Gibson Kirk Hammett ‘Greeny’ Les Paul Standard review

Following a pair of five-figure Custom versions, here’s the everyman Greeny. But is it a valid introduction or simply a slightly pimped version of an existing Les Paul?

Gibson Kirk Hammett 'Greeny' Les Paul Standard
(Image: © Future / Phil Barker)

Guitar World Verdict

This versatile Les Paul is raw power personified, and while you are stuck with that out-of-phase middle position, it provides another texture that might prove as useful tracking parts on a recording as chasing Greeny’s tone.

Pros

  • +

    Workhorse Les Paul vibe with thin satin finish.

  • +

    Crisp, clean build.

  • +

    Good weight.

  • +

    Powerful PAF voice.

  • +

    Musical out-of-phase sounds.

Cons

  • -

    The magnet flip means you can’t put the pickups in phase. Sharp binding edges.

  • -

    Quite an uplift in price from the standard Faded model.

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Few guitars come with such a historic and evocative backstory as the Greeny Les Paul. Pretty much whatever your age or taste in music, at least one if not all of the players involved – Peter Green, Gary Moore and Kirk Hammett, oh, and let’s not forget Les Paul himself – will be on your playlist. The appeal, the blanket publicity and the social media buzz mean that this guitar is a more than significant introduction. But what do we actually get for $3k?

It seems like a modded Gibson Les Paul Standard ’50s, the cornerstone of the Original Series, which has remained unchanged since its introduction, under new ownership, in late 2019. But thanks to its satin nitro finish, it’s actually based on the Faded version that appeared last year. 

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