Slash: Artist Gift Guide
Published on 29 November 2024
Slash is one of the few true guitar heroes out there. Instantly recognisable, instantly iconic and beloved across the globe for his dedication to all things hard rock, Slash is as much a guitar institution as he is a human being.
Generation after generation of music fans gravitate towards the orbit of his greatness, and that means that you probably know somebody who is a Slash fan. If you’re looking to buy that special person a gift, something Slash-related will always go down well.
There’s a bunch of cool stuff out there, so I’ve put together a handy list for you today: it has everything we sell that’s related to the Guns n Roses megastar, and I’ve ordered it to run from most affordable to most expensive.
Have a glance at the list and see if I can’t inspire your gift-giving!
The Gifts at a Glance
Dunlop Tortex 1.14mm guitar picks
Gibson leather Slash Guitar Strap
Epiphone Les Paul Standard 50s
Gibson Slash Les Paul Standard Signature Models
Dunlop Tortex 1.14mm guitar picks
If only a small gift is required for your needs, you can show off some excellent insider knowledge by going for a pack of these superb Dunlop Tortex 1.14mm picks. Otherwise referred to as ‘Tortex purple’, these are the exact picks that Slash has used for the majority of his career.
Slash doesn’t currently have any signature picks available with custom graphics on them, but these are the real deal regardless. You’ll look like you did your homework when you present your giftee with these purple plectrums!
Ernie Ball Strings
There’s a theme for purple going on here! Slash exclusively uses Ernie Ball guitar strings, and his preferred gauge is 11-48, otherwise known as Power Slinkys. They are heavier than normal guitar strings, but that extra weight feels best to Slash and helps him to achieve his inimitable sound.
You can choose from either the standard Ernie Ball Power Slinky set (available in single sets or a 3 pack), or the newer Ernie Ball Paradigm Power Slinkys, which are virtually unbreakable!
Gibson leather Slash Guitar Strap
This is a beautiful gift for the guitarist who wants to literally wear their inspiration! This official Gibson Slash strap is nice and wide, it’s fully adjustable (it’ll fit on absolutely any acoustic or electric guitar) and features a gold printed design of Slash’s ‘Skully’ trademark logo. Very cool.
Seymour Duncan Pickups
Pickups play a significant part in the production of a guitar sound. Slash is a big user of Seymour Duncan pickups, which are handmade in Santa Barbara, California. They are one of the biggest and most famous pickup manufacturers in the world, trusted by millions of professionals.
Slash actually has a relatively large number of pickup models available. They are all humbuckers, so they’d need to directly replace another humbucker pickup in the giftee’s guitar. Different models are available for the bridge and the neck positions, so a player’s guitar can be quite specifically modified to their (and Slash’s) tastes.
My recommendation? The newest Seymour Duncan Slash 2.0 bridge position pickup, in the ‘zebra’ style (cream and black colours), because these are hotter sounding, which I think will make more of an obviously positive impact to a player’s tone. All of Slash’s pickups sound great, but these have extra fun-factor!
MXR Slash Octave Fuzz
Here is a very cool - and surprisingly intense sounding - fuzz pedal. It’s the MXR JD-SF01 Octave Fuzz, an official Slash signature distortion effect.
Rather than recreating his main guitar sound (which is achieved with a Gibson Les Paul guitar and a Marshall amplifier), this pedal gives Slash a particularly different type of sound altogether. It’s a gnarly, vicious-sounding fuzz tone (like a deliberately lo-fi distortion) with added higher and lower frequencies available to dial in via the pedal’s controls. This is definitely one of those ‘wake the neighbours’ pedals! It’s actually great for all kinds of scuzzy rock tones, not just Slash-centric sounds, so there’s mileage to be had in this pedal.
Slash Crybaby Wah Pedals
The wah sound is integral to Slash’s guitar solos. A wah pedal is an effect you continuously control by rocking your foot forwards and backwards to shape the quasi-vowel sounds that give the wah its name.
Slash is a highly significant proponent of the wah, and he has two different Crybaby models available from Dunlop. One - the SC95 Slash Classic Crybaby - is a straightforward, simple wah with a distressed-looking chassis that matches the MXR octave pedal we just saw.
The other - the SW-95 Crybaby - is bright red and has a built in distortion boost for when you need ‘more’ for solos. This pedal maybe offers more, but it also requires double the batteries to work (or a different power supply), so neither one is automatically better. If in doubt, I’d say to go for the more simple SC95 Classic model. It’s straightforward, it’s classic, and it’s very effective.
Epiphone Les Paul Standard 50s
The Les Paul is synonymous with Slash. In the 80s when everybody went mad for superstrats, Slash singularly stood tall with his Les Pauls, keeping their visibility throughout the decade.
We’ll see some pretty special Gibson Les Pauls in a second, but I also want to show you this excellent model from Epiphone. Epiphone are owned by Gibson and produce affordable, accurate replicas of their classic guitar designs.
This Epiphone Les Paul Standard 50s - shown here in a colour called Vintage Burst - is, to my mind, a very good version of the type of Les Paul that Slash prefers: it has a nice chunky neck, good quality pickups and a proper flamed maple top for a traditional look.
Classic in every way, and a real performer, this guitar is perfect for those looking to gift an excellent but still affordable guitar to a Slash fan.
Gibson Slash Les Paul Standard Signature Models
And now we move onto the real deal USA- made Gibson guitars. These are top, professional quality instruments made in Nashville, Tennessee. Slash is actually an official brand ambassador of Gibson guitars, which is perfect alignment for an artist so closely associated with the brand.
Gibson currently make a number of Slash signature Les Pauls, with some models offering a choice of finishes. The most popular choice would undoubtedly be the Gibson Slash Les Paul Standard Appetite Burst, which looks the most like his famous Appetite for Destruction guitar. It features a wonderful flamed top in just the correct shade of translucent amber colour (contrasted with a lovely heritage cherry back), and is fitted with custom Gibson pickups. Slash’s name adorns the truss rod cover for a subtle reference to the great man and you can also choose a ‘November Burst’ finish for this model, in reference to a certain GnR classic song!
The Gibson Slash Les Paul Jessica model has a non-figured top, and looks pretty gorgeous to me eyes, and very ‘Slash’.
There’s also the goldtop Gibson Slash Les Paul Victoria which - like the Jessica (above) - is based on a specific guitar from Slash’s own collection. The Victoria is very similar to the Jessica, apart from the metallic gold finish.
Though visually varying, each of these Slash models offers a very similar playing experience and sound. It’s classic rock through and through and I’d recommend them as exceptional gifts to anybody who loves the man in the top hat!
Give the Gift of Slash
From under a tenner to well past two grand, this list ties together most of the Slash-related gear we have. The great thing about it all is that this equipment is as ‘Slash’ or ‘non-Slash’ as you want it to be: loads of players who aren’t looking to replicate Slash’s sound or vibe still buy his gear because it’s very good and pretty universal.
For a happy hard-rocker this season, give the gift of Slash.
