Gibson has unveiled the latest in its long line of Slash signature guitars: a reproduction of his trusty Jessica Les Paul.
‘Jessica’ is the Guns N’ Roses titan’s main stage guitar, and has remained his go-to instrument for live performances ever since he retired his Kris Derrig and Max Baranet LP replicas in the late ‘80s.
Its return was first teased back during Gibson’s exclusive 2024 lineup preview. Slash also revealed a prototype Jessica was in the works with a not-so-cryptic Instagram back in August 2023.
Slash first acquired Jessica around 1988. The guitar was one of two factory seconds with three-piece tops that Gibson sent Slash. Originally, the guitar came fitted with a bright Cherry Sunburst, though was later re-finished with a slightly more subtle Honey Burst.
While in Slash’s hands, the factory reject would go on to become a crucial player in Slash's GN’R and Velvet Revolver days, and would be subjected to a fair deal of wear and tear.
As Slash explained in Slash: The Collection: “This guitar has been with me since 1988. It’s faded, I fucking dropped a cigarette on it... I named it when I was drunk but I don’t remember what the catalyst for that was!”
In practice, it is still used live for Appetite For Destruction material and some songs from the Use Your Illusion era, with Slash explaining: “I take a lot of guitars out on the road but this still has a very specific sound compared to all the other Les Pauls I have out there.”
Some of this backstory is reflected in the replica, with the Honey Burst Jessica Les Paul Standard also flaunting a red back. However, a lot of it has been left out.
The cigarette burns are nowhere to be seen, for example, and the aging of the finish has been ignored, with the guitar offering an unblemished colorway ripe for its own authentic relic’ing.
Gibson stays true to a three-piece plain maple top, a non-weight-relieved mahogany body and a mahogany neck with a ‘50s Vintage neck profile. Elsewhere, there’s a 12” radius Indian rosewood fingerboard, 22 medium jumbo frets, acrylic trapezoid inlays and a Graph Tech nut.
A pair of Custom Burstbuckers (not Seymour Ducan Slash signatures, notably) also make the cut, as does an aluminum Tune-O-Matic bridge, Stop Bar tailpiece and Schaller strap locks. For signature flourishes, the Slash logo and signature can be found on the rear of the headstock and truss rod cover.
In other words, it comes fitted with almost everything you’d expect from a signature Jessica Les Paul replica.
“Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver fans will undoubtedly be familiar with the guitar that Slash named 'Jessica,'” Gibson writes. “Jessica has been Slash’s main stage guitar since 1988.
“The original Jessica was a factory second and one of two Les Paul guitars that Gibson sent to Slash in the late 80s. Now Gibson is proud to introduce a new model based on Slash’s old favorite.”
The Jessica Les Paul is available now for $3,199 – pricing it identically alongside the Appetite Burst and Victoria Goldtop models.
Visit Gibson to find out more.
