Key Of Grey

Photo courtesy of Epiphone

September 4th, 2008 – Epiphone is launching a signature Slash Les Paul that will be released in very limited numbers. Only two thousand guitars will be released worldwide, each including a bag of schwag, and will include a hand-signed  (by Slash) certificate of authenticity. For an expected price of a grand, that’s some good value for an Epiphone.

In my post a couple week ago, I asked if brand names were important when deciding what to spend your money on. The Slash Epiphone is interesting for a couple reasons. First, limited edition models are usually released on the premium brand which would be Gibson in this case. As well, signature models usually retail for much more than the normal premium version. For example, the Zakk Wylde edition Les Paul hasn’t yet appeared under the Epiphone name, and is more expensive than a typical base-model Les Paul.

The only model that I know of in Fender’s or Gibson’s lines that bucks this trend is the Tak Matsumoto Epiphone. Unlike other Epiphones, this one lists for $1800 dollars and is rumoured to have better quality than even some higher end Les Pauls. Reviews I’ve read say that it truly is a premium guitar and pretty good value too, if you can get over the fact that it’s under the Epiphone brand. Contrary to the Slash guitar, though, it’s not a limited edition and is simply a signature model. I believe that model is built in Japan which is why it’s so pricey.

That leads me to another interesting thing about the Slash Epiphone. For the price point to be at $1000 MSRP, with all the nice schwag it comes with, the guitar must not be made in the USA or Japan. So is the “limited edition” posteuring all smoke and mirrors? Do you think collectors would pay for this guitar knowing that it wasn’t made in one of the premium manufacturing facilities? Would Slash fans cough up the grand for this guitar?

NB. If you’re a fan of 80′s rock, check out Tak Matsumoto’s music. He is a solo artist and also one half of the Japanese super-band B’z. They’ve sold close to, or over, a hundred million albums just in Japan. He’s definitely of the hair-band era, so if you’re not into that music, steer clear. Steve Vai has referred to him as a musical genius and he is now a prolific producer (along with the yearly releases by the B’z). I own the last of three prototypes (procured through a Gibson charity auction), that were used for his limited edition Les Pauls. While he sells signature models through the Epiphone line in the US, he had a limited edition line (only 99 guitars I believe) of Gibson Les Pauls available only in Japan (he can be seen playing it in this video). That guitar retailed for around 6 grand and sold out immediately. Guitars of that run can fetch upwards of 10 thousand dollars today. He now has 4 signature models in Japan. I never thought I’d be able to afford one, but Ebay (the dude selling had no idea what he had), and many 60 hour weeks, came to the rescue. But enough about me, what guitars do you have?

via MusicRadar