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.