again talking to Tom, and I went, ‘Yeah, I’m sorry we all couldn’t do it.’ He goes, ‘Well, you know Dan [Carey, Tool’s drummer] is playing with these guys, and Maynard [James Keenan, Tool’s singer] is playing with these people…’

“I went, ‘I didn’t know that…’ It hit me, and I said, ‘If the three of us are there – and I know Justin [Chancellor, bass] will want to do it…’ I went back to our people and went, ‘Why don’t we just do it? We’re all going to be there.’ That’s how it happened – and why it was announced later.”

As for Morello, he cites teaming up with Jones and Corgan – who he dubs “three dudes from Northern Illinois” – as one of the highlights of the event.

“Adam and I went to high school together,” he told Guitar World. “Billy grew up a couple towns over. All of us were so influenced by Black Sabbath, but we’ve never played together. So that’s something I’m really psyched about.”

And, if you missed out on tickets for the actual show (they sold out in 16 minutes), it was recently announced that a pay-per-view livestream will be available, with tickets – priced at $29.99 – up for grabs from the official Back to the Beginning site.

For more from Adam Jones, plus new interviews with Tom Morello and Jake E. Lee, pick up issue 593 of Guitar World at Magazines Direct.

Billy Corgan recently invited Tom Morello to guest on his new The Magnificent Others interview series. During the conversation, he took the opportunity to voice a long-held theory that concerned him, the Rage Against the Machine titan, and one other electric guitar player who all formed a de facto ‘Yardbirds of metal’ trio.

As youngsters and aspiring musicians, Corgan and Morello both came from neighbouring areas, and as the Smashing Pumpkins frontman puts it in this new chat, they "grew up in the same atmosphere” and shared similar music experiences.

Corgan also namedrops Tool’s Adam Jones – who famously started a band with Morello during that time – as a third player to have shared social and sonic circles. They all listened to similar music, started rock bands, and wrote riff-driven music.

However, despite having near-identical interests – and having shared such similar experiences – when their careers took off, all three players branched out into significantly different niches.

Morello went down the activist rock route with Rage Against the Machine, Jones went progressive with Tool, and Corgan developed the Smashing Pumpkins’ alt-rock sound. It’s a branching of styles that has baffled Corgan ever since.

“I have this theory no-one seems to pick up on, so I'm bringing it to you,” Corgan says to Morello. “I'm sure I told you about this before, but I do find it fascinating that Adam [Jones] from Tool... obviously you guys had a band together when you were young.

“And there I am, living probably 20 miles away from you guys. We all grew up in the same atmosphere. We all started rock bands that were predominantly riff-driven… and we took music in three completely different directions. I find that really fascinating.”

That the three heavy players would be so closely connected by one shared musical experience, only to then split off and explore their own avenues, is not a new phenomenon.

In fact, almost the exact same thing happened in England, with Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, all of whom grew up in Surrey, UK, and would go on to join the same band. It’s a shared phenomenon that clearly hasn’t gone unnoticed by Corgan.

“Somebody will get mad at me, but it's the closest thing to Beck, Clapton and Page kind of growing up in the same hood,” Corgan goes on of the connection he had with Morello and Jones. “We have had our influence in what followed.

“If they want to get mad at me, they can, but that's not an insane theory. I find it really fascinating, because what was it in the water that we were all drinking?”

Indeed, similarities between the respective trio’s experiences can be drawn. Clapton, Beck and Page will forever be linked by the fact they all had stints in the Yardbirds, before they too embarked down notably differing guitar paths.

Page embraced hard rock with Led Zeppelin, Clapton pursued psychedelic rock and blues through Cream and his solo work, and Beck became revered for his blues rock and fusion style.

Again, the fact these three were all unified by Yardbird tenures that preceded stylistic deviations, is, at least in Corgan’s mind, the same thing he experienced with Adam Jones and Tom Morello.

“The one thing that all three have in common is metal, you know?” Morello says in response to Corgan’s theory. “Adam and I, we were in his truck driving up to the [Judas] Priest shows and the Iron Maiden shows.

“And then I think what's interesting is how that metal DNA appears in all three, but then there's how it branches off.”

While Clapton, Beck and Page only performed together during one magical tour, we have yet to hear what a Morello/Corgan/Jones collab sounds like.

Although, given the news that Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath's final show will play host to a Tool, Rage Against the Machine and Smashing Pumpkins supergroup, it could be on the cards…

Visit Billy Corgan's YouTube channel to watch the full interview.

Before they emerged as two of the biggest progressive and alternative metal guitar players of the ’90s and early ’00s in their respective bands, Tom Morello and Adam Jones were high school buddies.

Morello, who would go on to fight the system with Rage Against The Machine’s change-making rap metal, has now taken to Instagram to reflect on their early friendship and the impact it’s had on their careers.

Jones, it turns out, played bass in Morello’s high school band, The Electric Sheep, named as a reference to a Philip K. Dick dystopian science-fiction novel. It’s anyone’s guess which of the two players coined the name – it could have been either of them, and it’s very fitting.

While Jones – who would later delve into more progressive waters with Tool – provided the band’s low-end, he also taught Tom Morello some valuable tips and tricks that would help shape the player he is today.

“He showed me chords, pinch harmonics, drove us to see Judas Priest at Alpine Valley in his pickup truck for inspiration, and was ceaselessly encouraging to me when I was a beginning guitarist,” says Morello.

And, when Jones needed a place to stay when he first moved to LA, Morello was more than happy to strike a deal that mutually benefitted both parties. Again, Jones’ presence would have a huge impact on Morello’s life.

“Adam was my roommate briefly when he first landed in LA and paid his rent by sharing his extensive (and exotic) VHS collection with us,” he says. “He was also responsible for helping jump-start my career when he dragged me out of bed on a work night to go all the way downtown to Al’s Bar where a great band called Lock Up was playing. I later joined the band and got a record deal.”

As Morello cut his teeth in his pre-RATM bands, Jones formed Tool, a group that, according to Morello, was exceptional from day dot.

“I saw his band Tool at their first show and was stunned,” he recalls. “They arrived fully formed and fully great. They also were kind enough to invite Rage Against the Machine to open for them numerous times in Hollywood clubs which greatly helped grow our following and get us attention.”

In all, he says he’s “proud and pleased that all these years later he and his band are thriving and kicking ass around the world”.

Suffice to say, Morello’s career hasn’t been too shabby, either. He’ll be hoping to channel some of Jones’ paternal care and wisdom upon his shred-crazy son, Roman, who apparently “can shred rings around” his father.

Under the record industry's model for success, Tool should have been dead and buried a long time ago. Whereas most bands “get it while the getting is good,” releasing albums and touring to support them every year and a half or so until the public loses interest, Tool disappear from the public eye for excruciatingly long periods between albums and tours. Some critics have even joked that their new album is titled 10,000 Days because that’s how long it took them to make it – although 27-plus years is quite an exaggeration, even by Tool’s standards.

“Despite what everyone thinks, it didn’t take us five years to make this record,” says Tool guitarist Adam Jones during our interview in Los Angeles. His point of reference is the group’s previous album, 2001’s Lateralus. “We took a long time off after the last tour.”

What’s more, he adds, during that time, singer Maynard James Keenan participated in his numerous side projects, which include A Perfect Circle. “We started making this album a little more than a year ago.”

While their record label would undoubtedly love it if Tool released a new album every two years or less, Jones believes the ample length of time between albums works to the band’s advantage.

“Our records don’t sound like other people’s records, where they release them a year apart and they end up sounding like a bad cover band version of themselves,” he says. “Each record sounds different from the one before it. Those long breaks we take give us time to absorb what’s going on around us and grow. I think that shows on our records.”

Tool have defied the record industry’s penchant for overexposure. They maintain their mystery by not plastering their faces all over their album covers and videos, and by performing mostly in the shadows of the stage while overwhelming the audience’s senses with stunning visuals and sound. Chances are good that even the most devoted Tool fan would not recognize Keenan or Jones on the street. But the band prefers that listeners focus on the music rather than on the group’s “image” or intimate details of the members’ personal lives.

“I get great emails from our fans,” says Jones. “My favorite was from this girl who wrote to me on MySpace. She said, ‘I finally figured it out: Lateralus was written to The Passion of the Christ. It’s so amazing how it links up. I want to thank you for doing that.’ I wrote her back and said, ‘Cool. You figured it out.’ Of course we wrote that album way before The Passion of the Christ came out, but I loved how she tried to link our music to something else.”

It’s hard to imagine what influences Tool fans will hear on 10,000 Days. Expanding upon the ambitious approach of Lateralus, the new album features dizzying polyrhythmic lines and epic song structures in which ideas weave together or simply crash into one another.

Its vast palette of sounds includes Talk Box and “radio” guitar solos from Jones, bassist Justin Chancellor’s slithering fretless bass and off-kilter riffs, and Danny Carey’s stunningly complex drum patterns, throbbing electronic noise, and funky Middle Eastern percussion. Keenan’s vocals are often heavily processed with distortion or mixed down among the instruments so they’re more like an instrument themselves.

“This record sounds so huge,” says Jones. “That’s because the vocals aren’t mixed way out front. When you mix the vocals out front, it crushes the force of the band behind them.”

Whereas Tool’s previous albums were produced by David Bottrill (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson), this time the band chose to produce 10,000 Days themselves, enlisting Joe Barresi (Melvins, Queens of the Stone Age, Bad Religion) to engineer and mix the album. Jones notes that, although other people may have previously received production credit, the band have actually produced themselves from the beginning.

“Every time we’ve made a record, our songs were already worked out by the time we started recording,” says Jones. “But every time we’ve worked with someone, they’ve wanted a production credit. We’d say, ‘Okay. Why not?’ But to me a producer is someone who comes in when you don’t have your songs worked out, or you want to be a certain kind of band and you need someone to come in and make you into that type of band. It reminds me of American Idol – or as I call it, the Gong Show Rip-Off.”

Although rumors of Tool’s breakup regularly surface – fueled largely by Keenan’s tendency to become immersed in side projects during the band’s downtime – Jones insists that the relationship between the four members has never been stronger. Absence, it turns out, may not only make the heart grow stronger, but may also be the key to enjoying a long, successful career as a band.

“I’m really lucky that the three other guys I work with are so incredible,” Jones says. “It’s not perfect; we don’t all see eye to eye. We fight, not with our fists, but we disagree or get into arguments when one person wants to go in a certain direction and the others don’t. But we all respect each other and try to work it out. It’s a four-way arrangement. We split everything four ways. I think that’s why we’ve been together as long as we have.”

The songs on 10,000 Days are structured more like classical music: they start in one place, go somewhere else, and end in a completely different place altogether. It’s as if the songs are telling a story in a linear fashion.

“Thanks. That’s the thinking. This is going to sound really pretentious, but it’s more emotional. For us, writing music is very therapeutic. You get to these different states, and it’s almost like you’re entertaining yourself. You’re leading someone by the hand, but the hand you’re leading is your own. I don’t get choked up when I hear other people’s music, except in a few rare instances. The Melvins did something that I thought was absolutely fuckin’ beautiful. But if we write something I really like, I get teary eyed.

“I’m the kind of guy who can cry really easily. The really long song on the record that starts very classically and builds is my favorite song that we have ever done. I get really choked up whenever we play it. I was really worried where Maynard was going to go with it, but he nailed the lyrics on that one.”

That song is quite a tour de force. You really don’t notice how long it is while you’re listening to it.

“I’m 41, and I never thought about that stuff as a kid. I never bought a record and thought, ‘Oh, this song is long.’ I never thought Stairway to Heaven was a long song. I loved how there was this part and then there was another part that was completely different. If you’re making music for all the right reasons, people are going to be receptive to that and appreciate it the same way you did when your were writing it. It’s not radio friendly, but we’re not…”

You’re not exactly radio artists.

“We are and we aren’t. We’ll pick a single that we think will do well on radio and we give it to them in its entirety. A band we knew told us that they’d edit their songs for radio, but even if they edited a song down to four minutes, radio stations would edit it down to three minutes. So we just give it to radio as is. We can't control it anyway. It's their world, and if the song does good, great.”

You have an extensive background in the visual arts. Do you tend to visualize things when you’re writing songs?

“I like soundtracks and I like film. I try to think in those terms, but it’s more emotional. How can you describe something without telling the person what it is? If you wanted to explain the yellow color of that Kodak [film] box without showing the person yellow, how would you do that? You might be able to do it by saying, ‘You know when you feel like this or when this has happened or you’re sitting under a tree?…’”

How did you prepare for this record?

“There’s always the influence of music, film, art, and the other things that drive me. I’m usually inspired by my environment and whatever is making me happy or mad. By the time we decide to get together again and start jamming, Justin and I have a huge amount of material. We bring it in and everybody rips it apart like wolves. We explore every avenue and path of it and then choose the paths that work best with one another.”

All four of you seem to be constantly bursting with creativity.

“But in our different ways. If you sat each of us down and asked, ‘What are your views on politics? What kind of music do you like?’ you’d find we all have very different answers. What the four of us do is what Tool is, and that’s where that magic happens.”

A lot of bands have opposite forces, a yin and a yang. What is Tool’s yin and yang?

“That’s a pretty broad question. I don’t know. It’s a lot of subtle things: like Justin’s from England and I’m from here. We have similar interests in comedy, music, and art and similar views on life, but at the same time we often disagree about certain types of music, art, and philosophies. The main thing I like about us is that there’s a friendship, an understanding of communication, compromising, and working together.

“Basically, we’ve been married since 1990. It’s those normal things you’d have with any of your close friends. Sometimes we fight and disagree, but we’re big enough to go, ‘Well, what did you want out of that?’ ‘I wanted this.’ ‘Let’s meet halfway.’ There’s a lot of negotiating going on. It’s not always structured like that; it’s something that we feel. It’s kind of like asking me what I like and don’t like about my mom.”

Let’s try the opposite approach then. What do you all share in common?

“All of the members of Tool agree on sacred geometry, which is a study of taking everything that’s complicated about the world and everything that’s concentrative of our world and breaking it down to the simplest things: simple patterns, shapes, colors, vibrations… all that kind of stuff. To me that is what Tool is, because everyone in my band gets that. My band. It’s my band. I asked Maynard to play with me, so Tool is my band.

“I hate when art is forced, when you look at something and go, ‘God, give me a break!,’ because you can tell that that person was trying to be artistic and show off themselves as being some weird, arty guy. It’s not from the heart. Life is short, and it’s so rewarding to try to get to a certain point.”

Is writing songs for Tool fun?

“No. It sucks. It’s hard; it’s a long process; it can be grueling; but it’s fucking rewarding. When we’re doing a video, throughout the whole process I’m going, ‘I’m never doing this again. This sucks. Everyone is against me. I’m just trying to get something done.’ But as soon as we’re done, I’m like, ‘Let’s make another one!’”

What specifically influenced you while you were making this album?

“I got into studying polyrhythms and experimental math, seeing what different kinds of math worked together. If they didn’t work, I’d try to figure out why and determine what I had to throw in to make them work. I listened to a lot of classical and electronic music as well as a lot of metal, especially the heavier stuff. I tried to get into as many paths as I could.”

You can hear a lot of polyrhythms, not only within how you, Justin, and Danny played together, but also within your own playing. You can especially hear that in some of your tremolo and delay effects, where the tempos seem to change freely yet they remain in sync. How did you do that?

“I had some custom pedals made. Our engineer on this album, Joe Barresi, is a pedal god, and he knows everyone. I used a Gig-FX Chopper pedal, which has a nice tremolo. We had them work on the pedal so I could go from a clean sound to tremolo and control the tremolo speed as well. The pedal lets me slow it down and speed it up, which really lends a lot of power for creating motion when we’re going from one part to another.

“I told Joe that I wished I could do this with any pedal. He came back with this thing that looked like a wah pedal, but you plug other pedals into it; it blends between your clean sound and the pedal effect, so you can fade the effect in gradually, like a breath, instead of just clicking the pedal on.”

You also played a Talk Box solo.

“I always wanted to use a Talk Box – I love Joe Walsh [who famously used a Talk Box on his solo hit, Rocky Mountain Way] – but I never wanted to use it for the sake of using it. We wrote this song and I knew that it was the song where the Talk Box would work really well. Joe Barresi knew [Heil Talk Box inventor] Bob Heil and contacted him. He was just awesome. He gave me free stuff, told me what mics worked best, and showed me how to get the best sound.

“My friend who works for the Eagles’ booking agent talked to Joe Walsh and gave him my number. A while later I got a message from Joe on my answering machine: [imitates Walsh] ‘Adam Jones, this is the Talk Box fairy. Give me a call.’ I called him and he was totally cool and gave me a lot of advice. I think that the Talk Box on [the Eagles'] Those Shoes is really amazing, especially how the harmonies are in each speaker. I’m really happy with how the Talk Box came out on this record.”

You explored a lot more textures and tones this time. You even played a few genuine guitar solos.

“We had a little more time to experiment. We had everything written before we went into the studio. Maybe only five percent wasn’t ready, and we always have at least one song that we build in the studio. That’s been a rewarding process.

“I talk to people who are in bands and who write their whole record in the studio. They don’t know what they’re doing, and they have a producer come in to help them write songs. We didn’t have a producer this time. Joe Barresi just recorded the record and mixed it, although he did have some input in the process.”

The album features a lot of interludes in which the guitar or drums drop out entirely and the sounds get very small and intimate. Then when everything comes back in, it sounds even bigger because of the contrast.

“That’s the Melvins school of writing music. You learn very quickly that discipline plays a huge part in your writing. You learn that not playing can be just as powerful as playing. You need to let things breathe. I could fill up every little space with feedback or something, but why? That silence just makes the times that I do play have much more impact.”

Sometimes you play your guitar more like a percussion instrument.

“I’ve always been interested in rhythm. I wrote the main riff to Aenima, but it was based on Danny showing me how to play three-on-four. One hand is doing three and the other is doing four. And he taught me this rhythm that goes ‘Pass the goddamn butter.’ That made me wonder what other rhythms I could explore.

“My nephew Joe was in this Arizona drum corps, and his teacher really liked our music and Danny’s drumming. They played Tool arrangements. Joe sent me a tape of it, and we loved it.

“When we played in their town, we had them open for us. I hit up Joe to show me some rhythms, and he showed me weird beats you can play with one hand while you play straight four with the other hand. That really comes in handy. It’s like playing a Chapman Stick or a Warr guitar [both instruments are played via two-handed tapping]. I’m nowhere near that level, but I really enjoy that mode of thinking.”

The polyrhythms, arpeggiated patterns, and mathematical aspects suggest the influence of King Crimson.

“There’s a little bit of that. [Robert] Fripp showed me some stuff. So did [King Crimson/Mr. Mister drummer] Pat Mastelotto, and [King Crimson multi-instrumentalist] Trey Gunn. Those guys are giants, and it was great to learn from them.

“I’ve also learned a lot from Meshuggah. They’re not so much about polyrhythms as they are about trying different things together and seeing where they meet. They may play in three, then in five, then in four, in one progression of riffs; if the drummer is playing over that in four, they’ll see where the rhythms meet up. It’s so exciting. Meshuggah are modern prog-rock as far as I’m concerned. That influence is also on this record.”

Some of your guitar tones are very focused in the midrange and sound small, almost like they’re coming from a radio, whereas you previously went for a wall of sound. Did you experiment with a lot of effects or amps?

“When I play I’m constantly using my volume control. That’s why I use tube amps instead of solid-state amps. When you pick softly it’s clean, and when you pick hard it’s distorted. I’ve started using a volume pedal so that I can manipulate the attack by swelling the sound. It’s something I learned from Robert Fripp. And a couple of times I used a weird tiny speaker that Joe had.

“My second favorite lead on the record was recorded using something called a ‘pipe-bomb mic,’ which someone built for Joe. It’s a footlong piece of round brass pipe that’s maybe an inch and a half in diameter and sealed on both ends. An old guitar pickup is mounted off-center inside of it, and it’s hot-wired, so it works as a mic.

“Joe put it out there with the rest of the mics and the gear that I was using, and it got this beautiful radio-like distortion. We ended up pulling out everything else and leaving in just that mic.

“We had a good time. I’ve always admired the guys in King Crimson because they always pulled new technology into their sound, but they were so tasteful with it. They were intrigued by it and used it artistically.

“I’ve seen a lot of other bands use new technology, and I often wondered what they were thinking. I don’t want to rag on Todd Rundgren – I like him – but I thought he was working too hard on the modern stuff. I saw him in 2000 and I was really disappointed.

“You’ve got to try new things, but we didn’t want to go into the studio and turn on every plug-in and try every new pedal. It was a matter of figuring out what the song needed.

“It’s also about experimentation. That’s the process with us. People ask us to explain what we do, and I can’t. The only thing I can explain is that it’s completely experimental and based on the most concentrated aspects of what we like. After it’s done, we connect the dots; that’s what we’re doing right now. We’re putting the songs in sequence for the album; we’re connecting the dots. It’s not like we wrote a song knowing that it’s going to be the last song on the album.”

Are you still using your Marshall and Diezel amps? Have you made any significant changes to your equipment rig?

“I don’t know yet. After hooking up with Joe Barresi, I became really impressed with Bogner amps. I was also impressed with this Rivera amp and a Peavey amp that Joe had. I would never think to play a Peavey amp, but it’s awesome. Joe calls it his ‘Mississippi Marshall,’ but if I was to play live right now I would play my Marshall and two Diezels through my Mesa/Boogie cabinets, which are amazing. There’s nothing like them. They really put out that low end.”

Did you play any guitars other than your Les Paul?

“I might have used different guitars for really quiet parts. Every guitar, every tube amp, is entirely different, even if it’s the same make and model. Each has a different character. Sometimes something would sound good, but it wouldn’t be exactly what we needed. We would experiment.

“Joe has so much equipment, you wouldn’t believe it. We both have a shitload of guitars, and we would just go through them and try different stuff. It’s all a blur to me now. I couldn’t tell you what I used on any particular part because I tried so many different things.

“We had at least four different amp setups with different cabinets ready to go at any given time. It was usually a combination of three amps. If that wasn’t working we’d pull something out and put something else in.

“I learned a lot from Joe. He always listens to the note and the character of that note. He really studies it. A lot of people do that, but they don’t take it farther than their conscious thought. If you really pay attention, you can hear what it’s missing, what you like about it and what you like about something else so you can combine those sounds.”

It sounds like you’re playing an EBow on one song…

“Please don’t say that I play an EBow. They say on their website that I use one, but I don’t. If I used one, I’d say it, but I don’t. I asked Robert Fripp what is the best way to get sustain – meaning what equipment should I use, what strings, what kind of amp. He said, ‘Attitude.’ And he’s right. If you play that note and you want sustain out of it, you’ll get sustain.

“I have overdrive pedals, a wah, and my amp. I have one of those blue Coloursound fuzz pedals and a Foxx Tone Machine, which they just reissued. Those are great for sustaining notes. I’ve really tried to get a note to hold as long as it can and make it sing or make it bend on its own. The pickup’s polarity will hold the note’s vibration and can cause it to feedback so it keeps going and sounds like an EBow.”

It takes a lot of discipline to play that way. Most guitarists want to play as many notes as they can instead of wrenching every possible texture out of a long, sustaining note.

“I grew up with that. In Seventies rock there were leads in every song. I used to like Frank Zappa, but I thought that when he played a lead he would go on for way too long. In the Eighties everyone had a gimmick. Michael Angelo [Batio] had four necks, so the other guy would have to have six necks. Tom Morello is a friend of mine, and he comes from that school where it’s got to have a crazy sound and he’ll do wacky things. He really gets off on that. But I was always bored with three-hour solos.

“I think Joe Satriani is amazing, but after three songs he puts me to sleep. I used to play no solos. I’ve come out of my shell a little bit. If it’s tasteful and it’s what the song needs, it’s okay. There’s a big difference between talent and gimmick.

“A lot of fellow up-and-coming guitarists will ask me if I think they should go to Guitar Institute of Technology or just join a band. I ask them what they want to do: ‘Do you want to learn technique? Do you want to learn how to play scales? If so, you should go to GIT. But if you just want to play music, you should start jamming with your friends and start a band.’”

There’s something to be said for forming your own identity and not caring about everything else that’s going on around you. That’s kind of what you guys did when you formed Tool back in 1990. You were here in L.A. during the tail end of shred mania, but you found your own niche, and eventually the music world caught up with you.

“That wasn’t really a conscious choice, though. Maynard and I had read this review where we were compared to one type of music and the review bagged on us. That happens a lot.

“When we started out, metal was moving away from glam and getting harder, thanks to bands like Corrosion of Conformity. Critics compared us to that. Then Nirvana hit and we started getting compared to grunge. Then Nine Inch Nails got big, and suddenly critics thought we were an industrial band. Whatever group we were being compared to, that group would go, ‘Fuck Tool. They’re not like that.’ Maynard put it perfectly. He said, ‘We fell in the cracks.’ That’s what we are: we’re the band that fell in the cracks.”

A lot of critics feel the need to pigeonhole and classify groups. The problem is that a lot of musicians have very diverse influences, and as a result their music defies categorization.

“I’m glad you say that. I’ve done interviews where I was asked, ‘Don’t you think music is worse than it’s ever been?’ It’s exactly the same. When I was a kid, there was always pop shit being played on the radio; there was always American Idol kind of shit going on. But there was also always something that was against the mainstream, and it was kind of popular and underground. If anything is different today, it’s that corporations are involved in the business; there are no handshake deals any more.”

Tool’s music can be so incredibly powerful and violent that it causes audiences to react to it in a violent way as well. Yet it’s obvious from Maynard’s lyrics and even the band’s attitude that you care about people. How does it feel to be onstage and seeing people in the crowd pummeling the shit out of each other?

“You can’t tell people what to do. It’s like kids. I don’t have any kids, but I used to work with kids, and my friends, brother, and sister have kids. One thing I always see is that you need to let your kids be themselves; then you try to guide them through that instead of trying to make them be like you. The relationship with an audience is almost like a sexual one. It’s not sex; there’s no nudity; but it’s this intimate thing where you have to let these people be what they are.

“Our last record was very healing, very ‘think for yourself.’ The attitude on this record is more about putting people in their place, but without controlling them. We’re saying, ‘You have an opinion on this, but this person who went through that whole thing may have a different perspective. You should think about that before you say something. You’re not bad for thinking what you thought, but you need to consider the perspectives.’ There’s a lot of that on this record.”

Maynard’s line, “Who are you to wave your finger?,” really stands out in that respect.

“Yes. That’s the pot calling the kettle black. Maynard writes all his lyrics and he’ll pull in subject matter from our mutual ideas. It might be something that happened to him, but it’s always something that we can all relate to, like telling a friend to back up for a second and try to see things from a different perspective. Maynard can explain these things better, but suffice to say, it’s all positive. At the end of the day, there’s a lot of love from our band. I’m not kidding.”

This interview first appeared in the June 2006 issue of Guitar World.

Tool’s guitarist Adam Jones is a long-time fan of drop D tuning. This allows him to get weight into his phrases while establishing a tight, identifiable tonality that sits alongside the bass. Additionally this tuning, which ‘drops’ the sixth string down a whole tone to D, enables him to alternate between single-finger powerchords (root-5th-root), single-note riffs, and melody lines.

Tool’s music often explores a range of emotions, so it’s not uncommon for the rhythm guitar to shift between heavy, mid-tempo powerchord sequences, and sustained arpeggiated figures that form subdued, melodic motifs.

Tool famously also make use of less obvious time signatures, which brings depth, variety, and more progressive rock-style qualities to their music. For this lesson, both style studies use drop D tuning, so let’s get started.

Get the tone

Amp Settings: Gain 7, Bass 5, Middle 5, Treble 7, Reverb 2

For a full sound that covers driven powerchords and moody, melodic sequences, use your bridge pickup and set your amp to the overdrive channel. Use moderate gain but don’t lose pitch clarity and dynamic range. Set your bass and middle settings around 12 o’clock and boost the treble for a little bite. A touch of reverb will bring extra girth to your notes.

Example 1

The opening powerchord riff in D minor leads to a fill using the D minor pentatonic scale. This tuning allows the pentatonic phrase to utilise the same frets across the fifth and sixth string. The second section establishes a melodic motif by using the open sixth string as a drone, then playing a developing melody line over the top.

Example 2

This study uses palm-muted, triplet hammer-ons, to create a punchy, rhythmic hook, while making way for melodic variations to bring the shape to the sequence. The second section explores texture by bending the powerchords at the 2nd fret, followed by pull-offs from the 3rd to 2nd fret. Watch your intonation here.

Maya Neelakantan – the 10-year-old Adam Jones mega-fan who previously went viral for nailing a bunch of Tool riffs – just went viral once again, after she played on stage for the very first time at her America’s Got Talent audition.

Neelakantan’s electric guitar chops might be familiar to many GW readers. The aspiring guitarist first received attention back in 2022, after she nailed Tool’s 16-minute epic, 7empest.

That prompted Adam Jones himself to give her one of his own signature Gibson Les Pauls, which Neelakantan quickly put to use on a 15-riff Tool medley.

Recently, the youngster put the Silverburst single-cut to good use once again, but this time she wasn’t playing Tool – she was ripping through Papa Roach’s Last Resort.

Nor was she playing from the comfort of her own home. This time, Neelakantan played on stage for the first time, and did so in front of a packed live audience on America’s Got Talent.

The performance was flawless, showing Neelakantan’s growth as a player since her first viral clips, as she made light work of the track’s helter skelter leads – and added plenty of her own.

Just as we were when we first came across the budding guitarist in 2022, the judges were blown away with what they saw, with judge Sofia Vergara calling it “a perfect audition”.

Her fellow panel member, the famously-difficult-to-please Simon Cowell, was also gushing with his praise.

“I was about your age when I tried to learn the guitar. It is one of the most difficult instruments in the world,” he said. “You were so shy, and then you turned into this rock goddess.”

All in all, it turned out to be a successful first on-stage outing for Neelakantan, who (obviously) flew through to the next round. Maybe some more Tool action will follow?

“Wow! What an honor that I got to play for the first time on stage and it’s on America’s Got Talent,” Neelakantan commented on the YouTube video of her audition, which was already been viewed more than one million times.

“Thank you for creating an unforgettable memory for me!”

Visit Maya Neelakantan's YouTube channel to catch more of her playing.

America’s Got Talent is a reliable source of viral guitar action. Last year, an unassuming guitar teacher went viral after channeling Eddie Van Halen and Brian May in his own epic audition.

With its striking silver-to-black (and, due to aging, sometimes green-hued) finish, the Les Paul Silverburst is one of the most distinctive-looking guitars in modern six-string history. 

But over the course of the past year, the eye-catching model has become even more unique – seven times over, in fact. The reason? A one-of-a-kind collaboration between Epiphone and Tool six-string sonic adventurist Adam Jones, which has resulted in the Adam Jones Art Collection of electric guitars.

Jones, of course, is the most visible and impassioned proponent of the Silverburst, and in 2020 he teamed up with Gibson on a limited-edition, note-perfect recreation of his Number 1 instrument, a 1979 Les Paul Custom with the distinguishing finish.

This was followed by a U.S. production-line Standard version of the guitar and, soon after, rumors – as well as appetite-whetting online teases – about a coming Epiphone iteration. 

When that guitar was finally unveiled in 2022, it was with a host of premium specs that has led many to call it the best Les Paul ever produced under the Epiphone brand name.

But there was another attraction: each release in the Adam Jones Les Paul Custom Art Collection, limited to just 800 examples, featured a unique piece of artwork personally selected by the Tool guitarist, a visual artist who worked on films like Jurassic Park, Batman Returns and Terminator 2: Judgment Day prior to becoming a prog-metal giant.

“The push was, how can we do something that really reflects me?” Jones tells Guitar World. “So I suggested, ‘Why don’t we do art on the back and make something really special?’ And then Cesar [Gueikian, Gibson CEO] said, ‘How about we make a whole line of them?’ I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’d be great,’ and I started making a list of my top choices. And you know, just like with music, I have really eclectic tastes when it comes to art.”

Indeed he does. The Adam Jones Les Paul Custom Art Collection launched with “The Veil of Bees” by acclaimed pop-surrealist Mark Ryden. “He just rips his guts out when he paints,” Jones says, “and his thought process and his journey from an idea to the execution is so involved. It was amazing to have him do the first one.”

From there, the Collection, true to Jones’ eclecticism, spotlighted a wide array of selections – fantasy legend Frank Frazetta’s famous The Berserker, originally created for the cover of the paperback novel Conan the Conqueror; contemporary artist (and Jones’ wife) Korin Faught’s bold Sensation; the mesmerizing ANTI-LAOKOON 1965 from late Austrian painter and School of Fantastic Realism co-founder Ernst Fuchs; a second Ryden creation, Queen Bee; and two striking “self-portraits” from American artist Julie Heffernan, who Jones calls “one of my favorite contemporary painters. I own a bunch of her paintings and I’m just obsessed with her. So it was a blessing to work with her and all the artists and their estates. Because these paintings mean so much to me.”

For Jones, incorporating artwork into a signature Les Paul design had special resonance. “Since I was a kid, music and art have been my way out of the wicked world,” he says. “That’s been my safety net.”

The paintings on the backs of these guitars (and, of course, the Antique Silverburst finish on the top) are just one graphic attraction of the new Epiphones. Each example in the Adam Jones Les Paul Custom Art Collection also sports a special back plate commemorating the featured artist and the name of the work, as well as a Korin-designed insignia on the back of the headstock.

And the exceptional visuals are matched by an absolutely spectacular spec sheet. While the Epiphone expression of Jones’ beloved Silverburst is more affordably priced than the two Gibson versions, it is loaded with many of the same premium features, including a mahogany body with a maple top, a three-piece bound maple neck with a Norlin-era volute (and special “Adam Jones Custom Profile”); an ebony fingerboard with block inlays; PosiLock strap buttons and more.

There’s also no shirking in the electronics department, with a reverse-mounted humbucker in the neck – just like Jones’ Number 1 – and a Seymour Duncan Distortion (again, reflecting Jones’ guitar) in the bridge position. It’s a heavy package, both figuratively and literally: the Epiphones themselves, much like first-run Silverbursts, weigh in at well over nine pounds.

“I like a heavier-weight guitar because I use tube amps, I use analog equipment,” Jones says. “So if you plug one of my heavy guitars into my setup, with a pickup that is responsive to that side of things, it sounds great. You get great tone. You get great feedback, but you can still control it. You get everything I love. This guitar gives you a piece of me. In fact, I just used one of the Epiphones to do some recording, and I’ve played them onstage, too.”

He continues, “So I hope we do another seven of these. I hope that, with Gibson and Epiphone, we do all kinds of things together. Because there’s nothing like music. Nothing compares to it. But the closest thing I’ve found is art. They’ve always gone hand-in-hand in my life.” And now, with the Epiphone Adam Jones Les Paul Custom Art Collection, in his guitars as well.

• For more information on the Adam Jones Les Paul Custom Art Collection, head to Epiphone.com.

Epiphone has unveiled the Adam Jones Les Paul Custom – a new signature guitar for the Tool guitarist – and the first ‘standard’ line model from the brand, following its stunning run of Limited Edition Custom Art guitars for Jones.

The announcement is also notable as the latest take on Jones’ LP features the Gibson-like ‘open book’ headstock, as opposed to the larger and more rounded Epiphone ‘Kalamazoo’ era headstock – making it only the second guitar in the current line-up to do so.

The first Epiphone model to feature the headstock (since the takeover of parent-company Gibson Brands in 2018) was, of course, Kirk Hammett’s Greeny, though at the time Gibson Brands’ VP of Product Mat Koehler promised that more would be on the way in Epiphone’s top-tier ‘Inspired by Gibson Custom Shop’ builds.

Now the firm is making good on that promise and is once again treading the tricky line between ‘luxe’ and affordable. As such, its latest recreation of Jones’ beloved 1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom – dubbed by the Tool pioneer as “one of my top favorite guitars of all time” – is a Chinese-built model that features a pretty serious spec list.

There’s a mahogany body with a maple cap and, as with the original, a three-piece custom-profile maple neck and ebony fretboard. 

The most notable diversion from the Custom Art series and, in keeping with its predecessor from the Gibson Custom Shop, is a reverse-mounted Gibson Custombucker in the neck position, but here it’s paired with a Seymour Duncan Distortion (as opposed to a custom-wound Seymour Duncan DDJ).

Electronics include CTS pots and Orange Drop capacitors, then there’s Epiphone hardware and a GraphTech nut, plus some unique finish quirks – not least the distinctive Silverburst. 

We love the look of that tear-drop burst pattern on the rear of the guitar, plus there’s a custom headstock graphic – a nod to the Jones’ art-fuelled limited edition models, designed by Joyce Su and Jones. 

It even includes a two-inch convex mirror in the case, a la Jones own model, for any completists who might wish to adorn the guitar with it. Finally, there’s a very solid Deluxe Protector Series case thrown in for the price. 

And what of the price? Well, anyone crossing their fingers and hoping for a saving on the Epiphone Kirk Hammett Greeny is out of luck here, as – like the Greeny – it again lands at $1,499. Clearly, that’s just going to be the new normal when it comes to these more exclusive Inspired by Custom Shop builds.

It is, nonetheless, still half the price of the Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom and a fraction of the $5,999 or $9,999 price tags of the Custom Shop builds. 

The Adam Jones LP isn’t the only big signature model on the way from Epiphone this year. 

Last month, we got an exclusive preview of the forthcoming Epiphone Dave Grohl DG-335, one of the “most-requested models in Epiphone’s history” and likely a shoo-in for the year’s best-selling signature guitar.

For more information, on the Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom, head to Epiphone.

Epiphone has announced the seventh and final installment of the Adam Jones Les Paul Custom Art Collection, this time featuring Mark Ryden’s Queen Bee.

The new electric guitar is notable for being the only model in the collection that places artwork on the front of the instrument – namely, a stray bee that appears to have drifted onto the top plate. 

That said, it still reserves the main body of the image for the rear of the instrument. 

“Blending themes of pop culture with techniques of the old masters,” says Epiphone, “Mark Ryden blurs the traditional boundaries between high and low art in a new genre of ‘Pop Surrealism’.”

If you’re thinking the image looks somewhat familiar, that is probably because the first guitar in Jones’ Art Collection series featured another Mark Ryden artwork, Veil of Bees, so the artist’s second inclusion marks a closing of the loop, as we round out the series and 2023 itself. 

As with the other models in the range, the Art Collection Queen Bee comes with a marquee back plate, documenting the name of the artist and artwork, but otherwise the changes are purely cosmetic and the spec follows that of his main signature guitar, the Epiphone Adam Jones Les Paul Custom. 

As such, you get a mahogany body and maple top with seven-ply binding, a three-piece maple neck, ebony 'board, Graph Tech nut and a pair of humbuckers, in the reverse-mounted Epiphone ProBucker Custom (neck) and Seymour Duncan Distortion (bridge).

Also like its predecessors, the Queen Bee comes complete with custom Protector hardcase and will be limited to 800 instruments worldwide, retailing for $1,299. 

We’re sad to see the series come to a close. It’s not every day you get to talk Greek mythology or surrealism in guitar design, but that’s exactly the sort of thing that’s happened as a result of the Tool guitarist’s limited-edition run.

Alongside this model and the aforementioned Veil of Bees, we’ve had Frazetta’s The Bezerker, Julie Hefferman’s Study for Self-Portrait with Rose Skirt and a Mouse and Self-Portrait as Not Dead Yet, Korin Faught’s Sensation and Ernst Fuchs’ Anti-Laokoon, 1965 all adorning Silverburst Les Pauls. 

For more information on the Adam Jones Custom Art Collection Les Pauls, head to Epiphone.

Tool’s ongoing fall tour recently took them to Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena, and for the occasion the prog heroes called upon Canadian native Alex Lifeson to help them through a set-closing performance of Jambi.

No doubt Lifeson seized the opportunity to take to the stage alongside Adam Jones when the chance presented itself, given the fact the Rush virtuoso has repeatedly spoken of his admiration for the Silverburst Les Paul-wielding mastermind – and Tool – in the past.

Indeed, Lifeson once tapped Tool’s Third Eye as one of the 22 songs that shaped Rush’s sound, and in the process called Jones “a fabulous guitarist and songwriter”, while also commending Tool for their “intensely dynamic, yet heavy” sound.

Lifeson further singled out Jones for praise after his guest spot at the band’s recent show, and even went as far as to gift his hero one of his own personal Epiphone Les Paul Custom Axcess signature guitars, which arrived earlier this year.

Posting to Instagram, Lifeson said, “What an honour and delight it was playing with one of my favourite bands last night. I’ve loved @toolmusic since the first time I listened to them. They are such a great band and I am lucky to call them friends.

“One of the many high points of the evening was gifting my @epiphone Les Paul to @adamjones_tv,” he went on. “His playing is inspirational and speaks to my soul like no other guitarist. Respecto, brother.”

Locking Les Paul fretboards for the 10,000 Days cut, the two guitar titans made light work of the rigorous 10-minute rhythmic workout that is Jambi, courtesy of their pinpoint right-hand picking maneuvers and surgically precise fretting.

It was by no means an easy track to guest on, but as one would expect from a Tool superfan (and from the guitar hero that helped created one of the finest prog outfits of all time) Lifeson looks to have learned the track inside out, and admirably keeps up the band’s resident rhythmic machine.

Among the riff fest, there was also room for some notable lead action, with Lifeson later taking the reins around the four-minute mark to deliver a burst of Rush’s own track, A Passage To Bangkok.

Like we said above, we imagine it was a pretty special occasion for both Jones and Lifeson, as further evidenced by the generous LP gift – which had been signed, “Adam, you are an inspiration!”

In other Tool news, Gibson’s latest Adam Jones signature guitar is here – and it’s a $20k Murphy Lab recreation of the Tool titan’s prized Flying V with a Futura-style headstock.

Gibson has once again partnered with Adam Jones to release the latest electric guitar in the pair’s long line of signature instruments: the Gibson Custom Shop Adam Jones Flying V Collector’s Edition.

As was the case with Jones’ long-awaited Silverburst Les Paul Custom signature guitar, the arrival of this particular six-string has been a long time coming. Fans first laid eyes on the mystery V way back in January 2022, when the Tool maestro took one to stage during what was then the band’s first show in almost two years.

Speculation went into overdrive a few months later, when Jones gave guitar aficionados a closer look at his prized Custom Shop Reverse Silverburst, which it turns out had been designed with help from Kirk Hammett, Richie Faulkner and Jim Root.

At the time, Jones’ personal model was confirmed to be one of only three prototypes, but now Gibson Custom Shop has brought back the template for a highly limited run of Collector’s Edition instruments.

As “highly limited” and “Collector’s Edition” both imply, this isn’t a release for the casual Jones fan, and is instead an ultra-exclusive Flying V with a price tag reflective of the fact only 50 units will be made.

Indeed, Gibson’s Collector’s Edition precedent was set by the first Kirk Hammett Greeny Les Paul offering, which weighed in at $50k. Here, it’s not quite at that level, but it’s still a considerable investment: this Adam Jones Flying V is available for $20k.

For that price you’re practically buying the exact Flying V owned and played by Jones himself, with the model itself catering to the prog maestro’s exacting specs. For example, his affection for super-heavy guitars is well-known, and as such this model offers a suitably bulky, carefully selected non-weight relieved mahogany body.

That is joined by a three-piece plain maple top that has been decked out in Reverse Antique Silverburst, as well as a three-piece maple neck that in turn is joined by a bound 22-fret ebony fingerboard and mother of pearl custom block inlays.

The neck also accommodates arguably the most eye-catching appointment of the axe, the Futura-style headstock, which is lifted from early Explorer models from the late 1950s.

Moving back to the body, a reverse-mounted Custombucker neck pickup lines up next to a custom-wound Seymour Duncan DDJ bridge unit, both of which are answerable to specific volume and tone parameters and a three-way pickup switch.

Diving further into the electronics, the bridge volume utilizes a DiMarzio 500k volume pot, while the rest of the parameters make use of CTS pots with Orange Drop capacitors.

Elsewhere, the Through Body-designed instrument features a Nashville Tune-O-Matic bridge and Schaller M6 with Large Button tuners, all of which flash a lightly aged chrome plating. For extra visual prestige, the entire package has been aged by the Gibson Custom Shop Murphy Lab.

All of the above specs have, according to Gibson, resulted in “an out-of-this-world limited-edition Flying V”.

As mentioned, only 50 will be made, and each will set you back $19,999 – a price that includes a hardcase and an adjustable leather strap developed by Jones.

Head over to Gibson to find out more.

For those looking for a more affordable Adam Jones signature guitar, Epiphone's recent run of Art Collection Les Pauls – which we suggested could be the best Epiphone Les Paul ever made – has you covered.

Owing to the fact guitars are sometimes suspended around the shoulders for hours on end, many players prioritize something lightweight when selecting their electric guitars. For Adam Jones, though, it’s the complete opposite.

The Tool maestro’s preference for heavy six-strings is somewhat evidenced by his affinity for a 1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom – an all-mahogany build that, because of its components, weighs in as arguably one of the heaviest guitar templates on the market.

Les Pauls in general are pretty hefty beasts, but Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian has now revealed Jones’s penchant for robust instruments goes far beyond the schematics of a standard Gibson single-cut – instead, he wants the brand to build “the heaviest guitars that we can possibly or humanly make”.

When asked about working with Jones in a new episode of Dean Delray’s podcast, Gueikian explained (via Ultimate Guitar), “He has a very unique sound. First and foremost, he’s looking for the sound. 

“Second, he wants the heaviest guitars that we can possibly or humanly make,” he added. “And so we have to source the heaviest maple and the heaviest mahogany that we can find around the world.”

To appease Jones’ requests, which stem from his prized ‘79 LP, Gibson has to “go scouting to find the heaviest woods that we can find for him”.

As for why Jones loves his ‘79 model so much – and why he requires his reproduction models to be back-breakingly heavy – Gueikian says it's all a question of tone.

“And he truly believes that it has an effect and that it does affect sound,” Gueikian went on. “So, in his mind, the weight, the finish – the metallic finish – and then the way the guitar is built and the electronics, the profile of the neck, all the specs that make the guitar right in his hands, is what we’re always chasing.

“And we’ve got a good formula with him, having developed a couple of years ago the first ’79 Silverburst.”

The model Gueikian refers to is likely the 1979 Les Paul Custom Silverburst from 2020 – the flagship guitar from Jones and Gibson’s then-new partnership, which was initially available in two formats: the ultra-limited $10k Murphy Lab model and $6k VOS version. Last year, a $3k version was also thrown into the catalog.

Since then, Gibson and Jones have made the highly sought-after Silverburst six-string (slightly more) available to the masses via the Epiphone medium, with the two parties unveiling a string of Art Collection models over the past few months.

These limited-edition guitars each added a distinct artistic twist to the format, with the models all flashing custom rear-body artwork. Six have been unveiled so far: “The Veil of Bees”, “The Berserker”, “Study for Self-Portrait with Rose Skirt and a Mouse”, “Self-Portrait as Not Dead Yet”, “Sensation” and “Anti-Laokoon 1965”.

One more Adam Jones signature Epiphone is set to be released in the near future under the Art Collection umbrella.

Jones has previously discussed the effect of his favorite Silverburst finish on the sound of his guitars, telling Guitar World, “I have a true love for that color and that guitar in general, and I believe that particular metallic paint does something to the tone or the resonance or the polarity somehow.”

To browse the Adam Jones range, head over to Gibson and Epiphone.

Epiphone has debuted the sixth limited edition electric guitar in Tool guitarist Adam Jones’ Les Paul Custom Art range. This time, it comes adorned with an artwork by 20th century Fantastic Realist Ernst Fuchs: Anti-Laokoon 1965.

The signature guitar is the penultimate release in the series, with the seventh and final instrument coming later this year. 

We’ll be sad to see it all come to an end – and one of the reasons for that is we will stop getting press releases from a guitar company that read more like gallery captions.

“Ernst Fuchs (1930-2015) was one of the founders of the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism,” says Epiphone. 

“His work blended the fantastic, the mythological, and the spiritual, rendered in a naturalistic style. This notable work by Fuchs revives an ancient myth with a modern twist.”

Fuchs’ painting Anti-Laokoon 1965  is inspired by a classical Greek epic tale – covered in Virgil's Aeneid, among other places – of the Trojan priest Laocoön and his two sons. 

In the tale, the trio were attacked and killed by sea serpents sent by the vengeful god Poseidon. The myth became an epic poem, which in turn inspired a two thousand year-old Roman statue (now on display in the Vatican Museum), Fuchs’ contorted 20th century painting and, now, a limited edition Les Paul.

As with the previous models in the Custom Art range, it comes with a “marquee back plate”, which lists the name of the artist and artwork, Korin Fought’s scroll-like rear headstock design and a rock-solid Epiphone Protector hardcase. 

Again, the specs of the Epiphone Adam Jones Silverburst Les Paul Custom remain unchanged, so there’s a mahogany body, maple cap, three-piece maple neck (crafted to emulate Jones’ custom profile) and an ebony fretboard. 

Pickup-wise, it’s loaded with a reverse-mounted Epiphone ProBucker at the neck and a Seymour Duncan Distortion in the bridge position. 

Finally, we’re thrilled that you can plug a Fuchs Les Paul into a Fuchs amp. 

Like the other models – including the Veil of Bees, Berserker, Study for Self-Portrait with Rose Skirt and a Mouse, Self-Portrait as Not Dead Yet and Sensation Les Pauls – the Anti-Laokoon 1965 by Ernst Fuchs Silverburst Les Paul Custom is limited to a run of just 800 guitars and retails for $1,299. 

Head to Epiphone for more information.

Epiphone has unveiled the fifth addition to Adam Jones’ ongoing assortment of Les Paul Custom Art Collection signature guitars.

A brief recap for those unfamiliar with the lineup: the Art Collection of highly limited electric guitars first arrived back in December 2022, with Epiphone finally partnering with the Tool maestro to release an affordable take on his Silverburst Les Paul.

There was a collectible twist, though – there would be seven limited-edition versions of the Epi, each of which would flash a piece of artwork selected by Jones himself. Only 800 of each model would be made.

First, there was “The Veil of Bees” model, which was closely followed by “The Berserker”, “Study for Self-Portrait with Rose Skirt and a Mouse” and “Self-Portrait as Not Dead Yet” iterations.

As such, the antepenultimate axe boasts a rear body artwork designed by artist Korin Faught – who is also Jones’ wife – which takes inspiration from mid-century modern design, fashion and white-on-white styles.

Notably, it’s also an image that recreates Faught’s original “Sensation” piece, which debuted as part of the Lost Days’ Exhibition back in October 2016.

In her own words, Faught said the Sensation LP is “about the loneliness and isolation of illness”. “‘Sensation’ is a word to replace a fear based word,” Faught continued. “A word she learned while preparing for childbirth. A word she could retreat into when lying in bed with only herself and her thoughts. Gentle meditative properties and calmness resonate through her body as she lives within the moment.”

Aside from the eye-catching artwork, the Sensation Silverburst Les Paul carries all the hallmarks of a regular Adam Jones signature LP, which is widely considered one of the best Epi single-cuts on the market.

That means there’s an Antique Silverburst-finished mahogany body with a maple cap – bound, no less – as well as an Adam Jones Custom profile three-piece maple neck and block-inlaid ebony fingerboard that boasts 22 medium jumbo frets and a 12” radius.

In the electronics department, a reverse-mounted Epiphone ProBucker Custom neck pickup lines up alongside a bridge Seymour Duncan Distortion, both of which are situated next to an Epiphone LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge and Stop Bar tailpiece.

Finishing touches include a Graph Tech nut, vintage-style tuners, PosiLock strap buttons and a rear headstock design.

The price is also the same: the Sensation LP weighs in at $1,299.

Head over to Epiphone to find out more.

The fourth entry in Adam Jones’ Epiphone Les Paul Custom Art Collection has arrived, and with it another new piece of art on the rear of the acclaimed signature guitar.

Before we dive in, a quick recap: back in December, the Tool guitarist finally launched his affordable Epiphone model, but it came with a twist: seven unique guitars would be produced, each featuring a piece of artwork chosen by Jones. Just 800 of each guitar would be produced.

Now, the fourth entry in the lineup has arrived, showcasing Julie Heffernan’s “Self-Portrait as Not Dead Yet”, with its subject surrounded by flowers, peacock feathers and dead rabbits.

The design follows the similarly gothic “Study for Self-Portrait with Rose Skirt and a Mouse”, also by Julie Heffernan, which launched in April.

Now, we’re no art critics, but we can tell you that The New Yorker once described Heffernan’s works as “ironic rococo surrealism with a social-satirical twist”. And we have no reason to disagree.

While the aesthetics have been refreshed, the spec sheet remains the same – something that will be of great relief to Jones fans seeking to capture his gritty prog-metal attack.

The guitar features an Antique Silverburst-finished bound mahogany body with maple cap, while the three-piece bound maple neck boasts an Adam Jones Custom profile. Meanwhile, you’ll find 22 medium frets, a Graph Tech nut and a 12” radius on the block-inlaid ebony fretboard, which is at the Les Paul regulation 24.75” scale.

Pickup-wise, there’s a reverse-mounted Epiphone ProBucker Custom neck unit, while a Seymour Duncan Distortion offers the high-output swagger for those drop-D riffs.

Finally, there’s an Epiphone LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge and Stop Bar tailpiece, vintage-style chrome tuners and PosiLock strap buttons.

Additional aesthetic flair comes via a commemorative control cavity cover and rear headstock design.

Once again, the price tag is a cool $1,299, which includes a Protector hardshell case. And just 800 of the guitars will be produced.

Whatever you make of the artwork, you’d be advised not to miss out on the model – in our review of “The Berserker” incarnation of Jones’ signature guitar, we were bowled over by the quality.

“All in all, to say we’re impressed would be an understatement,” said GW’s Amit Sharma. “Aesthetically and tonally, this could easily be the finest Les Paul ever produced by Epiphone.”

Previous entries in the Art Collection include “Mark Ryden’s The Veil of Bees” and “The Berserker” by Frank Frazetta.

The Adam Jones Les Paul Custom Art Collection featuring Julie Heffernan’s “Self-Portrait as Not Dead Yet” is available now for $1,299.

For more info, hit up Epiphone.

Chances are, if you got a message from Tool guitarist Adam Jones inviting you to get up and play with them in front of 20,000 people, it wouldn’t take very long for the word ‘Yes’ to come out of your mouth.

And then, a few seconds or maybe even minutes later, you might realize you’ve potentially set yourself up for a most spectacular failure – unless of course you make sure to do your homework. It’s the kind of the opportunity that screams for intense and watertight preparation.

That’s exactly what happened to Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner, who guested on the song Jambi with the progressive metal titans at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on January 29, 2020.

The second track from Tool’s 10,000 Days album packs all kinds of creative twists and turns in its sprawling seven-and-a-half minutes – enough to throw even a well-drilled diehard or seasoned veteran off-course.

As well as incorporating Jones’ trademark pull-through technique, where he pulls off from a fretted note to his open low D string and allows his left hand to quickly ring out the adjacent open A string, there are some head-twisting polyrhythms that start appearing from the third verse, roughly two minutes in.

Look at the charts to any number of Tool songs, Jambi included, and it should be easy enough to see why they’re often labeled math-metal...

Speaking to Guitar World three-and-a-half years after that historic moment, the Judas Priest guitarist looks back on the experience fondly and describes Tool as a band with the utmost integrity. “It was pretty daunting... let’s just say it wasn’t like jamming some AC/DC,” he laughs, talking to us from his home studio close to Nashville. 

“What happened was I got a phone call from Cesar Gueikian at Gibson [then CMO, appointed to Brand President in 2021 and recently promoted to Interim CEO]. He knew Adam, but I didn’t at the time. And he basically told me that Adam was a big fan of my playing, amazingly, and asked if I would be up for getting up to jam through Jambi with them when they next came through. 

“I said, ‘Of course, I’d be honored!’ without really thinking. I put the phone down and then it dawned on me, like, ‘Hold on a minute, what have I done?!’ I knew the song but didn’t know it well enough to get up in front of 20,000 people [laughs].”

Faulkner spent the next week or so religiously learning the track from the confines of his home studio, rehearsing its various cues and changes so that he could keep up with Jones and his cohorts, as well as add his own icing on the cake as a lead guitarist.

And while he jokes that some of these practice sessions saw him “almost throw up because of how technical the song is”, on the evening of January 29 that year, he brought another level of pentatonic shred to the Tool masterpiece. At one point, the two guitarists even harmonize with each other, adding new layers to the dramatic octave bends heard on the original recording’s lead section.

“Adam was so gracious,” smiles Faulkner. “I only had to play half the song and I still messed it up at one point. After the set, I told him I thought I’d made a fuck up and he said, ‘Oh no, I think that was me!’ He was just being nice. Of course it was me that messed it up [laughs]. They were great to play and hang out with. That production and the way they connect with their fans is unreal...

“You can’t film their shows until the very end, there’s a rule about not getting your phones out until they allow you to. And everyone abides! No-one abuses that rule. They want their shows to be special and not just passed over the internet. It’s about the fans and the band building on this very special moment together.”

As well as the once-in-a-lifetime chance of joining Jones and the progressive metal masterminds in front of an arena crowd – which, let’s not forget, Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett has done on two occasions – Faulkner also struck up an ongoing friendship with the fellow Les Paul devotee and Gibson signature artist. Who knows, maybe we might even see him pop up in Nashville with Tool again.

“Adam’s great – I just spoke to him last week,” adds Faulkner. “He’s become a good buddy of mine. He’s a great artist and awesome to bounce ideas with, always happy to share advice. I’ve got a lot of time for him!”

Late last year, Adam Jones’ long-awaited Epiphone Les Paul Custom signature guitar finally arrived, though did so with an eyebrow-raising twist.

The initial Silverburst beauty was revealed to be one of seven in a series of limited-edition Epiphone Art Collection guitars, each of which will be limited to just 800 units apiece.

The artworks adorning the rear of the instruments were selected by the Tool maestro himself, with the first flashing an intricate “Veil of Bees” motif. The second, dubbed “The Berserker”, was even more eye-catching.

Now, the third Adam Jones Art Collection guitar has been unveiled – “Study for Self-Portrait with Rose Skirt and a Mouse”, which features artwork by Julie Heffernan.

Admittedly, that doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue quite like the previous Epiphone efforts. Stylistically, the baroque-flavored Heffernan model is the complete visual and thematic opposite of The Berserker, trading the fiery depiction of a sword-wielding warrior for something far more calming and peaceful.

Aesthetically speaking, it’s more aligned with the original Veil of Bees model, which boasted artwork composed by Mark Ryden.

As is always the case with Jones’ Art Collection models, the unique artwork on the back of the body is the only thing that separates “Self-Portrait” from its six-string siblings.

To recap its spec sheet, the Epiphone Les Paul Custom features a bound mahogany body with a maple cap, which is joined by an Adam Jones Custom-profile, three-piece bound maple neck. The block-inlaid ebony fretboard, meanwhile, offers 22 medium frets, a GraphTech nut and a 12” radius.

The 24.75”-scale LP also recruits a classic hardware combo comprising an Epiphone LockTone Tune-O-Matic and LockTone Stop Bar tailpiece, with vintage-style chrome tuners also making the cut.

In terms of tone, a reverse-mounted Epiphone ProBucker Custom neck pickup lines up alongside a Seymour Duncan Distortion bridge humbucker, and both are at the mercy of an orthodox Les Paul control layout.

Other notable Jones-specific specs include PosiLock strap buttons and a commemorative control cavity cover that features the name of the artwork and the artist.

Once again, the Self-Portrait model is available for $1,299.

We recently gave the Berzerker model a full 5 out of 5 review, concluding, “Aesthetically and tonally, this could easily be the finest Les Paul ever produced by Epiphone”.

Head over to Epiphone for more information.

Given his background in visual arts, with credits for the makeup and special effects on blockbuster films like Jurassic Park, Batman Returns and Terminator 2: Judgement Day long before guitar stardom beckoned in Tool, the recent batch of Adam Jones signature guitars under a new partnership with Gibson were never going to be run-of-the-mill. 

In 2020, the American brand unveiled its top-end Custom Shop recreation of his prized 1979 Les Paul Custom, which came with a headstock mirror and personalised graphic – 79 of which were aged by the Murphy Lab before being signed and numbered by the guitarist himself. 

Last year’s Standard model featured a similar graphic and personalised truss rod cover, though interestingly it’s the more affordable interpretations under Epiphone that seem to house more in terms of features – with a choice of seven curated artworks across the back of the body, each variation limited to 800 units worldwide.

This second instalment in the Adam Jones Art Collection details Frank Frazetta painting The Berserker in all its glory and stands as one of the most unbelievably eye-popping designs ever to be manufactured by the Gibson budget brand.

The piece had been created by the American fantasy artist in 1968 for the cover of paperback novel Conan The Conqueror and Jones is one of many high-profile fans – the original painting currently owned by none other than Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett.

There’s also additional artwork by artist Korin Faught on the back of the headstock, PosiLock strap buttons as per Customs of this era and a Protector hardshell case that harks back to the Gibson chainsaws of yesteryear. 

Perhaps it’s the pickups that are the biggest talking point here: a reverse-mounted humbucker in the neck just like the guitarist’s 1979 original, a move which Jones revealed had been inspired by Melvins frontman Buzz Osborne “for a different polarity and sound”, and a passive ceramic-powered Seymour Duncan Distortion in the bridge which packs a whopping 16.6k DC resistance.

Given that the Gibson Standard version retails for over twice as much and doesn’t come with his bridge pickup of choice, its inclusion on the Epiphone model is certainly a big talking point.

The excitement doesn’t end there either, much like the guitar that has almost singlehandedly soundtracked Jones’ career, these reissues feature a three-piece maple neck with a Norlin-era volute. 

At 9.9lbs this review model isn’t exactly lightweight, though it rightfully sits closer to the notoriously heavy 200 or so limited-run Silverbursts produced between 1978 and 1982.

Of course, none of this means anything if the guitar doesn’t feel, play or respond particularly well and in this case we have to say we’re huge fans of what the headline-stealing collaboration has yielded. Even before being plugged in, our sample rings loud and proud, with brightness and definition in abundance from the pairing of a maple neck with an ebony fingerboard.

Once amped up, these vibrations are articulated very well indeed, with the neck pickup’s warmth providing a well-matched contrast to the high-power snarl of the Duncan Distortion in the bridge – which, by the way, replicates the brain-simmering sounds of Ticks & Leeches, Jambi and Pneuma to a tee, as well as handling the less metallic tones from the quartet’s early years.

And that’s not all – though it undoubtedly lives up to its Berserker graphic in terms of firepower, this is a guitar that can cover a lot of ground well, from punchy cleans that could work in just about any jazz or pop context to earthy blues and beyond. Bearing in mind that Tool use clean sounds from time to time, perhaps most notably on tracks like Lateralus, Culling Voices and Right In Two, it makes perfect sense that these kinds of areas haven’t been overlooked. 

As for playability, the custom Rounded C neck profile sits on the thicker side but still feels easy to get to grips with whether you’re playing riffs down below or leads up top – and in any case, makes you feel like you’re holding a real deal vintage Silverburst.

When compared to our late-’60s Gibson Les Paul Custom, there’s an unmistakable snappiness to this Jones signature, most likely from maple being used for the neck instead of mahogany and the boosted treble frequencies courtesy of the bridge pickup. 

All in all, to say we’re impressed would be an understatement. Aesthetically and tonally, this could easily be the finest Les Paul ever produced by Epiphone.

Specs

• PRICE: $1,299 / £1,149
• ORIGIN: China
• BODY: Mahogany with a maple top
• NECK: Three-piece bound maple with volute
• SCALE: 628mm (24.75”)
• FINGERBOARD: Ebony
• FRETS: 22
• PICKUPS: Reverse-mounted Epiphone Probucker Custom (neck) and Seymour Duncan Distortion (bridge)
• CONTROLS: Individual pickup volume and tone controls, 3-way toggle pickup selector switch, CTS Potentiometers, Orange Drop Capacitors
• HARDWARE: Epiphone LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge, Vintage-style Chrome tuners, PosiLock strap buttons
• FINISH: Antique Silverburst
• CONTACT: Epiphone

Last December, the much-anticipated, long-teased Epiphone Adam Jones Les Paul Custom finally arrived, though not quite in the form we were anticipating.

Epiphone partnered with the Tool electric guitar player to create the Adam Jones Art Collection, a series of seven limited-edition Epiphone Les Pauls – limited to 800 units apiece – that each boast a different piece of fine art, selected by Jones. 

December saw the release of the first model in the collection, “The Veil of Bees" model. Now, Epiphone has unveiled the collection's second six-string, “The Berserker.”

“The Berserker” is so named for the piece of Frank Frazetta artwork that adorns the back of its body. Like its predecessor in the Art Collection – and all of its future siblings in the line – the guitar also sports a special design by artist Korin Faught at the back of the headstock, and a special back plate commemorating the artwork and the artist. 

Artwork aside, “The Berserker” is spec'd just like the first Epi Jones Les Paul, with a mahogany body, a maple top with seven-ply binding, and five-ply binding on the back and the headstock.

There's also an Adam Jones Custom Profile three-piece bound maple neck that sports a 24.75", 12" radius ebony fretboard with 22 medium frets, block inlays and a Graph Tech nut.

Sonically, the Les Paul is armed with a reverse-mounted Epiphone ProBucker Custom humbucker at the neck and a Seymour Duncan Distortion unit at the bridge. Controls, meanwhile, come in the form of two volume and two tone knobs and a three-way toggle pickup switch, with CTS Potentiometers and Orange Drop Capacitors highlighting the circuitry.

An Epiphone LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge with an Epiphone LockTone Stop Bar tailpiece, a two-way adjustable truss rod, and vintage-style chrome tuning machines, in turn, round out the six-string's spec sheet.

The Epiphone Adam Jones "The Berserker" Art Collection Les Paul is available now – in, of course, an Antique Silverburst finish, and with a Protector hardshell case included – for $1,299.

For more info on the guitar, visit Epiphone.

The Gibson Custom Shop’s recent painstakingly detailed reproduction of Peter Green’s 1959 Les Paul ‘Burst was so exclusive that it was limited to 50 pieces and the brand never revealed the asking price. Now Tool’s Adam Jones has revealed he’s added one of the reissues to his personal collection as “the ultimate birthday gift” to himself.

Writing on Instagram, Jones said, “Behold! - the “Greeny” 1959 Les Paul Standard – limited to 50 units⁣. An Ultimate birthday gift that I got for myself…”

Jones is clearly impressed with the Gibson Custom Shop’s work on this particular model – and he has had extensive experience with the workshop already, having collaborated closely on the high-end reissues of his own 1979 Les Paul Custom signature guitar. That model retailed for as much as $9,999 and was limited to only 79 units.

“The production and craftsmanship [on the Greeny] is superb,” comments Jones. “I’m so happy to own one of these historic guitars⁣. Gibson describes it as an ‘exacting replica’ of one of music’s most iconic Les Pauls. Greeny, now owned by @kirkhammett, was once owned by Peter Green, then Gary Moore. According to Gibson, Hammett was very involved in the prototyping process to ‘ensure every detail was faithful to the original.’”

Jones does not reveal how much he paid for the replica, but rumor has it Gibson’s initial asking price for the guitars was in the region of $50,000 – though (despite our own efforts) this figure has never been confirmed by the manufacturer.

While most buyers of the Greeny replica have remained anonymous, or at least undisclosed, Jones can now claim to share something in common with Hollywood star Jason Momoa, who confirmed last month that he’d secured “the last available” Greeny.

More than two years ago, Gibson kicked off its long-in-the-cards partnership with Tool electric guitar player Adam Jones with the release of the immaculately-spec'd Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom.

Though that high-end model – which was followed earlier this year by a less expensive Gibson Les Paul Standard counterpart – grabbed most of the headlines, in the small print of the announcement was the potential of an Epiphone version of the Silverburst signature guitar.

There have been teases galore, with plenty of speculation abounding about what form the Epiphone Adam Jones Les Paul would take all the way. 

Now though, the highly anticipated model has finally been revealed... though not quite in the form that we expected.

The curtains have been pulled back to reveal what Epiphone is calling the Adam Jones Art Collection, a series of seven limited-edition Epiphone Les Pauls – limited to 800 units apiece – that each boast a different piece of fine art, selected by Jones. 

The first of these models, revealed today, is “The Veil of Bees" model, with eye-catching artwork by Mark Ryden.

From the front, the model looks pretty much like what you'd expect the Epiphone Jones Les Paul Custom (and it is, as we predicted, a Custom, not a Standard) to look like. Ryden's somewhat-unsettling artwork, though, dominates the back of the guitar's body, with a special back plate commemorating the artist and the name of the work.

The guitar also features a special design by artist Korin Faught at the back of the headstock, which – according to Epiphone – will also appear on all subsequent Adam Jones Art Collection models.

“When I think of art, I see both the visual and the aural as equally important, with one bolstering the other,” Jones said of the collection in a statement. In regards to Ryden, the guitarist added, “Mark’s work is instantly recognizable, uniquely his own. While he started in fine art, he has expanded into music and theatrical productions. What a perfect partner to kick off this series with.”

But what about those specs? Well, for starters, the guitar sports a mahogany body and a maple top, with seven-ply binding. The back and the headstock, meanwhile, feature five-ply binding.

The Adam Jones Custom Profile three-piece bound maple neck, in turn, features a 24.75", 12" radius ebony fretboard with 22 medium frets, block inlays and a Graph Tech nut.

At the neck of the guitar sits a reverse-mounted Epiphone ProBucker Custom humbucker, while the bridge features – as we hypothesized some months ago – a Seymour Duncan Distortion unit. The model also features two volume and two tone knobs, and a three-way toggle pickup switch, with CTS Potentiometers and Orange Drop Capacitors highlighting the circuitry.

As far as hardware goes, there's an Epiphone LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge with an Epiphone LockTone Stop Bar tailpiece, a two-way adjustable truss rod, and vintage-style chrome tuning machines.

The Epiphone Adam Jones "The Veil of Bees" Les Paul Custom guitar is available now – finished, of course, in Antique Silverburst, and with a Protector Series hardshell case sporting a polyethylene shell, TSA-approved locks, soft-grip handles, and black powder-coated hardware, included – for $1,299.

Four other artists – Frank Frazetta, Julie Heffernan, Korin Faught, and Ernst Fuchs – will be featured in the subsequent Art Collection models.

For more on the guitar, visit Epiphone.

Earlier this year, when nine-year-old Maya Neelakantan covered Tool’s 16-minute epic, 7empest, it caught – along with the attention of thousands of viewers – the gaze of the band’s guitarist Adam Jones, who was so impressed he sent the young player his signature Gibson guitar, the Adam Jones Les Paul Standard.

Neelakantan was understandably buzzing at receiving the gift at the time – describing the day she opened it as “the biggest day of my life” – so it’s not at all surprising that she’s putting the gloriously appointed – and in this case, prestigious – six-string to good use.

In a new video posted to Neelakantan’s YouTube page, the wunderkind has compiled a medley of 15 clean parts from a variety of songs from Tool’s sprawling catalog. Safe to say, the Adam Jones Les Paul Standard is in good hands.

Opening with Intension, from the band’s 2006 album 10,000 Days, Neelakantan goes on to tackle the likes of Lateralus (2001), Vicarious (2006), Descending (2019), Third Eye (1996) and a host more. Of course, she also plays a snippet of 7empest, which she absolutely nailed in full back in June.

“I have put together 15 Tool songs and made [them] into one big song!” Neelakantan writes on YouTube. “It took a lot of time and process to come up with this and I am very happy with the final result.

“First, I started thinking about all the cool clean sections played by Adam Jones. When I am playing some parts, my brain starts to connect that to a completely different part in another song. I followed this thought and gradually assembled together what is now a mashup of 15 different Tool songs.

“What I like most is how each song connects nicely to the next one and it’s not random. This is a completely thought-out video and I had such a blast with it. If you are a Tool fan, you will definitely, definitely enjoy this.

She concludes: “I just love everything that Adam Jones does. This video only explored the clean melodies that he created, and I can’t wait to explore everything else even more.”

To see more from Maya Neelakantan, head over to her official YouTube channel.

And if you need a refresher, the Gibson Adam Jones Les Paul Standard launched back in March of this year, as a more affordable alternative to the Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom, which arrived in 2020, with a price tag of at least $5,999, depending on chosen specs.

Priced at $2,999, the Adam Jones Les Paul Standard features a mahogany body with a maple top and nitrocellulose lacquer Antique Silverburst finish, mahogany neck, 22-fret ebony fingerboard, Tune-O-Matic bridge, and Burstbucker 1 and DC high-gain humbucker pickups.

When it comes to Halloween shows, it seems that Phish – with their "musical costume" sets highlighted by performances of full iconic albums by other artists – suck up a lot of the hype.

When Tool took the stage at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Halloween night in 2019, they, of course, had no designs on covering anyone else's album in its entirety. That didn't mean, however, that they weren't interested in having a bit of fun.

Bass guitar maestro Justin Chancellor, for one, took the stage wearing a giant baby head. Gibson Les Paul-wielding electric guitar player Adam Jones, meanwhile, did him a bit better, with an unbelievably accurate Dwight Schrute (a main character, for those unaware, from the American version of The Office) costume. 

As you can hear from the fan-filmed footage of the band playing a thundering, set-closing version of Stinkfist that night, though, the costumes didn't distract the quartet from tearing through a 13-song set that included four tracks from their then recently-released comeback album, Fear Inoculum.

"My attempt to honor #DwightSchrute at our sold out show in Milwaukee on this Halloween eve," Jones wrote on Instagram of the costume back in 2019. "Hope if Rainn Wilson [who portrayed Schrute on the show] sees this post he isn’t too terrified."

As Jones points out in the post, his Schrute half-mask was made by Landon Meier, a Hollywood makeup artist who specializes in terrifyingly close-to-their-subject masks, and whose resume includes work on Jurassic Park, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Ghostbusters II and A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 and 5. 

Playing, of course, one of his Silverburst 1979 Les Paul Custom Gibson signature guitars, Jones makes it look and sound easy, but later admitted that he found it slightly more difficult to nail his parts with the almost Madame Tussauds-esque mask on.

"It was really difficult," Jones said on Instagram, "to play Forty Six & 2 & Stinkfist in this costume 😂🎸🎲."

Earlier this year, nine-year-old Maya Neelakantan became an internet sensation after she posted an epic cover of Tool’s 16-minute opus, 7empest.

It was a cover that attracted the attention of multiple media outlets and thousands of Tool fans, with the original video currently sitting just above a cool 65,000 views. 7empest is a tricky beast to tackle for even seasoned guitar players, so it's no surprise the internet went a bit crazy when the nine-year-old nailed it.

Folks on the internet weren't the only ones who went crazy for Neelakantan’s cover, though. As it turns out, Tool guitarist Adam Jones himself saw the performance – along with all the other Tool-themed videos Neelakantan has posted – and was so impressed that he gifted his very own Gibson Les Paul signature guitar to the young six-string sensation.

“Something incredible happened today, you won’t believe it: Adam Jones sent me a gift,” Neelakantan says in a new video posted to YouTube, in which she unboxes the recently released Adam Jones Les Paul Standard. “This is the biggest day of my life.”

In the video’s description, Neelakantan writes, “A few days ago I got a huge parcel, I opened it up and inside was a Gibson hard case, and when I opened that up there was this beautiful shiny Silverburst Adam Jones signature guitar.

“Mr. Adam Jones himself and Mr. Cesar [Gueikian, Gibson's Brand President] sent me this special guitar as a gift,” she continues. “This is a huge and unbelievable moment for me. Not only did he send this to me, he also signed it at the back [and] wrote, ‘To Maya,’ on it – and also did a beautiful skull/spiral artwork on it.”

In the 14-minute video, Neelakantan puts the uber-shiny six-string through a rigorous tone demo, exploring the clean and overdriven tones that the Burstbucker 1 and DC High-Gain humbuckers are capable of.

The enthusiastic aspiring guitarist made it clear that the $2,999 signature model is a significant upgrade on her existing Epiphone Les Paul Modern – which she used in the original cover video – saying it has a better “feel” to it.

“I’ve always wondered what’s the difference between an expensive guitar and a normal guitar,” she observes. “Now I know it gives more of a feeling to it – it just sounds better. I can tell a very, very big difference between my other guitar and this.”

She continues: “This is truly a very special moment in my life, and I will never ever ever forget it. I really want to thank Mr. Adam Jones and Mr. Cesar for being so kind, loving, encouraging and supportive and for doing such a generous gesture of sending me this guitar all the way from another country to my house.”

Now that Neelakantan has her hands on the real deal, we imagine we’ll be seeing even more Tool covers from the budding guitarist in the near future.

To watch them as they come out, head over to Maya Neelakantan’s YouTube channel.

All the way back in January, Tool electric guitar player Adam Jones raised eyebrows when he used a mysterious Gibson Flying V with a split headstock onstage at the band's tour opener at the Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.

With the launch of the Gibson USA version of Jones' signature Les Paul Standard in March, and the continuous teases of his seemingly imminent signature Epiphone Les Paul Custom, though, you'd be forgiven for letting the V slip your mind in the face of the Tool guitarist's other recent Gibson activity.

Recently though, Jones took to Instagram to give viewers a closer look at what he calls "the most BAMF Flying V ever" (we'll let you Google what that stands for if you don't know already), a gorgeous custom guitar that apparently was designed with assistance from Kirk Hammett, Richie Faulkner and Jim Root.

"This is now one of my top favorite guitars of all time," Jones says in the video's caption, "A stellar Custom Vintage Aged reverse Silverburst Gibson Flying V with a beautiful Murphy Lab finish. My dream guitar made true by my good friend Cesar Gueikian – thank you amigo!"

"I always loved the 1958 Futura headstock & [asked] if [the] Gibson team would be willing to pull it out of retirement. I believe it’s one of the heaviest Flying V‘s Gibson has ever made to date.

"The overall tone – lows/mids/highs – are amazing," the Tool six-stringer continued, "and the heavy body weight also helps me control feedback and sustain just like my vintage LPCs [Les Paul Customs]. I played this epic instrument on stage during the last 2022 Tool tour and it sounds and performs killer!"

The guitar, Jones revealed, is one of only three of its kind. Jones owns numbers 1 and 3, and Gibson's Cesar Gueikian owns number 2.

Furthermore, Jones rounded out the post by thanking Kirk Hammett, Richie Faulkner and Jim Root, among others, for "help/input/support and consulting." Custom Vs do take a village...

Jones' relationship with the Gibson Custom Shop hasn't just resulted in Les Pauls and Vs of late, either. Earlier this year, the firm made a one-off double-neck Silverburst EDS-1275 model for him as a gift.

What was the greatest guitar solo of the eighties? How about the best guitar riff? The ultimate guitar album? The decade’s most underappreciated player? Was Back to School better than Back to the Future? (At least one GW editor screams yes!) Did A Flock of Seagulls’ Mike Score really have a more bitchin’ hairstyle than Steve Stevens?

Well, whether you remember or not, we at GW have already opined on at least some of these burning issues – probably even more than once (and it all started with the February 1990 issue). 

Hey, we’ve been around for 42 years! This time, however, we decided to open things up to a host of guitar stars (plus a few GW editors), some of whom were already doing their thing 35 years ago, and some who weren’t even born yet.

We asked them to answer these 10 questions about the eighties – and to elaborate whenever they deemed it necessary:

1. Greatest guitar solo
2. Best riff
3. Ultimate guitar album
4. Piece of gear that screams “Eighties”
5. Guitarist of the decade
6. Greatest shredder
7. Underappreciated hero
8. Best movie
9. Greatest hairstyle
10. Ultimate Eighties accessory

Check out their answers below. Enjoy!

Guitar World covers of the 80s...

Vernon Reid (Living Colour)

• SOLO: Devil Take the Hindmost by Allan Holdsworth. Insane fluidity like [Eric] Dolphy, ’Trane and a space alien all at one go. 
• RIFF: Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses. That riff is basic, but it feels elemental. It’s like the guitar played itself and Slash just channeled it. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Discipline by King Crimson. It’s incredible that two guitarists with radically opposite approaches made such a beautifully subtle and colorful album. A total reinvention of Crimson. Adrian Belew and Robert Fripp basically made the rock equivalent of a David Lynch film. 
• GEAR: ADA MP-1 preamp into a VHT power amp.
• MOVIE: Aliens 
• HAIRSTYLE: Mike Score of A Flock of Seagulls 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Allan Holdsworth. Every other metal or rock guitarist had to deal with the fact that Allan fundamentally shifted the game.
• SHREDDER: Steve Vai, the mad, mercurial scientist. His openness and extraordinary range, not to mention insane chops. From David Lee Roth to Public Image Ltd., remarkable. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Greg Howe was amazing then and is phenomenal now. His evolution from metal to fusion – with stops at bebop along the way – is incredible. Why is he consistently underappreciated? You tell me, or go ask Kermit the Frog. 
• ACCESSORY: A fanny pack. Never be caught dead with one.

John Petrucci (Dream Theater)

• SOLO: My favorite band is Rush, so I think of the solo in YYZ. Not only do I love Rush and Alex [Lifeson], and that’s an instrumental, but the solo he did just became very influential to me. It has a kinda exotic sound; he’s using open strings and pull-offs, and it just has this nice slippery, slinky vibe to it. I love the whole vibe. 
• RIFF: Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Scuttle Buttin’. That’s such a sick “Stevie Ray on fire” riff. It’s bringing back memories of me trying to learn these things and being like, “What the hell is he doing!” [Laughs]
• ALBUM: Joe Satriani’s Surfing with the Alien. It just changed things for instrumental guitar music. Not that there weren’t guitar heroes before that, but it ushered in a new type. It’s a great combination of amazing, out-of-this-world playing and incredible songs.
• GEAR: I don’t know if this was made in the Eighties, but to me, the TC Electronic 2290. When I discovered that, I was like, Oh, that’s how you get that sound. [Laughs] That real iconic famous chorusing sound – that was so Eighties in the best of ways. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Yngwie Malmsteen. He blew the doors wide open as far as neo-classical shred guitar goes.
• SHREDDER: Randy Rhoads
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Tom Scholz [of Boston] because of his amazing melodic solos, iconic and unmistakable guitar tone, lush guitar harmonies and orchestrations and incredible songwriting. 
• MOVIE: Purple Rain 
• HAIRSTYLE: The Flock of Seagulls guy always comes to mind. [Laughs] Mike Score had a totally unique Eighties look. 
• ACCESSORY: When I think of myself at that time, hair mousse comes to mind. [Laughs] And the Rockman by Tom Scholz!

Scott Ian (Anthrax)

• SOLO: Mr. Crowley, Randy Rhoads. His 1-2-3 punch of chops, technique and melody make this solo the one that not only stands out above all his other work, but above everyone else’s in the Eighties. And it’s fun to “air guitar” to! 
• RIFF: AC/DC’s Back in Black came out in 1980 and set the tone for the rest of the decade. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Blizzard of Ozz by Ozzy. Randy tops Eddie [Van Halen’s] Women and Children First by a nose hair – and only because he was the new kid and it was all very exciting to hear someone come along A.E. – after Ed – and give us all ear boners. 
• GEAR: The Floyd Rose! Eddie, Randy, Alex, Kirk, Dave, Steve, Joe, Neil, Kerry, Jeff, Vernon, me! etc., etc. They’re all first-name basis guitar players who used Floyd’s – and this is only the tip of the iceberg.
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Randy Rhoads 
• SHREDDER: Steve Vai 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Ty Tabor of King’s X. Ty’s playing on their two Eighties albums is wholly original. His tone is incredible, his feel, his sense of melody. He’s a monster. You need to listen to King’s X. 
• MOVIE: Raging Bull 
• HAIRSTYLE: Mike Score of A Flock of Seagulls 
• ACCESSORY: My Walkman Sport

Steve Stevens (Billy Idol)

• SOLO: Owner of a Lonely Heart by Yes (Trevor Rabin) 
• RIFF: Beat It by Michael Jackson (Steve Lukather) 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Van Halen’s 1984 
• GEAR: Scholz Rockman 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Joe Satriani 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Adrian Belew. A complete original. The only guitarist I’ve seen live and couldn’t figure out how the hell he got such sounds out of the instrument. He also emits complete joy when he performs. 
• MOVIE: Blade Runner 
• HAIRSTYLE: Me [Visual aid, top right...] 
• ACCESSORY: Sony Walkman 

Adam Jones (Tool)

• SOLO: Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train (Randy Rhoads) 
• RIFF: Ratt’s Lay It Down – drop D! 
• GUITAR ALBUM: David Bowie’s Scary Monsters 
• GEAR: ADA MP-1 preamp with a Roland AX-7 Keytar 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen
• OVERLOOKED HERO: [Gang of Four’s] Andy Gill. [He had a] huge influence on me. His style was so passionate and raw, very unique at the time. When I mention him, most people say, “Who?” 
• MOVIE: Blade Runner 
• HAIRSTYLE: Any member of Kajagoogoo
• ACCESSORY: Sony Walkman 

Eric Peterson (Testament)

• SOLO: Hook in Mouth by Megadeth 
• RIFF: Wrathchild by Iron Maiden and A Dangerous Meeting by Mercyful Fate 
• ALBUM: Rising Force by Yngwie Malmsteem
• GEAR: Parametric equalizer by Furman 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Dave Meniketti [Y&T] – amazing chops and killer tone. Never seen him in the limelight. 
• MOVIE: Legend 
• HAIRSTYLE: David Lee Roth 
• ACCESSORY: My case of cassettes. Still have it!

Eric Johnson

• SOLO: The Pump by Jeff Beck 
• RIFF: Satch Boogie by Joe Satriani 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Reckless by Bryan Adams 
• GEAR: Tube Screamer 808 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Allan Holdsworth 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Andy Summers. He writes great orchestrated parts that fit the songs and embellish their integrity. 
• MOVIE: On Golden Pond 
• HAIRSTYLE: Mike Score from A Flock of Seagulls 
• ACCESSORY: B.K. Butler Tube Driver

Gretchen Menn

• SOLO: I have to honor the first one that made my ears perk up: Nuno Bettencourt’s solo on [Extreme’s] Play with Me. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Joe Satriani’s Surfing with the Alien 
• GEAR: [Laughs] Maybe too much chorus, but the exact pedal? I couldn’t tell you... 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen. He was there at the beginning of the decade and changed the electric guitar in such a profound way for so many guitarists. 
• SHREDDER: I don’t think I could choose one, as there are so many different flavors of amazing. The whole decade is an abundance of shred riches. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Warren DeMartini. I feel like those who know really know, but he’s just a monster player. He garners plenty of admiration and respect among musicians, but I don’t know if he truly gets recognized on a larger scale the way he deserves. 
• MOVIE: The Shining and, of course, This Is Spinal Tap. 
• HAIRSTYLE: I think they all did! [Laughs]

Ross The Boss (Manowar)

• SOLO: Mr. Crowley by Ozzy Osbourne (Randy Rhoads) 
• RIFF: Zero the Hero by Black Sabbath (Tony Iommi) 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Texas Flood by Stevie Ray Vaughan 
• GEAR: Marshall JCM800 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Stevie Ray Vaughan 
• SHREDDER: Steve Vai 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Yours truly, Ross the Boss! I made six great records in six years with Manowar. No one has topped that. 
• MOVIE: Conan the Barbarian 
• HAIRSTYLE: Angus Young 
• ACCESSORY: Hair spray

Paul Riario (Guitar World)

• SOLO: Scorpions’ Rock You Like a Hurricane 
• RIFF: Ratt’s Round and Round
• GUITAR ALBUM: Dokken’s Tooth and Nail. Nearly every hair metal guitarist from the decade most likely studied every solo, lick and riff from this album. 
• GEAR: Marshall JCM800 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Steve Vai combined all the elements of technique and flash that nearly every guitarist wanted to emulate. 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen changed the course of neo-classical shred guitar in speed and technique that still resonates today. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Neil Giraldo is one of the most consistently tasteful guitarists who incorporated speed, restraint and clever phrasing in the most memorable way for not only Pat Benatar, but other artists like Rick Springfield (Hello? Jessie’s Girl). 
• MOVIE: The Breakfast Club 
• HAIRSTYLE: Billy Idol/Steve Stevens – the perfect pairing of Eighties hairstyles in one band. 
• ACCESSORY: Aqua Net hair spray. C’mon now, you couldn’t leave home without it.

Mark Holcomb (Periphery)

• SOLO: Randy Rhoads on Mr. Crowley 
• RIFF: Anything by Metallica – but for me, the main riff in Disposable Heroes. 
• GEAR: Any chorus pedal! 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Randy Rhoads lived in the shadow of EVH and contributed only two studio albums to Ozzy’s legacy, but he brought an academic, classical sensibility to metal that left an imprint on the genre for good. 
• MOVIE: Who Framed Roger Rabbit? 
• HAIRSTYLE: Anyone in Poison
• ACCESSORY: Hair spray... and maybe a studded armband or two.

Ernie C (Body Count)

• SOLO: S.A.T.O. by Ozzy 
• RIFF: Van Halen’s Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love. It’s fun to play – and people always know what it is. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Ozzy’s Diary of a Madman 
• GEAR: Roland G-707 guitar synthesizer. I actually had one. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: It has to be Eddie Van Halen. Quick story: I wanted a left-handed Eddie Van Halen guitar. When I produced Black Sabbath’s Forbidden, Tony [Iommi] said, if you ever have a chance, go say hi to Eddie. So I made it to a concert and said hi to him.
  He takes my number and calls me – back when we had answering machines – and left a message. “Ernie, it’s Eddie Van Halen. Give me a call.” I had that as my outgoing message for a year. Back to the guitar: Ernie Ball said they didn’t make left-handed ones. I told Eddie and he said, “They made one for John McEnroe – they’re going to make one for you,” and he got me one. So my answer might be kind of biased! 
• SHREDDER: Eddie. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Michael Schenker is really good and doesn’t get all the credit. UFO was great! 
• MOVIE: It’s not necessarily my favorite, but Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo. Ice-T and I are in that. 
• HAIRSTYLE: Slash – the best combination of instrument and hair, hands down. Still is. 
• ACCESSORY: Jim Dunlop Cry Baby

John 5

• SOLO: Beat It. It really is just pure perfection. 
• RIFF: Lay It Down by Ratt 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Rising Force by Yngwie Malmsteen 
• GEAR: My Boss Heavy Metal pedal. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Steve Vai 
• SHREDDER: Paul Gilbert came on the scene with Racer X and changed my life forever. 
• UNAPPRECIATED HERO: Vinnie Moore 
• MOVIE: Crossroads with Ralph Macchio and Steve Vai – one of the best! 
• HAIRSTYLE: My good friend Nikki Sixx had the coolest haircut in the Eighties. 
• ACCESSORY: My record collection. Without it, I wouldn’t be who I am today. 

Ben Phillips (The Pretty Reckless)

• RIFF: Hells Bells by AC/DC, one of the best opening riffs of all time. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Back in Black 
• GEAR: Marshall JCM800 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen 
• UNAPPRECIATED HERO: Is Mark Knopfler underrated? He’s often left out – at least in the U.S. – as one of the greatest. 
• MOVIE: Fast Times at Ridgemont High 
• HAIRSTYLE: Nick Rhodes 
• ACCESSORY: Your Walkman!

Eric Gales

• SOLO: Beat It by Michael Jackson 
• RIFF: Beat It by Michael Jackson! 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Tones by Eric Johnson 
• GEAR: 1959 non-master vintage Marshall stack 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: I don’t know, I got a lot of friends out there – Tony MacAlpine, Yngwie Malmsteen, Eric Johnson, Van Halen, Stevie Ray Vaughan – that’s a difficult question to answer! 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: I think Shuggie Otis might be one of the ones that didn’t get their due. He’s amazing. 
• MOVIE: Beverly Hills Cop 1 and 2 
• HAIRSTYLE: Frank Zappa 
• ACCESSORY: 1959 Marshall stack with a 1954 Strat. Can’t leave home without it! 

Lita Ford

• SOLO: The Ripper by Lita Ford 
• RIFF: Close My Eyes Forever by Lita Ford and Ozzy Osbourne 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Lita by Lita Ford 
• GEAR: B.C. Rich guitars 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Lita Ford – because she is/was a badass “female” guitarist. Not many people could handle that. 
• MOVIE: Arthur 
• HAIRSTYLE: Nikki Sixx 
• ACCESSORY: A guitar! 

Warren DeMartini (Ratt)

• SOLO: Bark at the Moon by Ozzy Osbourne (Jake E. Lee) 
• RIFF: Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N’ Roses 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Blizzard of Ozz by Ozzy Osbourne 
• GEAR: MXR Flanger 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Stevie Ray Vaughan 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen 
• MOVIE: The Blues Brothers 
• HAIRSTYLE: Tommy Lee 
• ACCESSORY: Vitamin B12

Jimmy Brown (Guitar World)

• SOLO: GNR’s Sweet Child O’ Mine 
• RIFF: GNR’s Welcome to the Jungle 
• GUITAR ALBUM: AC/DC, Back in Black 
• GEAR: Marshall JCM800 100-watt tube amp 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Mike Stern. He wrote and played some brilliant music that really epitomized the jazz-rock ethos. But being a jazz musician, his exposure to rock fans and the guitar community at large was inherently limited by the low popularity of jazz in mainstream culture. 
• MOVIE: Bloodsport
• HAIRSTYLE: Billy Idol 
• ACCESSORY: My black leather “fanny pack multi-compartment man purse.” LOL

Mark Tremonti (Alter Bridge)

• SOLO: Jeff Beck’s People Get Ready, a great example of the pure emotion that one of the best players that ever lived is capable of laying down. 
• RIFF: Lay It Down by Ratt. It is just that classic Eighties metal-era iconic riff that everybody’s learned over the years. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Stevie Ray Vaughan, Texas Flood 
• GEAR: The ADA MP-1, a rack-mounted guitar processor. I never got the MP1, but I did have the MP2. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen, hands down. 
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen. He’s the godfather of shred guitar and put that style of playing on the map. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Neal Schon. He played with a lot of class and emotion on those Journey recordings, but a lot of people didn’t realize how talented a player and shredder he was at that time. 
• MOVIE: Crossroads was one of the reasons I wanted to start playing guitar. The “cutting heads” scene is one of the most iconic guitar movie scenes of all time. 
• HAIRSTYLE: Dee Snider
• ACCESSORY: The Rockman Sustainor rack that Tom Scholz created.

Jim Heath (Reverend Horton Heat)

• SOLO: Brian Setzer’s solo in Stray Cats’ Stray Cat Strut changed my life.
• RIFF: Elliot Easton managed to get a ton of great country- and rockabilly-style riffs into the Cars’ new wave songs. The solo in My Best Friend’s Girl is a great example. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Stray Cats’ Built for Speed 
• GEAR: Boss DM-2 analog delay. Some jerk stole mine off of the stage at a gig in Amsterdam. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Brian Setzer... this is getting redundant. 
• SHREDDER: I’m not really that well versed in shredders, but since he’s from Texas and was a friend of mine, I’ll go with Mike Scaccia from Rigor Mortis and Ministry. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Dave Gonzalez of the Paladins and Jimmie Vaughan of the Fabulous Thunderbirds. 
• MOVIE: Elvis ’56 and maybe Something Wild with Ray Liotta. 
• HAIRSTYLE: The guy from Flock of Seagulls? [Laughs] 
• ACCESSORY: For me it was the Fifties-style shirt-jacks... two-tone maxi-style! We also liked the baggy pleated trousers. For me, the Eighties were all about the Fifties. [Laughs]

Nate Garrett (Spirit Adrift)

• SOLO: Glenn Tipton’s solo in Reckless by Judas Priest 
• RIFF: Black Sabbath, Sign of the Southern Cross 
• ALBUM: Megadeth’s Peace Sells... but Who’s Buying? At that point, it was an arms race to see who could write the most impressive riffs and solos, and Megadeth came out on top in my book. 
• GEAR: Les Paul into a Marshall 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen. That’s not even really up for discussion. 
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Glenn Tipton 
• MOVIE: The Thing by John Carpenter 
• ACCESSORY: Denim and leather – like Saxon was preaching about. 

Reb Beach (Winger)

• SOLO: Crying in the Rain by Whitesnake (John Sykes) 
• RIFF: Still of the Night by Whitesnake 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Surfing with the Alien by Joe Satriani 
• GEAR: Tom Sholz Rockman 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Stevie Ray Vaughan 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Andy Timmons. He was in Danger Danger, and no one knew how amazing he was at the time. 
• MOVIE: Silverado 
• HAIRSTYLE: Me! [See below...] 
• ACCESSORY: Boss Super Overdrive

Steve Lukather (Toto)

• SOLO: Where Were You by Jeff Beck 
• RIFF: Beat It by Michael Jackson. It was Michael’s riff. The fact that I played it is irrelevant. Ed gets a big nod for his solo. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Tones by Eric Johnson or Surfing with the Alien by Joe Satriani 
• GEAR: Tri stereo chorus with stereo delay 
• SHREDDER: Hard to pick! Yngwie, Nuno, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani... 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Michael Landau, my best friend since we were 12. Everything he plays is masterful. People need to check out all his solo records. 
• MOVIE: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 
• HAIRSTYLE: Mike Score from A Flock of Seagulls – and my dear pal Steve Stevens. 
• ACCESSORY: Delay was probably something I’ve always used back to the Echoplex days of the Seventies.

Diamond Rowe (Tetrarch)

• SOLO: Metallica’s One or Ozzy Osbourne’s Crazy Train
• RIFF: Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N’ Roses
• GUITAR ALBUM: Metallica’s ...And Justice for All. Guitar riffs galore!
• GEAR: I don’t see how anyone can say anything other than the Marshall JCM head! That was an Eighties tone staple!
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Dave Mustaine or Zakk 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Adrian Smith doesn’t get enough praise for all the amazing melodic guitar work he does (and did) for Iron Maiden. 
• MOVIE: Aliens 
• HAIRSTYLE: I’m going to have to go with all the boys that just let it grow: James Hetfield, Zakk Wylde, Eddie Van Halen, etc. 
• ACCESSORY: The whammy bar!

Max Cavalera (Sepultura, Soulfly)

• SOLO: Pink Floyd Sorrow. David Gilmour recorded that on a boat with a little amp, which makes it even cooler! [Laughs] The Final Cut, A Momentary Lapse of Reason, The Division Bell – I love all those records, and they’re filled with great guitar stuff. 
• RIFF: Motörhead Ace of Spades. It’s just dirty! 
• GUITAR ALBUM: I love Link Wray’s Live in ’85 because it starts with Rumble, and Rumble is from the Fifties, and when he [first released it] it was banned. It was the only instrumental ever banned on the radio because it incited riots. What balls to make an instrumental song that gets banned! 
• GEAR: The B.C. Rich Warlock. It was what I was using, what Slayer was using and I think W.A.S.P. and Lita Ford and a bunch of other people. I think I got it from Lita Ford. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: The Edge from U2 
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen, man. Other guys come close, like Randy Rhoads right behind him, but I have to go with Eddie. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Chuck Schuldiner from Death. Not just for the technical stuff of later years, which was mind-blowing, but the early stuff. Come on, the guy practically invented death metal! [Laughs] 
• MOVIE: Planes, Trains and Automobiles 
• HAIRSTYLE: There’s a lot of mullets flying around. ing around... but I wanted to do some- thing different, so I went with [bassist Jean-Yves] Blacky [Thériault from] Voivod, with the shaved head on one side and long hair. 
• ACCESSORY: For us, touring at that time during Arise, Beneath the Remains and Chaos [A.D.], it was the fanny pack. [Laughs] I was actually thinking about bringing that back. It was cool because you could put everything in it!

Malina Moye

• SOLO: Beat It by Eddie Van Halen or Purple Rain by Prince 
• RIFF: AC/DC’s Back in Black or Zapp’s More Bounce to the Ounce with Roger Troutman. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet or Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction 
• GEAR: A Floyd Rose on a Kramer 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Steve Lukather, Vernon Reid or Wendy Melovin 
• MOVIE: Friday the 13th 
• HAIRSTYLE: Randy Jackson or Buddy Guy with his Jheri curl! 
• ACCESSORY: Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses

Billy Howerdel (A Perfect Circle)

• SOLO: Diary of a Madman by Ozzy Osbourne (Randy Rhoads) 
• RIFF: This Charming Man by the Smiths (Johnny Marr) 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Spring Session M by Missing Persons (Warren Cuccurullo) 
• GEAR: Lexicon 480 L Digital Reverb 
• SHREDDER: Steve Vai 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: The Edge. In a decade filled to the brim with shredding virtuosos, the Edge could transcend the guitar and get right to the heart of the song. He filled space when needed and appropriately and modestly found his lane with taste and class. Always interesting and always thoughtful. 
• MOVIE: The Lost Boys
• HAIRSTYLE: Robert Smith of the Cure 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• ACCESSORY: Condoms

Dean Deleo (Stone Temple Pilots)

• SOLO: The Great Curve by Talking Heads (Adrian Belew) 
• RIFF: It’s No Game, Part 1 by David Bowie (Robert Fripp) 
• GUITAR ALBUM: I.O.U. by Allan Holdsworth 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Elliot Easton 
• SHREDDER: Steve Stevens 
• MOVIE: Pee Wee’s Big Adventure 
• HAIRSTYLE: Mike Score from A Flock of Seagulls 
• ACCESSORY: The CD Walkman

Nili Brosh

• SOLO: Eddie Van Halen’s Beat It solo 
• RIFF: The Final Countdown by Europe. It’s technically a melody rather than a guitar riff, but it’s one of the catchiest that’s synonymous with the Eighties. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Van Halen’s 1984 
• GEAR: The old Tom Scholtz Rockman Sustainor 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Nuno Bettencourt, but I’ve always felt it’s because it was the early Nineties when Extreme hit it big. 
• MOVIE: The Breakfast Club 
• HAIRSTYLE: A Flock of Seagulls 
• ACCESSORY: I was only two when the Eighties ended so it’s a tough one to answer, but I’m guessing a pink hair brush would’ve been my version of it!

Reeves Gabrels

• SOLO: The Boy with the Gun by David Sylvain (David Torn) 
• RIFF: Metal Fatigue by Allan Holdsworth 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Discipline by King Crimson 
• GEAR: Steinberger GL2T TransTrem 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Bill Nelson 
• SHREDDER: Allan Holdsworth 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Eddie Martinez, a New York City player who was omnipresent on terrestrial radio in the Eighties. He could be heard on recordings by Robert Palmer, Blondie, Lou Reed, Lenny White, David Lee Roth, Meat Loaf and countless others. His fresh playing on Run-DMC’s self-titled album (which included Rock Box) presented the blueprint for the rock guitar/rap hybrid that was relentlessly exploited by others into the 2000s. He’s a guitarist’s guitarist, whose riffs you’ve played in your cover band and whose solos you’ve tried to copy but whose name you never took the time to learn. Now’s the time to do your homework and hit “search.” 
• MOVIE: Amadeus 
• ACCESSORY: Pro Co Rat distortion pedal

Steve Morse

• SOLO: Don’t Tell Me You Love Me by Night Ranger (Brad Gillis, Jeff Watson). The harmonies really hit a sweet spot, and the energy is intense. 
• RIFF: Sweet Child O’ Mine by Guns N’ Roses. Slash’s intro is simple and beautiful, and it offered a new approach for rock guitarists. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Tones by Eric Johnson 
• GEAR: A whammy bar guitar. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Randy Rhoads 
• SHREDDER: A five-way tie between Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, Yngwie Malmsteen and Randy Rhoads. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Mick Mars. His rhythm playing and riffs are very musical, and they’re a great place to start learning the art of playing effectively. 
• MOVIE: Mel Brooks’ History of the World, Part I. 
• HAIRSTYLE: Kip Winger. He’s a great musician and writer, but he also had the ultimate look, one that all singers wanted to emulate. 
• ACCESSORY: It’s not an item – it’s practicing the guitar. Everybody was playing so phenomenally well in the Eighties, so you had to be at the top of your game before walking out the door for a gig. The audience really listened to the guitar.

Jake Bowen (Periphery)

• SOLO: Fight Fire with Fire by Metallica 
• RIFF: The first riff of Metallica’s Blackened after the intro 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Master of Puppets by Metallica 
• GEAR: Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Eddie Van Halen 
• MOVIE: Aliens 
• HAIRSTYLE: Did James Hetfield have that awesome mullet in the Eighties?
• ACCESSORY: Don’t leave home without your machine gun bullet belt.

Marty Friedman (solo artist, ex-Megadeth)

• SOLO: Wuthering Heights by Pat Benatar (Neil Giraldo) 
• RIFF: Here It Comes by Ezo 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Crimes of Passion by Pat Benatar. Every solo is totally different, and every song has lots of unique and very effective guitar work. 
• GEAR: Quadraverb 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: It would be impossible to choose one, probably thanks to the high standard set by EVH. 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Steve Lukather. People know how great he is, but many are not aware that his massive body of musical work is so overwhelmingly expansive and diverse that there are literally no rivals as far as I know. 
• MOVIE: The Last American Virgin 
• HAIRSTYLE: The bass player on the first Cinderella album cover. 
• ACCESSORY: Hair

Joel Stroetzel (Killswitch Engage)

• SOLO: Into the Fire by Dokken (George Lynch) 
• RIFF: Opening riff to Lay It Down by Ratt 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Rising Force by Yngwie Malmsteen 
• GEAR: Original Eighties hot pink Ibanez JEM 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Paul Gilbert 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Adrian Vandenburg. Killer vibrato [and] awesome-sounding hands. 
• MOVIE: Purple Rain 
• HAIRSTYLE: Mike Score of A Flock of Seagulls 
• ACCESSORY: Walkman cassette player!

Alex Skolnick (Testament)

• SOLO: Beat It (Eddie Van Halen, Michael Jackson). Not that it was Eddie’s best, but it was darn good. More important is what it represented – a cultural milestone and the radical merging of hard rock guitar and pop via EVH & MJ. 
• RIFF: Back in Black by AC/DC. It was one of the first riffs of the Eighties, and it set the bar extremely high. 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Metal Fatigue by Allan Holdsworth 
• GEAR: Yamaha SPX 90 rack effects unit. If I’m not mistaken, Mike Stern still uses his. 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Joe Satriani. He was completely unknown outside of the SF Bay Area in the early Eighties when I was fortunate enough to have him as a teacher. 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Dann Huff of Giant. Listen to 1989’s Last of the Runaways. 
• MOVIE: Revenge of the Nerds (1984). It’s not my favorite on an artistic level, but it’s one of several mid-Eighties comedies that just helps capture the era. Besides, what other movie has a character named “Skolnick”? 
• HAIRSTYLE: Jennifer Batten. She’s tied with Steve Stevens. Both played for MJ and had the ultimate hair at the time. 
• ACCESSORY: Sony Walkman

Marcos Curiel (P.O.D.)

• SOLO: Iron Maiden’s Powerslave – Dave Murray’s solo at 3:06. 
• RIFF: Metallica’s Seek & Destroy 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Queensryche’s Operation Mindcrime 
• GEAR: ADA MP-1 preamp 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: EVH 
• SHREDDER: EVH 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Vivian Campbell. His work on Dio’s Holy Diver was some of the baddest stuff I heard as a kid. 
• MOVIE: The NeverEnding Story 
• HAIRSTYLE: Robert Smith of the Cure

Dean Back & Tyler Connolly (Theory Of A Deadman)

• SOLO: Ice 9 by Joe Satriani (Tyler), Beat It (Dean) 
• RIFF: Hot for Teacher (Tyler), GNR’s Mr. Brownstone (Dean) 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Surfing with the Alien (Tyler) 
• GEAR: Ibanez JEM 777 (Tyler) 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: EVH 
• SHREDDER: Joe Satriani 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Jeff Healey (Tyler), Mark Knopfler (Dean) 
• MOVIE: The Breakfast Club (Tyler), Top Gun (Dean) 
• HAIRSTYLE: Jennifer Batten or Bruce Dickinson (Tyler), Jon Bon Jovi (Dean)
• ACCESSORY: Ibanez Tube Screamer (Tyler), Sony Sports Walkman (Dean).

Josh Smith (Northlane)

• SOLO: Crying in the Rain by Whitesnake – the one and only John Sykes. 
• RIFF: Slayer’s Raining Blood 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Death, Leprosy 
• GEAR: I own a fluorescent green and black swirled Ibanez with a double locking tremolo. Not a Northlane guitar but as shred as it gets! 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: EVH, duh 
• SHREDDER: Steve Vai. In the Eighties, GW editor Brad Tolinski wrote, “Steve Vai’s guitar wizardry is so profound that in earlier times he would have been burned as a witch.” 
• MOVIE: Top Gun 
• HAIRSTYLE: Jerry Cantrell’s got us all covered with those locks.

Dave Dalone (H.E.A.T)

• SOLO: Kee Marcello’s solo in Superstitious. 
• RIFF: Money for Nothing by Dire Straits 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Hysteria by Def Leppard. It might not be the craziest playing, but it’s damn effective and well executed. 
• GEAR: Anything that goes to 11! How about a Tri Stereo Chorus... preferably mounted in one of those Bradshaw racks, sitting in the trunk of a Firebird, driven by Jean-Claude Van Damme into the L.A. sunset to the sound of Rough Boy by ZZ Top. (Sorry, I got carried away!) 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: EVH 
• SHREDDER: Yngwie Malmsteen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Dann Huff. Giant came along at the end of the cycle, and it seems they were a bit late to the party. But what a great guitar player! 
• MOVIE: Back to the Future 
• ACCESSORY: A Walkman and an attitude.

Bobby Keller

• SOLO: Mr. Crowley by Randy Rhoads 
• RIFF: Master of Puppets by Metallica 
• GEAR: The George Lynch “Tiger Striped” ESP guitar for me. What more could you ask for? 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Eddie Van Halen 
• SHREDDER: Jason Becker 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Jake E. Lee and Vito Bratta don’t get the credit they deserve, even though Vito had maybe a different life scenario happen that prevented him from playing or continuing with White Lion. But Jake just slays. 
• MOVIE: Nightmare on Elm Street movies 
• HAIRSTYLE: Prince 
• ACCESSORY: A Walkman or a boom box. 

Damian Fanelli (Guitar World)

• SOLO: Texas Flood 
• RIFF: Crazy Train 
• GUITAR ALBUM: Texas Flood 
• GEAR: My ol’ EMG active pickups 
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: EVH because of obviousness; Steve Vai because of Crossroads and the Ibanez JEM; SRV because he didn’t get another decade. 
• SHREDDER: Our Mr. Malmsteen 
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: Chris Hayes of Huey Lewis and the News. And while I’m at it: Albert Collins, Jimmie Vaughan, Robert Cray, Brian Setzer and Pete Anderson! 
• MOVIE: Back to School. “Remember – you’re a Melon!” 
• HAIRSTYLE: Kiss guitarist Mark St. John from a 1987 Gibson USA “Artist Signature Series” GW ad that also features Michael Angelo (Batio) and Wayne Charvel. I know there were crazier hairstyles, but Mark St. John’s hair in this ad pretty much leaves me speechless. 
• ACCESSORY: Food.

Adia Victoria

• SOLO: Poison's Nothin' But a Good Time
• RIFF: Metallica's Master of Puppets
• GUITAR ALBUM: Appetite for Destruction by Guns N' Roses
• GEAR: Tommy Lee's flying drum set
• MOVIE: Die Hard
• HAIRSTYLE: David Bowie's mullet
• GUITARIST OF THE DECADE: Prince
• SHREDDER: Slash
• UNDERAPPRECIATED HERO: AC/DC's Malcolm Young. No explanation needed.
• ACCESSORY: Bedazzled jockstrap

Gibson brand president Cesar Gueikian – who has a track record of showcasing upcoming Gibson electric guitars and acoustic guitars on social media – has taken to Instagram to give us our best look yet at Adam Jones’ upcoming Epiphone Les Paul signature guitar.

The guitar in question is a more affordable Epiphone version of the Tool man’s 1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom – which has been released as an exacting Silverburst LP Custom signature in 2020 and adapted as a US production line LP Standard in 2022. 

Gueikian’s Instagram feed, which is fast becoming the go-to source for hot Gibson news, hosted three 15 second videos showing the Epiphone Les Paul Custom in action. Unfortunately, these videos are only available for 24 hours once posted, meaning at the time of writing there are only have 22 hours left before the clips vanish from the internet.

Having said that, it’s the clearest glimpse of the Epiphone signature we’ve ever had, following a range of cosmetically cryptic quick-fire snaps posted to Jones’ social media accounts.

Not only that, the clips also gives us our first playthrough and sonic glimpse of the guitar, which – as per our breakdown of five things to expect from Adam Jones’ signature Epiphone Les Paul – has a true Seymour Duncan in the bridge position.

It’s this pickup that seemingly gets Gueikian’s attention, and that plays host to the Gibson head honcho’s fretboard noodling. 

Other important observations to make are the headstock and fretboard – which both confirm the model to be a custom shop, thanks to the block inlays and split diamond seal – as well as the colorway, which looks to be a perfectly replicated Silverburst finish.

Guitar fans first caught wind that an Epiphone version of Adam Jones’ LP was in the works back in May 2021, when Jones shared a snap of an Epiphone hardcase with the text “Adam Jones 1979”.

Details were few and far between for the next 12 months, but around three weeks ago Jones shared another sneak peek of his Epi, though the video was obscured by a filter that prevented viewers from getting an in-depth look at the six-string.

Gueikian’s close-up is just more evidence to show the guitar’s arrival must be excruciatingly close, and it surely can’t be long before the long-awaited model final arrives in all its glory. If you want to hear a snippet of it, hurry on over to his Instagram account.

Gueikian has been mighty active on social media in recent times. Last week, he used his Instagram stories to tease what many theorized to be the first-ever acoustic Murphy Lab models.

Tool guitarist Adam Jones has been busy teasing fans over the imminent arrival of his much-anticipated Epiphone Les Paul Custom signature guitar this weekend, so what better time to gather up the breadcrumbs and take a look at everything we know so far? Or at least five of those things...

Adam Jones’ 1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom signature – based on his long-favored Silverburst LP – has been phenomenally popular since its arrival in 2020. Its limited edition debut – a granular Custom Shop recreation from the Murphy Lab – quickly sold out, before V2 arrived in November 2021. The mainline Gibson USA Adam Jones Les Paul Standard hit shelves back in March for half the price and has also sold like hot baked goods.

However, with the Custom Shop models' eye-watering price tags – starting at $5,999, with the LP Standard ringing up at $2,999 – an Epiphone variant is very big news. Gibson and Jones are simply going to have to put us all out of our misery soon, Jones first teased the Epiphone model over a year ago...

While we wait for the big reveal, here’s what we’ve gleaned so far from Jones and the guitar giant itself...

1. It is actually a Silverburst

Perhaps an obvious point, but it’s not that unusual to see finish options vary across the price points and brands. We wouldn’t expect a Murphy Lab relic project here as found on the Custom, but even a glossy, non-nitro recreation of the lovely Antique Silverburst found on Jones’ Les Paul Standard would do nicely, thanks. 

Indeed, the recent teaser (see below) and the gloss finishes found on the vast majority of Epiphone’s current artist range suggest that’s likely the case...

2. It has a Seymour Duncan humbucker

Jones’ most recent post about the Epiphone [see above] featured a distorted video of the guitar’s body and a limited glimpse of a neck and Epiphone headstock, alongside the words "It doesn’t get more official than this. Can’t wait!"

However, the words Seymour Duncan can clearly be seen on the bridge pickup, so we know it’s going to feature at least one bit of high-end, third party gear – perhaps a Duncan Distortion. 

The neck pickup is covered, so we can only speculate, but we’d imagine it will be an in-house model such as the ProBucker-2s commonly found on Epiphone Les Pauls such as the Les Paul Standard 50s. But not necessarily. 

Tommy Thayer's Epiphone Les Paul has a Seymour Duncan pairing, and just like this forthcoming Jones model it has an open-coil 'bucker at the bridge, nickel-covered at the neck. Something similar could be going on here.

3. It's a Les Paul Custom

From the same (intentionally blurry) footage we can just make out the bound body, split diamond headstock and block-inlay fingerboard of a Les Paul Custom. In this sense, it’s actually more faithful to the original aesthetic of Jones’ own LP than the Gibson Standard build.

It also suggests a similar approach to that of Epiphone’s popular Jerry Cantrell ‘Wino’ Les Paul Custom – another luxurious signature model with some premium appointments. Like Jones’ signature, it was also inspired by a Custom Shop build.

4. It will be more than a paint job

In the same train of thought, the Wino LP really went beyond simply settling for an aesthetic – throwing in Grover Rotomatic tuners and custom neck tapering for a start – and we expect the same thought process here. 

Epiphone’s recent signatures have all gone way beyond just sticking a name on the headstock, playing with components and designs for some some genuinely customised builds. Check out Jared James Nichols single-P-90 ‘Gold Glory’ Les Paul Custom, or Matt Heafy’s Fluence-equipped Origins builds, to see what we mean.

5. It comes with a hard case

We know this because, when Jones first teased the Epiphone variant – again, over a year ago – he did it by sharing a clip with the text ‘More prototypes’ that clearly showed a hardcase with an Epiphone Adam Jones 1979 decal. That broke the guitar internet, so at this point, if it doesn’t actually arrive in a hard shell case, we will be taking to the streets. But let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. 

Epiphone and Adam Jones: you have the power to end this.

In the meantime, well, all that's left to do is wait. Tool fans should be more than capable; after the 13 years it took for Fear Inoculum, what's another few months?

Hats off to our friends over at Louder who found this incredible clip of 9 year-old guitarist Maya Neelakantan covering Tool’s 16-minute guitar safari, 7emptest. 

“A couple of weeks ago it was my birthday and I just turned 9-years-old and as my present, I got this awesome new Les Paul guitar,” reveals Neelakantan. “This is my most favourite song and this is the hardest song I've ever played and this is the first song I'm playing with my new guitar, so I've been just very excited to show it to you.”

Neelakantan appears to be playing an Epiphone Les Paul Modern in Figured Caribbean Blue Fade, should you be curious. In the video text, she expands on her song choice, saying, “It was an incredible journey for me when learning the entire 16 minutes of mind blowing melodies and solos! I feel Adam Jones, my favourite guitarist, really shines throughout the song. I hope you all enjoy it!”

We certainly do – getting through a song like 7empest is no mean feat, as anyone who’s tackled it will tell you. It’s not a case of simple repetition, there’s a heap of tonal changes, different rhythmic elements, numerous solo sections – and that’s before you consider the stamina required.  

“It takes a lot of energy sitting and playing for 15 minutes non-stop,” Neelakantan reflects after the performance. “The unison bends are very tough – it took a while for me to learn how to do that without slipping – and the fast-triplet hammer-on thing, that was very fast, a bit like in Vicarious, but faster. A lot faster than I thought… and on top of all this, I need to change so many effects, every single next part of the song you need to be pressing a button.”

Neelakantan later describes the song as the Tool guitarist’s “masterpiece” saying, “I think Adam Jones just went crazy with this. He just went and did anything he wants, because there's solo after solo after solo. The solo is like three minutes of the song already, and after that he turns on the wah pedal. He'll keep on the wah pedal, but he won't actually use it. Those things just taught me so much.”

It’s an admirable undertaking from a young player and it’s certainly inspired us to dig out the Tool tabs. 

It’s also another compelling reason for Gibson to hurry the hell up on that long-rumored Epiphone Adam Jones signature 1979 Les Paul. We can think of at least one person who might like one.

Adam Jones has taken to social media to share a glimpse of an all-new Gibson EDS-1275 double-neck, which sports the Tool guitarist’s trademark Silverburst finish.

Showcased in a series of Instagram stories, the six- and 12-string combo electric guitar hails from the Gibson Murphy Lab – the brand’s department for producing historically accurate guitars – and looks to be a faithful recreation of the company’s flagship Gibson EDS-1275.

Jones also confirmed the axe wasn’t a custom order, but was instead a one-off creation gifted to him by the Gibson Custom Shop.

“Beautiful 12/6 surprise gift from Cesar Gueikian and Gibson Custom Shop,” wrote Jones in one story. In the second, he tagged Slash – another famed Gibson double-neck wielder – and playfully jibed, “I hope Slash would be a little envious… I’m just kidding.”

Accompanying the two pictures of the Gibson EDS-1275 was a video of Jones leafing through a Certificate of Authenticity.

Now, we don’t imagine this is any hint towards a new Adam Jones signature guitar, though that’s not to say the prog hero doesn’t have a fresh sig in the pipeline. Earlier this year, Jones took to the stage wielding what looked like a potential Flying V signature, which also boasted the Jones-appropriate Silverburst colorway.

It’s a finish that has become synonymous with the the Tool man, whose affinity for his original 1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom Silverburst spawned the creation of a boutique Custom Shop model and – earlier this year – a considerably cheaper Gibson USA version.

An Epiphone version of the single-cut, which has been heavily teased over the past few years, also looks like it will be arriving in the near-future.

It’s been an interesting few weeks for Jones’ guitar collection. Not only has the Tool hero showcased the Murphy Lab double-neck, he was also recently pictured alongside Bernth with his Gibson Les Paul Silverburst, which was fitted with a FOMOfx Virtual Jeff Pro whammy bar.

Tool recently concluded their Covid-delayed world tour, which was initially postponed at the onset of the pandemic. If only Gibson had gifted him the EDS-1275 a few months earlier, we may have footage of Jones playing the double-neck onstage by now...

Since Gibson launched the Custom Shop Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom in 2020, many players have sought a more affordable version. Understandable, given the guitar was originally available in two specifications: unrelic'd VOS and Aged & Signed, priced at $5,999 and $9,999, respectively.

Back in May last year, the Tool guitarist sent pulses racing when he shared a video teasing an Epiphone version of the guitar on Instagram, though information has since been limited and the status of such a model remains shrouded in mystery.

There is, however, new cause for celebration, as the guitar giant has just launched a Gibson USA version, priced considerably lower at a much cooler $2,999.

Like its more expensive counterpart, the guitar – which was confirmed by Gibson brand president Cesar Gueikian and director of brand experience Mark Agnesi back in July – features a mahogany body with a maple top and nitrocellulose lacquer Antique Silverburst finish, 22-fret ebony fingerboard and Tune-O-Matic bridge, but trades many of its other specs.

Differences on the Adam Jones Les Paul Standard include a mahogany neck with a '70s rounded profile, mother-of-pearl trapezoid inlays – where the Custom Shop model has block inlays – and electronics; the Standard model trades out its Custom Shop counterpart's Custombucker neck and custom-wound Seymour Duncan DDJ bridge pickups for a BurstBucker 1 and a DC high-gain humbucker.

Other appointments include Adam Jones' signature on the truss rod cover and custom Adam Jones artwork on the back of the headstock.

The Adam Jones Les Paul Standard is available now. For more information, head to Gibson.

Gibson will be hoping the shipment of these Adam Jones Les Paul Standards will be smoother than that of their Custom Shop counterparts. Back in November 2020, an entire pallet of 13 Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Customs – worth $95,000 in total – was stolen from a Sweetwater truck, prompting both Gibson and Sweetwater to request the help of the guitar community in assuring their safe return.

The guitar giant's “multi-year partnership” with Adam Jones has been off to a flying start already, but looks set to soar even higher after the Tool man offered a glimpse of a potential Flying V signature model onstage earlier this year.

Closing the band's set with Invincible at the Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon, Jones could be seen wielding a mystery Flying V model with a split headstock.

And as Jones has already teased an Epiphone version of his Silverburst Les Paul signature, we're confident an even more affordable model will arrive in the not-too-distant future.

Tool have surprised fans with a rare live performance of Undertow, the title track from their 1993 debut album.

The band opened with the song at their March 3 show in Detroit at Little Caesars Arena, treating fans to a shock change to their setlist. The gig marked the first time Tool have played Undertow onstage for almost 20 years, having last performed it in April 2002.

Currently, the band is on tour in support of 2019 album Fear Inoculum, playing a run of dates that were rescheduled from 2020 due to the pandemic. 

Recent sets have seen Tool draw heavily on the latest album, with the band seemingly keen to ensure it gets a fair outing amid the upheaval of the last two years.

Arguably, though, following the drudgery of the pandemic, it is also the ideal time to drop some old favorites and lift some spirits, so Tool have left a little time to raid the back catalogue, too. 

Recent shows have seen frequent performances of Opiate from their 1992 debut EP of the same name (having celebrated its 30th anniversary this year with an extended reworking of the track) as well as Ænima epic Pushit and The Grudge from 2001’s Lateralus.

The North American leg of the Fear Inoculum tour will run until March 20 before the band head over to Europe to perform across the continent from April 23.

Head to Tool’s official site to see the full list of dates and purchase tickets.

Tool have unveiled Opiate², an extended re-working of Opiate, the title track of their 1992 EP. 

Released in celebration of the EP's 30th anniversary, Opiate² is the band's first new material since their chart-topping 2019 album, Fear Inoculum. It will also – the band says – soon be accompanied by their first music video in 15 years. The video will be released on March 18.

Psychedelic, moody and at times atmospheric, Opiate² runs almost twice as long as its 1992 predecessor. One would assume the recording budget for Opiate² was also much higher than it was for Opiate, a difference that's reflected in guitarist Adam Jones's more muscular riffing, which has a far more pronounced bottom end.

Also notable is the inclusion of an extensive jam section in the middle, which features some beautifully layered guitar soundscapes from Jones, and terrific interplay between him, Tool bass guitar man Justin Chancellor and drummer Danny Carey. 

You can give the whole song a spin below.

Available only on Blu-ray, the Opiate² music video will come with a 46-page art book with behind-the-scenes photos, plus interviews and "insights from special guests." Jones, together with visual artist Dominic Hailstone, directed the video.

The Opiate² Blu-ray can be preordered via Tool's website.

Tool are currently in the midst of an extensive tour in support of Fear Inoculum. On the very first night of the tour – in Eugene, Oregon on January 10 – Jones was seen playing what's rumored to be the prototype of an Adam Jones signature Gibson Flying V.

If it sees the light of day, the Flying V would be Jones's second Gibson signature guitar, following the Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom.

Monday night (January 10), Tool played their first show in almost two years, headlining the Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.

While fans were undoubtedly thrilled by the show's setlist surprises (Pushit – the album version, mind you – was performed live for the first time since 2014, while Right in Two received its first live airing since 2011), another aspect of the show that quickly sparked the rumor mill was one of the electric guitars Adam Jones used over the course of the evening.

For the band's closer, Invincible, Jones can clearly be seen in the video above – courtesy of YouTuber JJG – playing some sort of Flying V, with a split headstock no less. 

The guitar sure ain't the recently-released, V2 version of Jones' 1979 Les Paul Custom, and it's a far cry from the “backup crappy gear" Jones is said to have used during Tool's recent pre-tour rehearsal livestream, so could it potentially be the prototype of an Adam Jones signature Gibson Flying V? 

Now, this isn't the first time the Adam Jones signature V rumor mill fires have been stoked. Jones and Gibson themselves seemed to tease the possibility in November 2020, sneaking a post-credits shot of a Silverburst Flying V into the YouTube video announcing the Tool guitarist's signature Les Paul.

Rumors of a Jones V also percolated in March and August of last year via Instagram posts in which Jones, respectively, played a V and photographed a trio of V-friendly Gibson guitar cases.

Given that we only have fan-shot footage of the guitar Jones used onstage with Tool as of right now, it's difficult to make definitive calls on any of the model's specifications, but one thing that immediately stands out is the V's split headstock.

First seen all the way back in 1957 on Gibson's proto-Explorer Futura design, the split (or "forked") headstock look has made occasional appearances on Custom Shop Flying Vs, but is completely absent from the company's current V line.

A forked headstock would make the theoretical Adam Jones Flying V perhaps even more valuable and ultra-collectible than the Tool guitarist's signature Les Paul has already proven to be.

What's more, Jones' onstage V tease happens to come just days after Metallica's Kirk Hammett teased a new signature Gibson Flying V of his own on Instagram.

All this has us wondering if 2022 will prove to be the year of the V...

After a two-year Covid-induced postponement, Tool will finally embark on their US arena tour tonight (January 10), and to mark the occasion the band recently took part in an intimate rehearsal livestream on Instagram.

Footage from the event has been snapped and shared on YouTube, meaning fans can get a glimpse of Adam Jones, Justin Chancellor and Danny Carey greasing the grooves on The Pot and The Patient. See both clips below.

There was one slight twist, though: according to the band’s whiteboard, the trio – who weren’t joined by frontman Maynard James Keenan in the footage – were playing with “no FX” and “backup crappy gear”. Gotta be prepared for anything these days.

Despite the stripped-down rigs, it sounds as though attendees will be in for a treat when the stint around the country kicks off at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon. The tones sound suitably gnarly – no doubt they'll sound even better when Tool are equipped with their proper gear – and the group’s playing sounds pinpoint.

Jones – who teamed up with Gibson last year to release a V2 of his ‘79 Les Paul Custom – also took the opportunity to put in some last-minute six-string ground-work, flexing his nimble melodies and thunderous riffs.

Tool’s much-delayed tour, which is being held in support of their comeback album, Fear Inoculum, was originally scheduled for March 2020, but was postponed and rescheduled during the pandemic.

During that time, Keenan contracted Covid twice – an experience he described as “ugly” to Apple Music and that prompted him to urge others to “take this [pandemic] seriously”.

Tool dropped Fear Inoculum in 2019, which marked their first new material in 13 years following the release of 2006’s 10,000 Days.

To find out more about the tour, head over to Tool’s website.

Gibson unveiled Tool guitarist Adam Jones' long-awaited signature guitar only a year ago, but – unsurprisingly, given that it came in a run of just 79 Custom, Murphy Lab-aged models and 179 VOS replicas – the Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom sold out incredibly quickly. 

Now, the company has unveiled the V2 version of the electric guitar, with new custom artwork and a less heavily aged (than the previous Murphy Lab-aged version, mind you) look.  

Let's start with those differences to the 2020 model then, shall we? First, on the rear of the headstock, there's a new design, courtesy of artist Korin Faught. Then, of course, there are the differences in aging. While the original signed-'n'-aged Jones Les Paul boasted heavy relic'ing – particularly on the back of the neck – the aging treatment on the 2021 version is noticeably lighter. 

Particularly eagle-eyed readers will also note that the Seymour Duncan logo can now be seen on the hand-wound Duncan Distortion bridge pickup, which sits next to the Les Paul's custom, reverse-mounted neck humbucker. 

The guitar is still meticulously close to Jones' original though, with small, unique details like the diamond-shaped strap buttons and the mirror Jones sticks to his guitar’s headstock coming aboard once again (though the latter is simply included in the hardshell case this time, rather than installed onto the instrument, as it was on the 2020 signed/aged version.)

All appears to be the same under the hood as well: with controls coming in the form of a pair of volume and tone knobs, custom capacitors, a DiMarzio volume pot, and a three-way pickup switch.

Does all this mean we're getting any closer to the Epiphone version of the guitar Jones has teased? We can't tell, but certainly hope so.

For now, the Gibson Adam Jones 1979V2 Les Paul Custom is available – in that unmistakable Antique Silverburst finish and with a certificate of authenticity included – for a cool $9,999, the same price as the 2020 aged and signed Jones LP Custom.

For more info on the guitar, stop by Gibson.

Gibson has announced the arrival of a host of Adam Jones 1979 merch, including a 1:4 scale model of his Custom Shop Les Paul model, dubbing it the brand’s first “merchandise orientated” Artist Collection.

Included in the Adam Jones 1979 Artist Collection are two T-shirt designs, a guitar strap, Adam Jones Les Paul guitar case in Silverburst finish and a 1:4 sale model of the Tool guitarist’s Silverburst Les Paul.

There has been much speculation among fans lately about the imminent arrival of more affordable editions of Jones’ Custom model (which starts at $5,999), meaning the announcement was received with some frustration from fans – although that hasn't stopped much of the collection from selling out.

Indeed, Gibson has previously confirmed the arrival of the USA Standard version of the Adam Jones Les Paul, sneaking it into a video tour of Brand President Cesar Gueikian’s guitar collection, while Jones himself has also previously posted a teaser video of a 1979 Epiphone case on his Instagram page.

Time will tell, then, if this is simply Gibson taking its teaser marketing campaign to ‘cruelty’ setting, or something of a miscalculation in the face of fan demand. Either way, releasing a $300 case before the guitar itself is a bold move…

While we wait for the official announcement, you can head to the Gibson store to check out the full range of Adam Jones 1979 merch for yourself.

Gibson is to release a production line Les Paul Standard version of its Silverburst Adam Jones Les Paul. Gibson's collaboration with Jones has already produced some of the most sought-after electric guitars in recent history, with the Tool guitarist's limited-run 1979 Les Paul Customs selling out in record time.

Indeed, such was the demand and hype around the original releases, which were guaranteed to be collector's pieces, 13 of the Silverburst Customs were stolen en route to Sweetwater in a premeditated theft worth $95,000. That a production line model is coming is big news to anyone who missed out the first time around, either through to scarcity or the heft price tag.

Jones himself had previously teased a Silverburst Flying V on his Instagram page and speculation peaked when he posted Epiphone and Gibson USA cases, but in the latest episode of Gibson TV's The Collection, Gibson brand president Cesar Gueikian and director of brand experience Mark Agnesi have confirmed that a Standard is on the way.

Agnesi was getting a tour of Gueikian's epic gear stash, and as the pair were joined by Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner and Megadeth's Dave Mustaine, Agnesi grabbed one of many Silverburst Les Pauls – and it just so happened to be a prototype of a Gibson Adam Jones Les Paul Standard.

“That’s the one you’re not supposed to grab,” joked Gueikian. “Hey, it’s on camera. It’s all good.”

This being a Gibson USA production-line model, we'd expect this to a little easier on the bank balance than the Custom Shop models, perhaps priced in line with the Slash Les Paul Standard, which retails for $2,999. 

While there were scant details of the spec, the prototype featured Adam Jones' logo on the rear of the headstock, and the coverless bridge pickup. Time will tell if that bridge pickup will be a custom-wound Seymour Duncan DDJ humbucker and whether the custom profile maple neck makes the cut.

Earlier on in the show, which you can watch above, it was Gueikian's turn to surprise Agnesi and the viewers alike, unveiling two "golden samples" from the Murphy Lab – a '58 Korina Explorer and a '58 Korina Flying V. “You actually haven’t seen these,” said Gueikian to Agnesi. “These two in particular will come with the historic case and case cover, and Brazilian ‘boards.“

The '58 Explorer has a one-piece body while the V has a center-seam build, with both constructed from African korina and meticulously aged in the newly opened Tom Murphy Lab. Gibson used a variety of reference models from the vault and took its scanning tech to take the spec from a number of other '58s.

This was not so easy. There aren't many out there in the wild, with only 19 Explorers and 81 Flying Vs shipping in 1958. And, you guessed it, Gibson will stick to that quota for what is guaranteed to be the most collectible Murphy Lab release so far.

For more details on the Murphy Lab, head on over to Gibson.

If you're looking for a 1979 Adam Jones Les Paul Custom, expect to pay $18,000 online for the aged and signed model and in excess of $10,500 for the, y'know, regular common or garden Custom Shop dream guitar.

Following Gibson's announcement of the 1979 Adam Jones Les Paul Custom last year, the Tool guitarist has teased what looks to be an Epiphone edition of the model.

Taking to Instagram yesterday (May 3), Jones shared a video of a black Epiphone Les Paul hard case – which sports the text, “Adam Jones 1979” – with the caption, “More prototypes”.

The Gibson 1979 Adam Jones Les Paul Custom arrived late last year, accompanied by a killer launch video, entitled The Witness. The seven-minute animated cut features a soundtrack composed by Jones – with cameos from his Tool bandmates Justin Chancellor and Danny Carey.

The guitar itself was designed to be a faithful replica of Jones' #1 guitar, a Silverburst 1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom. Spec highlights include a hand-wound Seymour Duncan Distortion bridge pickup, custom capacitors and a striking Silverburst finish.

Shortly after its launch, 13 of the guitars – worth $95,000 in total – were stolen from a Sweetwater truck in a premeditated theft. In response, Gibson remade the guitars for customers who had theirs stolen.

With no official announcement from Epiphone as of yet, what's inside the case in Jones' Instagram video remains a mystery. However, we'll endeavor to keep you updated as this story develops.

While we wait for the arrival of St. Vincent’s hugely anticipated funk-infused album, Daddy’s Home, Annie Clark has teased us with the original stylistic vision she had for the record.

As it happens, instead of making an album that draws from “sepia-toned downtown New York from 1971-1975”, St. Vincent had preliminary plans to make a “heavy record” inspired by Tool.

In a recent conversation with Radio.com’s New Arrivals with Bryce Segall (via Consequence of Sound), Clark confessed, “The crazy thing about music is, you can plan and plan and think you’re gonna go one way, and then you start writing and the music just takes you wherever the music takes you.

“That was certainly the experience with this,” she continues. “I was dead set in my mind that after Masseduction I was just gonna make this like, heavy record. Like, just heavy the whole time, like, ‘Hey kids, you like Tool? Well, you’ll love the St. Vincent record,’ you know?”

However, somewhere down the line Clark realized that she “didn’t have much to say there”, and decided to "go back to the music I’ve listened to more than anything else: stuff made in New York in the ’70s from ’71-'76". 

The first taste of this sound is apparent in the lead single from Daddy's Home, Pay Your Way in Pain, which can be heard below.

Despite the revelation, Clark’s admiration of Tool doesn’t come as much of a surprise, following her recent comments during a Guitar World roundtable, which featured the likes of Mateus Asato, Kirk Hammett, and Tool electric guitar wizard Adam Jones himself.

Commenting on her backstage covers of Forty 6 & 2, Clark said, “I fucking love Tool. I love Tool so much.”

Needless to say, the covers received Jones’s seal of approval, with the Tool legend responding, “I really liked it. I love all that stuff where people kind of have their own take on something. And especially, you know, people who can sing and play in an odd time. [Laughs] It’s wonderful.”

While the Tool-inspired album may not have materialized this time round, St. Vincent didn’t rule out the possibility of one cropping up somewhere down the line, saying, “For fans who may be selfishly hoping to hear something like that Tool record… we’ll get there, don’t worry.” 

All we can say is, count us in.

There's an old saying: the only constant is change. And to be sure, the guitar-playing universe has been in a steady state of flux since man first stretched a string between two points and gave it a pluck centuries ago. 

In more modern, rock-centric times, the guitar, and how it is picked and strummed and tapped and rapped, has continued to evolve in terms of style, speed, technique and countless other aspects. 

Indeed, here at Guitar World we spent much of 2020 looking back at the myriad developments that have occurred in the six- (and seven-, eight- and so on) string universe in the 40 years since this magazine debuted.

With that in mind, Guitar World rounded up six of today’s most accomplished players – all of them groundbreaking, forward-thinking artists in their own right – to discuss the state of the instrument in the present day, and also what it might look like in the future. 

These artists hail from various backgrounds and play in a multitude of styles: from the otherworldly, effect-pedal-heavy electro-pop-funk-rock of St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark) to the art-damaged, shape-shifting metal of Tool’s Adam Jones; the iconic thrash riffing and heroic soloing of Metallica’s Kirk Hammett to the trad-modern downhome blues of Christone “Kingfish” Ingram; and the over-the-top shred insanity of ghoulish Tele-master John 5 to the fluid, melodically and harmonically complex virtuosity of Instagram and YouTube superstar Mateus Asato.

[Editor's note: this interview was conducted prior to Asato's departure from Instagram.]

Around seven or eight years ago, there were multiple news reports about “the death of the guitar.” Whatever it was that inspired those stories – maybe it was the lack of guitar on Top 40 pop songs at the time – would you say we’ve moved on from that?

ST. VINCENT: “I feel like it’s all cyclical, so we shouldn’t be writing any obituaries. And the whole mechanism is so decentralized now that there’s space for everything. It doesn’t seem like the same gatekeepers are there. 

“We have streaming platforms, we have social media, we have YouTube, we have all these ways that people can discover and find new music. And so I think that it’s never going to be the death of the guitar. 

“Especially after we come out of this pandemic – people are going to be eager for new sounds, new things that are creative and that feel inspired to them. And if they haven’t heard a lot of guitar, they might hear a guitar and go, “Holy shit! What’s that?'“

ADAM JONES: “I’m not familiar with the 'death of the guitar' conversation. But I’m also not on the pulse of everything going on. My style is more about being socially withdrawn and being kind of stuck in my ways. 

“But I understand it. I mean, Pro Tools and digital music and just how anyone can do it in their basement now, I can see music changing and becoming less about the performance of the recording and more just an emotional statement. So I can understand why someone would say that.“

KIRK HAMMETT: “I’m not a musical snob, and I don’t want to talk shit about other genres of music, but I will say that guitar has taken a huge backseat and it’s really not as popular as it used to be. And that’s fine. I’ve been in this place before – in the early '80s it was all synths and New Wave and whatnot, but then guitar came roaring back with a vengeance.“

That’s true; when Metallica first came out, a lot of rock music was seen as dinosaur music.

HAMMETT: “Exactly. So I’m hoping it’ll roar back. Because nowadays it’s easier to learn how to play guitar than ever before. The resources are right at your fingertips. It’s a phone away, you know?“

There’s no doubt that the digital world has altered how we approach the instrument.

JOHN 5: “With the internet, with Instagram, YouTube, you have unbelievable extremes happening. People playing with both hands, Stanley Jordan-style, or doing something at great speeds or playing beautiful classical guitar – anything at all – but it’s the most extreme that I’ve seen guitar playing. 

“And I love it. And I think that now it’s at a higher plateau. It’s more and more and more because younger people and older people are looking at these videos and going, “Wow!” That’s inspiring them to pick up the guitar again, or to maybe pick up the guitar for the first time.“

CHRISTONE “KINGFISH” INGRAM: “And the players, if you just go on Instagram there are so many guitar players who are finding new and different ways to approach the instrument. 

“When you see all these people playing in different alternate tunings and using the guitar as a drum and stuff like that, that shows you that there’s a resurgence… or not even that there’s a resurgence – it just never let up. It just had to come back in front of people.“

MATEUS ASATO: “I don’t know that I see guitar coming back the same way as it was like in the '80s, where even a pop ballad song would have major solos, but I believe guitar is getting its space in a different language – I think that would be a way of saying it. 

“And, of course, things like Instagram are a way to see that. If I just search for the hashtag 'guitar,' I see so many videos. It’s a great reminder for people, like, 'Dang, guitar can be cool!' It’s not just an old-school thing.“

Most of you brought up social media, which has dominated the conversation in the last few years. To that end, some of the biggest guitarists in the world – based on followers and views – are people who have built up massive fanbases on YouTube or Instagram. How do you think this development has influenced or changed our universe?

HAMMETT: “I think it’s great. Because there are so many resources out there, people are just better overall. And I think a lot of that has todo with things like Instagram clips. Even me, I’m checking this stuff out and asking myself, 'Do I competently know what these guys are trying to do? Do I understand their approach and their technique, and can I do it?' If I can’t, I need to figure it out. That’s the benefit that I get from all of this.“

ST. VINCENT: “It’s proliferating the idea of guitar, people who weren’t interested before, or had never really thought of it that much. I bet it’s inspired a lot of people just to pick up and play. To me, I find it really inspiring because I’ll go on Instagram and click through and be like, 'Oh man, that person’s great!' Or, 'That person’s awful!' [Laughs] Recently I learned a Rush song… from Alex Lifeson. He was showing how he played Tom Sawyer. It’s like 'Oh, sick!'”

JOHN 5: “What I think is wonderful about it is there’s a plethora of these players in all different styles. You have total shredder burners and you have people that are just amazing jazz players. 

“You have everything and anything you want, and it’s fun because you search out what you want to see and what is inspiring to you. Mateus, I think he’s a tremendous talent, and that’s what I’m talking about. The reason people follow these players is because it’s inspiring and it’s something you don’t see every day. It’s true talent.“

Mateus, you’re something of the poster child for this new online “guitar world,” so to speak. You have yet to release an album, and yet you have more than a million Instagram followers and even your own signature Suhr guitar.

ASATO: “It’s interesting because, as an example of what’s happened to me, I’ve toured more than 10 countries in Asia, I’ve toured Australia, Oceania, just by the work that I’ve done on my social media. Playing with artists like Tori Kelly and Bruno Mars helped a lot, but it’s just crazy to see the impact of Instagram and YouTube. 

“If this were the '80s or '90s, people would be like, 'Nah, he hasn’t even put out an album…' So I’m thankful for these sources. People say, 'This guy is showing his art, showing his talent with a one-minute piece of music.' I think that’s a great way to inspire.“

Christone, you’re the youngest artist on our panel. Was the internet a main source of learning the guitar for you?

INGRAM: “Oh yeah, for sure. That was one of my main ways of learning because I was always on the hunt for old blues videos and stuff like that. So I was following certain pages and certain guys on YouTube and looking up certain clips from the '60s, the '70s and the '80s and stuff like that. Plus, at the time I wasn’t really studying with a real teacher so I just had to pretty much use the internet on my own to find what I wanted.“

John, you post a lot of short shred clips, often while wearing crazy outfits, on your Instagram.

JOHN 5: “It’s funny because one thing I always do when I get home is I get in my pajamas. This is ever since I was very, very young. And my mom always bought me crazy pajamas for some reason. So then I started buying them for myself. And I started putting up these videos of me playing in these pajamas and people went crazy. 

“But it was just really who I was. I’d be playing, like, Chet Atkins or something and wearing these weird Frankenstein or bunny pajamas or a mask, because I love masks. And it just caught on. But it’s just who I am and it’s giving a glimpse of what I do at home. Because I always have a guitar in my hands. I don’t really do much of anything else.“

Annie, you recently shared an off-the-cuff backstage video of you playing Tool’s Forty Six & 2. The great thing about clips like that is they allow fans a glimpse into a side of the artist they might not be familiar with. Like, “St. Vincent is a Tool fan?”

ST. VINCENT: “I fucking love Tool. I love Tool so much.“

Adam, did you see that clip? If so, what did you think of it?

JONES: “Someone sent that to me, and I really liked it. I love all that stuff where people kind of have their own take on something. And especially, you know, people who can sing and play in an odd time. [Laughs] It’s wonderful.“

What particular steps have each of you taken in your own playing to ensure that your style and voice on the instrument is unique?

ST. VINCENT: “For a long time I was somewhat obsessed with having a guitar not sound like a guitar. Which is an interesting place to be. And I really wanted my music to be a whole conversation between what I was singing melodically and what the guitar was playing. So a lot of parts were not really rhythms or solos. 

“They were countermelodies. And I sort of carved out a certain space that was very… angular. Whereas recently I’ve been thinking more along the lines of, 'How can I have my guitar move like water?' So it’s a matter of always trying new things.“

HAMMETT: “I’m in the habit of listening to music that is technically more sophisticated. A lot of jazz, a lot of bossa nova, a lot of classical music. I like to hear complicated chords. I like hearing sixes, ninths, elevenths. I crave that stuff. 

“Also, I’m constantly listening for moments – and what I mean by moments is when something is going on musically that creates an emotion or a feeling, and everything’s happening and everyone’s hitting it and succeeding at it and getting that emotion across. And then I’ll look to create those types of moments in the music that I write for Metallica.“

JONES: ”That’s pretty easy for me. When I first met Buzz Osborne from the Melvins, he told me, 'Play from your heart and not your head.' And what that means to me is, you can learn all this technique, you can learn how to play Eruption just like Eddie, you can know all these pentatonic and harmonic minor scales. 

”But it’s what you do with it. The techniques are second – what you’re reaching for is what’s inside. Also, the thing that I try to preach to people is it’s not necessarily important what’s taught, because there’s a lot of guitar players out there that have developed their own way of approaching guitar, and what they can do no one else can do. 

”So how I’ve led my whole life is I’ve learned technique, but more than that I’ve just played the stuff that really burns inside me and speaks to me. And I didn’t worry about what other people thought.”

How about John and Mateus?

JOHN 5: ”I try to push the limits. Whether it’s slapping or tapping or picking or double stops or whatever, it’s just about the extreme, the extreme, the extreme. And then I’ll turn it into a song. 

”But I think what most draws me apart a little bit from my heroes and people I love listening to is I’ve always said, 'I’m just going to be who I am.' And who I am is a little, you know, off-center. I love heavy-rock, shreddy, '80s-type style playing, but I love fast country picking like Roy Clark and Jimmy Bryant. So I did an amalgamation of the two genres and just went crazy with it.”

ASATO: ”I always try to send a message. I grew up in church, so I have this way of thinking that you have to touch people’s hearts. And I don’t sing – I just have my guitar, and I have to make it speak somehow. So I analyze guitarists who are able to do that, like John Mayer and Derek Trucks. 

”Then with my soloing, I always try to listen to different instruments. I know a lot of jazz-fusion players go for, like, saxophone or trumpet lines. But I listen to keyboards and bass players. That adds a bit of nuance to your phrases instead of just playing the same pentatonic shapes.”

Christone, you play in a style that is so reverent to tradition. How do you acknowledge that but also push the blues forward?

INGRAM: ”I try to do a number of things. I try to take what the guys in the past did and give it a different format. And I try to mix elements. Like, there’s some rock stuff in there, which has pretty much been done time and time again, but I do it in my own way. And in the future I want to bring hip-hop and blues together. That’s been done before too, but I want to do it in my own way and see what I can do with the blues, because I always feel like if we add a modern element to it we can attract the young crowd.

When it comes to the blues, do people tend to be too deferential to the past? Do they want to just hear B.B. and Albert King licks and that’s it?

INGRAM: “I’ll be real with you – in the blues it’s a divided crowd. You have fans who just want to hear the old gutbucket, raw stuff, and that’s it. But you have people that consider that the past and they want to hear something more modern. I feel like I’m one of those gray-area artists. [Laughs] 

“I find myself trying to please the old people while I’m also trying to speak to the new people. Because the blues isn’t just about 'My baby left me.' The blues was the Civil Rights movement and it’s everything that we have going on in the world now. It brings us together. And we can use that to our advantage at this point in time to call that our blues.“

Do we see a similar thing in rock? Are we too stuck in the past? Do guitarists – including young guitarists – put too much emphasis on music that came out 40 or 50 years ago?

JOHN 5: “I couldn’t agree with you more. I couldn’t have put it better. You get stuck at one point and then can’t go any further. But the thing is you can go further. There’s so much more you can do on this instrument. But it’s up to the individual if they want to sit down and learn something. That’s why I never stop trying to improve myself with different techniques or this, that and the other thing. I don’t want to be the same guitar player that I was five, 10 years ago.“

JONES: “I don’t know. The balance between what is new, what is me and what is aping… it’s always kind of been the same, I think. I just think it’s about the chemical reaction people get from hearing it, seeing it and feeling it. And that’s where it’s at. So I don’t ever go, 'Oh, that’s been done.' It’s just kind of like, 'Oh, I can hear the influence and that’s pretty cool.' 

“But sometimes it can get under your skin a little bit. You know, five years ago I talked to some kids at a festival and they were telling me how much they liked this band that was playing. And I was like, 'Well you know, you can really tell they love Led Zeppelin…' And the kids were like, 'Who’s Led Zeppelin?'” [Laughs]

Will there ever be another Eddie Van Halen – a player who is universally lauded, even among non-musicians, as a traditional “guitar hero”?

ST. VINCENT: “I’m not sure. Eddie Van Halen was an incredible guitar player, but in a very specific milieu. That kind of hero I don’t think could exist again because times like that won’t exist again. 

“That was sort of like coming from the different permutations of the blues and going through this filter of the '80s and being, like, brightly colored peacock blues. And we don’t have that lineage right now. Plus, if you just look at the culture, we have deconstructed the idea of a quote-unquote rock star. It’s a very even playing field in terms of people’s eyeballs. 

“Some kids on TikTok are as looked at as pop stars. Also, I don’t know that virtuosity is really what we are valuing as a culture globally right now. I think it’s kind of the opposite. And I don’t say that with any big judgment on it. It’s just, you can study your whole life to crush a solo or you can go do a dance on TikTok. [Laughs] So it’s a weird time.“

JONES: “I mean, Eddie Van Halen, he [was] an alien that landed on our planet and showed us how to do it. I don’t really know anyone to compare that to. When I heard him for the first time it was haunting. Can we have another guy come in and really make a mark like Eddie Van Halen? I don’t know. I hope so. I look forward to what’s new in music and what’s weird in music.“

HAMMETT: “I think the guitar hero is a dying breed. The new generation, there’s so many good players that it’s hard to pick out a hero because they’re all kind of guitar heroes in their own right. But a lot of times it’s just great musical gymnastics. 

“All guitar heroes are judged by one thing and one thing only – the song they’re playing. You can be the most ripping guitar player, but if your songs fucking suck or are boring or just flat, people are going to be impressed for about 15 minutes. And then they’re going to check their Instagram, see what other guitar players put up.“

ASATO: “Music is just different now. I could not imagine, like, 'Oh, let’s have Kingfish open the Olympics in 2024!' And I love Kingfish. But you don’t see that because the business has changed. The idea of a superstar has a different meaning now. 

”It’s not something geared toward the instrument, like it was with Eddie Van Halen or Slash. The last thing that was so helpful was Guitar Hero. There’s so many late-'90s kids who I’m sure got into guitar because of that video game.”

JOHN 5: ”A hundred percent there will be another guitar hero. It’s up to us, to the people reading this and the people listening to the music to go, 'I can be the next guitar hero.'

”And that doesn’t mean just being able to play the guitar well. It’s someone that can write songs, it’s someone that is inventive. It’s someone that is progressive. There’s a lot that goes into it. But absolutely I think there will be more guitar heroes in the future.”

Has digital recording made you rethink anything about your approach to playing, recording and composing?

ST. VINCENT: “Totally. I know what I sound like. But it’s two sided, right? Like, there’s an aspect of the way you think you sound and then when you hear it recorded back you go, 'Oh, I was dragging there,' or, 'I didn’t bend the right note there.' I could do that better.” And better doesn’t mean perfect. Better just means expressing the particular emotion, thought and feeling in a more effective way. 

“But the trick is you also have to be able to get lost in the moment so that you’re able to reach for things. You have to learn how to critique yourself to get better, but also not be so dependent on that loop of listening that you don’t let yourself just be free and explore.“

HAMMETT: “What it has done for me is it’s made me more organized. I usually have an overabundance of ideas that I’m looking at and going, 'Where do I start?' Sometimes I just can’t start, because I’m overwhelmed with all the choices. And so going into something like GarageBand or Pro Tools or Logic, it helps me organize things. 

“I can put one type of riff in this category, another type of riff in that category, and then put something from one category together with something from another category in Logic and play it in real time and see if it really works – without me actually doing it on my instrument. 

“Plus, when I play two pieces of music together on my instrument it feels one way. But when I listen to two pieces of music on the computer, I get a different perspective that’s less subjective. And I need that.“

JOHN 5: “Digital recording is phenomenal. It’s magic. I would never want to go back to the way it was before. Because I can go into the studio in L.A. and send tracks to someone in New York within minutes and it will sound great. The vibe might not be entirely there, but we can get it down. 

“But one thing that is a 'good' and a 'bad' is that we have the technology to quantize really well or to pitch-correct or to chop something up. So I think it’s made us a little bit more, like, 'Eh, we’ll fix it later, chop that up, throw this in over here…' I never want to get like that. So what I do with my instrumental records is I will train almost like a fighter, just train, train, train and work on something so hard before I go into the studio, because I want to do it as one performance.“ 

JONES: “Technology is amazing, but I also think people maybe rely on it too much. When bands ask me about recording a successful song I always say, 'Okay, well, do you want to have it drive in a way that is mechanical or do you want to have it drive in a way that sounds like when you’re playing live?' Because both ways are good. But I prefer the live way. 

“I think there’s more passion in hearing the flaws and the slowing down and speeding up. When a part gets quieter, maybe it gets a little more out of time, and then when it gets loud it speeds up a little bit and gets your heart racing. But both are good. You look at Metallica and you look at Ministry – two different things. Two different emotional reactions.“

Are there any young or up-and-coming players out there that you see as the next generation of guitar hero?

HAMMETT: “I do really like Annie [St. Vincent]. I love her riffs. The way she writes, some of her musical motifs are just so different from anything I would ever play. I find that so intriguing. And I love the fact that she understands totally what she’s doing and she understands the theory behind it. For me, that always adds another dimension of respectability – knowing that the person’s not just fucking winging it and all of a sudden stepping in something.“

ST. VINCENT: “I’m really excited by what’s happening in the current British post-punk scene, with bands like IDLES. And also Black Midi – they have some really cool guitar, but it’s not necessarily pyrotechnic guitar-hero stuff in an Eddie Van Halen sort of way.“

JOHN 5: “Oh, I love everybody. I love Guthrie [Govan]. Rick Graham is wonderful. Jason Richardson. And Mateus – he has such great technique and phrasing and chords. There’s so many people that I just really enjoy. I have so much fun with it.“

ASATO: “Now with the access of learning the instrument so easily and virtually, you see prodigies earlier and earlier. It’s insane. I’ve seen kids 6 years old, 7 years old, playing, like, with so much maturity. There’s a kid named Taj Farrant, who’s 11, I think, and he’s so cool playing the guitar. 

“I always mention Melanie Faye, and there’s another young guy from Indonesia, his name is Achmad Satria. He plays a pink guitar like me, and some people think we even look alike. [Laughs] But he is way younger than me and he is playing with some balls. He’s extremely talented.“

INGRAM: “There’s so many. I have a partner in Chicago – Jamiah Rogers. And you’ve got Marquise Knox out of St. Louis. Another one is Jontavious Willis out of Georgia. There’s a lot of players out there on the rise and making their voices heard with the guitar.“

JONES: “I’m terrible with names, but there’s a guy on Instagram, Nathaniel Murphy, he teaches guitar and so he’ll play his own lick, which is amazing, and then he’ll play, you know, the Welcome to the Jungle solo and nail it. And you can tell he really enjoys it. I can get off on that. 

“And then there’s another guy, Sarthak Mudgal, who does this insane percussive thing. But what’s great now is anyone can start a channel or start an Instagram and put their music out there and people will be exposed to it. Maybe it’s more competition, but it’s a wonderful thing.“

Finally, if there were a guitar genie and he could grant you a magic knob on your guitar that could do one thing and one thing only, what would it be?

ST. VINCENT: “So my brain is going a couple different ways with this. There’s one way that’s thinking, 'Cure cancer.' And then there’s another way that’s like… 'A kill switch?'

I think it should have something to do with your sound. You can’t change the world with it.

ST. VINCENT: “I would like to be able to hit a note and have it sustain forever. So I could be my own Glenn Branca orchestra. That would be cool.“

How about the rest of you?

INGRAM: “Man… I would have something that could make you stay in tune. [Laughs] Something that prevents you from playing sloppy or prevents you from being repetitive. It’d be like a talent enhancer.“

HAMMETT: “I would say something that would give me, like, a nice, singing, sustained tone that when people hear it, it draws them closer. Like a violin or a cello or a harp sound. Something just so pure and beautiful, and acoustic and earthy. I’ll tell you, for about half of my musical career I’ve been on a quest to find Billie Holiday’s vocal tone on guitar. 

“And you know, Greeny [Hammett’s 1959 Les Paul that was previously owned and played by Peter Green and Gary Moore] in the middle position is similar. But it’s not quite there.“

ASATO: “I would have an auto-tune type of button that would fix any bad notes. Of course, traditional players would hate me for that! Or, you could also use it the way rap guys do. It’d be like Kanye West in a guitar sound. That would probably sound horrible, but at the same time it could be interesting as a flavor.“

JONES: “Maybe a knob to make the writing process more successful, and quicker. Although I do like the process of writing. It’s just that anything you’re doing that’s artistic, it just rips you up and it’s really hard. But when it’s done you’re like, 'Oh, let’s do another one!'“

JOHN 5: “I’d like a button that would give me my own little monitor mix onstage. Like if I want to turn myself up or even turn myself down. Because it’s crippling sometimes if you’re not loud enough or you’re too loud onstage. So I would want something on my guitar where I could just turn it and everything would be okay. Save the show!

JONES: “It’s kind of like having a wish – I would wish for more wishes. So if I had a knob, I’d probably want more knobs. A knob that would have more knobs! [Laughs]“

Legendary guitarists, from Jimmy Page and Joe Perry to Billy Gibbons and Slash, have been associated with specific Les Paul models over the years. But it’s safe to say that when it comes to the world of modern hard rock and metal, there’s no artist-and-Les-Paul pairing as iconic and instantly identifiable as Tool’s Adam Jones and his Custom Silverburst.

“When I think of Adam Jones, I think of a Gibson Les Paul Custom Silverburst, and when I think of a Gibson Les Paul Custom Silverburst, I think of Adam Jones,” Gibson Chief Merchant Officer Cesar Gueikian says simply. Which made it a no-brainer for Gibson to team up with Jones to pay proper tribute to his distinctive instrument. And pay proper tribute they have, with the craftsmanship and attention to detail that only Gibson can provide.

The new Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom in Antique Silverburst is a stunning, exacting Custom Shop recreation of Jones’ number one electric guitar – the 1979 Silverburst that we hear on every Tool album and see at every Tool show – from the wood to the finish to the pickups to even the volume pots. “I’m really blown away,” Jones tells Guitar World.

“It’s an absolute clone,” Gueikian says of the guitar, and that extends to every detail, from the nicks, dents and wear on the aged version, to the replicated medium C-shape maple neck (“It’s its own profile,” Gueikian says), to the period-correct weight of the mahogany body.

To that last point, Jones says, “I told Gibson, ‘You know, the wood was different back then…’ And they went, ‘We’re going to match it.’ And the guitar is heavy, man.” Needless to say, this is no typical Les Paul – and that goes for much more than the eye-catching finish. Take the distinctive pickup set.

At some point early in Tool’s career, Jones replaced his Les Paul’s stock bridge humbucker with a high-output Seymour Duncan DDJ. But beyond merely installing a DDJ in the new Silverburst, Gibson had it custom-wound by the same Seymour Duncan employee, Maricela “MJ” Juarez.

“We called Seymour Duncan and we said, ‘We want MJ to wire the DDJs just like she did the original stock in 1980, which is what Adam has in his guitar,” Gueikian says. What’s more, he continues, “Adam swapped out the original Gibson pot for that pickup with a DiMarzio pot. So we found the exact same DiMarzio pot and put it in every Silverburst.”

The neck pickup in the new Silverburst, meanwhile, is a Gibson Custombucker – and just like in Jones’ guitar, it’s reverse-mounted. Jones first got the idea to flip the pickup over from a friend, Melvins frontman Buzz Osborne. “It gives you a different polarity and it really helps with the sound,” he says.

Other features on the Silverburst, meanwhile, include a three-piece maple top, 22-fret ebony fingerboard with mother-of-pearl block inlays, large-button Schaller M6 tuners and a Tune-O-Matic bridge and Stop Bar tailpiece. And then there’s that distinctive finish.

According to Jones, the color on the original Silverburst had “metallic elements in it, which made it yellow over time and gave the guitar kind of a green-ish hue.” Matching that hue was a painstaking endeavor, involving processes like reverse engineering and decomposition.

“The way the color ages is extremely unique,” Gueikian says, “and every Silverburst finish looks different. So it was a very cool project.” The result is, likewise, a very cool guitar. The Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom is available in two limited versions – an Aged & Signed offering, produced in a run of just 79 examples, and a VOS (Vintage Original Spec) batch of 179.

Additionally, each one features a replica of Jones’ headstock mirror (first purchased at a truck stop on tour and mounted, he explains, “to catch the lights when we’re onstage”), as well as a custom-designed graphic on the back of the headstock.

To top off the impressive package, the guitar comes in a custom hardshell case emblazoned with an “Adam Jones 1979” logo designed by Tool artist Joyce Su and finished, like the Les Paul itself, in Silverburst.

It’s a package that goes beyond a mere artist signature model. But as Gueikian says, “I think Adam goes beyond just being a guitar player. I don’t know how to describe what he does – maybe it’s more like a ‘sonic architect.’”

Now, Jones has the perfect instrument with which to craft those spiraling sonic architectures. “I have my vintage Silverbursts and I have my brand-new ones and they all sound the same,” he says. “It’s great.”

What’s more, Jones continues, “For the person interested in getting what I get out of the guitar, I think they’re going to be very happy with the results, too. So I’m just floating on air, you know? I’m a foot above the ground.”'

• The Gibson 1979 Adam Jones Les Paul Custom is out now. See Gibson for more details.

The first time I heard Van Halen, a friend’s babysitter played the first album for me. It was like the clouds parting, or like aliens had landed and they were showing us how music is played. 

Running with the Devil – the guitar comes in and it chills you to the bone – in a good way. It scared me. And then Eruption comes on and you haven’t heard anything like it at all. It was a lot different from the freedom rock I was listening to at that time. It was weird music.  

And it’s inspiring music. When I started playing guitar I remember my brother telling me, “Oh, this is how he does the hammer-ons.” And he was showing me how to hit and pull the string – not with two hands, just one hand.

It was all so innovative. Eddie was a modern virtuoso. He influenced everyone. He created this springboard for every other guitar player. Just think about '80s guitar players all emulating Eddie Van Halen and trying to top him. Guys like Michael Angelo Batio – “I need two necks!” “I need four necks!” 

A lot of people, when I’d tell them how much I like Eddie Van Halen they would say, “Well, I don’t really hear it in your guitar playing…” And yeah, I’m more of a rhythm guitar player, and my leads are more like a vocal. But Eddie had stuff like Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love – his leads in that [song] are very vocal-ish and very structured, with a lot of discipline. My ringtone is Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love. 

Eddie’s son Wolf is a big Tool fan and a really cool guy, and he brought his dad to our show at the Staples Center [in L.A.] last year. I don’t know if you saw that thing online where there was a guy in the audience that asked someone to take his photo, and he doesn’t realize the guy he asked is Eddie Van Halen, the greatest guitar player ever. It was great.

Afterward, Wolf brought his dad to my dressing room and we had a good talk. Eddie was so humble and I was really happy to have that moment with him. To have one of your ultimate heroes shake your hand and say, “Hey, what you’re doing, it’s really cool,” it’s like a trophy.

Meeting Eddie Van Halen and having him tell you that he thought your show was really cool and you’re a good guitar player? That’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. I feel lucky to have had that music in my life and to have that influence. And even though people can’t pinpoint it to what I do, it is absolutely there. Especially my riff writing – it’s influenced by Eddie Van Halen. Absolutely.

I worship that music. I connect with the way he experimented, and just the idea of taking what you do as far as you can take it. One hundred years from now, when people talk about music and the history of music, they will talk about Van Halen, and Eddie’s name will always be there. That guy will live forever.

Adam Jones was speaking to Richard Bienstock

An entire pallet of newly released Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom electric guitars has been stolen – and Gibson is asking guitar enthusiasts to help recover the missing models.

The pallet containing 13 guitars was taken from a Sweetwater music truck at the Flying J Travel Center in Whiteland, Indiana, on October 30. The guitars were being transported to Sweetwater's headquarters in Fort Wayne, Indiana to be delivered to customers.

Gibson and Sweetwater believe the theft was planned in advance.

“Somehow out of a truck full of guitars, this ONE pallet was singled out and stolen at a truck stop,” said Sweetwater Chief Supply Chain And Merchandising Officer Phil Rich in a joint statement with Gibson. “We feel this person/s knew exactly what to look for and when.”

The new signature model – which was unveiled by Gibson just last week when it announced a multi-year partnership with the Tool guitarist – comes in two editions: an aged and signed version limited to only 79 guitars and retailing at $9,999, and a VOS version limited to a run of 179 and going for $5,999.

Of the guitars that were taken, four were the $9,999 models and nine were the VOS editions.

“These guitars were the dream guitars of 13 Gibson and Adam Jones fans, who had been patiently waiting for them to be delivered,” said Gibson CMO Cesar Gueikian. “We have decided to publish the serial numbers of the 13 stolen guitars and are appealing to all of Gibson’s fans to keep an eye out for them and let us know if they surface.”

He went on: “Our fans should ask any third-party sellers for a serial number before purchasing to be sure they are not being sold one of the stolen guitars.”

Echoing Gueikian's statement, David Fuhr, SVP of The Sweetwater Experience, chimed in: “Our loyal customers have been waiting a long time to receive these guitars and will be devastated. 

“We hope Gibson and Sweetwater’s tight-knit community of guitarists will be able to help us recover the stolen items and that the people responsible for the theft are caught.”

The serial numbers of the stolen guitars are as follows:

Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom Aged and Signed

• 73529531 #42
• 73529531 #69
• 73529531 #41
• 73529531 #71

Gibson Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom VOS

• 73529111
• 73529047
• 73529114
• 73529145
• 73529072
• 73529030
• 73529091
• 73529126
• 73529024

Anyone with information on the stolen guitars is being urged to contact Detective Kenny Polley of the Whiteland Police Department at KPolley@whitelandpd.us or (317) 535-8100.

After many months of teases and previews, Gibson has finally officially released the Tool guitarist’s first-ever signature electric guitar, the Custom Shop Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom.

The Silverburst model will be available in two variants: one has been aged by Gibson Custom’s Murphy Lab, to recreate every piece of wear and tear on Jones’ #1 touring guitar. Just 79 will be available, and will be signed and numbered by Jones himself.

There will also be 179 VOS replicas, which feature exclusive silkscreen artwork on the rear of the headstock, designed by Jones and Joyce Su, who also collaborated on the guitar’s Silverburst hardcases.

Both models aim to replicate not only the look, but also the feel of Jones’ guitar, capturing his #1 Les Paul’s neck profile, as well as the sound, courtesy of a hand-wound Seymour Duncan Distortion bridge pickup, custom capacitors, and a DiMarzio volume pot.

Every detail has been replicated, says Gibson, right down to the diamond-shaped strap buttons and the mirror Jones affixes to his guitar’s headstock, which comes included.

Intriguingly, Gibson Brands’ Cesar Gueikian says the model is the first in a “multi-year partnership with Adam Jones” – which, fingers crossed, means production-line and even Epiphone models could be on the cards for 2021. It also marks the first artist collaboration with Gibson’s new Custom Shop Murphy Lab.

To celebrate the release, Jones has also masterminded a new animated short film, The Witness, for which he composed and performed the music.

Not only that, but Tool bandmates Justin Chancellor and Danny Carey appear on bass and percussion duties, while longtime collaborator Joe Barresi handled the mixing. That makes The Witness the closest we’re likely to get to new Tool music in 2020, following 2019’s long-awaited Fear Inoculum.

Jones has long relied on Silverburst Les Paul Customs for his expansive tone, but this release marks his first official signature model.

“I have a true love for that color and that guitar in general,” he told Guitar World last year. “I believe that particular metallic paint does something to the tone or the resonance or the polarity somehow.”

The Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom is available now in VOS and Aged & Signed formats for $5,999 and $9,999 respectively.

Head over to Gibson for more info.