Gibson Artist Signature Guitars: Your 2025 Guide
As one of the two biggest names in guitar making, Gibson can claim a huge number of famous and influential players. Their Les Paul and SG designs go beyond mere ‘world famous’ and well past ‘iconic’. Everything’s iconic these days, but those guitars are - and have always been - potent symbols of the very spirit of rock n roll.
Many of us choose at least some of our guitar purchases based on famous name associations. It makes sense, after all: we want to learn, understand and even occasionally imitate those whom we admire, and using the same equipment gets us a step closer.
Since Gibson have a long and rich heritage of visible use by the world’s top stars, there are understandably a high number of signature instruments available from them.
These Gibson signature guitars naturally change over the years. Some evergreen artists persist and so do their guitars; others are available for only a limited time. In today’s guide, I aim to show you some of the best, most collectible and most interesting examples that are (mostly) available right now to buy. I’ll include as many as I can think of, and I’ll include the Gibson Custom Shop too, when appropriate.
What won’t be in today’s list are any Epiphone models. Gibson’s sister brand have absolutely loads of their own signature models to fill a blog of their own - both originals and affordable takes on guitars you’ll see in today’s list. So, today is about Gibson, and their finest Artist signature guitars!
And no, I don’t count the Les Paul as a signature guitar, even though it technically is. We’re waaaay past that, people. Let’s move on!
Contents: The Gibson Signature models at a Glance…
Gibson Custom Shop Gene Simmons G2 Thunderbird Bass
Gibson Lzzy Hale Explorebird Cardinal Red
Gibson Adam Jones Les Paul Standard
Gibson Custom Shop Johnny WInter Firebird
Gibson Custom Shop BB King Lucille
Gibson Custom Shop Eric Clapton 1958 Les Paul Custom
Gibson Custom Shop Trini Lopez
The Gibson Slash Collection
The Guns n Roses main guitar man has probably done more than anyone else in the last 50 years to make the Gibson Les Paul a familiar sight. Even to casual rock fans, they’ll see a Les Paul and excitedly say, ‘Oh yeah, that’s what Slash plays!’
He’s the people’s champion, and because of his huge popularity, he’s actually a Gibson Brand Ambassador. Gibson don’t really disclose the ins and outs of such an honorific, but to you and I, it means that they make loads of Slash signature stuff.
Chief to this is the collection of Slash Les Pauls that are available. The Gibson Slash Les Paul Standard really should come with a top hat and shades, so appropriate is it to his vibe. It doesn't, but you do get to choose from a number of lovely finishes including November Burst and Appetite Amber, with each guitar boasting a vivid AAA figured maple top. The latter is based on Slash’s famous (cough!) replica Les Paul from the Appetite For Destruction era, and is easily the most popular.
Another cool one is the plain-topped ‘Jessica’ which comes in Honey Burst with a red back. These all have Slash’s preferred neck carve and custom-wound pickups. Just buy your own top hat, ok? It’s not a big deal!
Gibson Kirk Hammett Greeny
Now, this is based on an exceedingly famous guitar! You probably know about it already, but for those who don’t…
Back in the 60s, Fleetwood Mac’s original guitarist Peter Green bought a wonderful 1959 vintage Gibson Les Paul Standard. In addition to it being of the rarest and most desirable period for Les Pauls EVER, it also had an unusual out-of-phase sound, due to either a mistake in production or modification by a previous owner.
Peter made great use of it before selling it. Blues rock great Gary Moore was the next high-profile user, and he kept it for decades. By now it was world famous as ‘Greeny’, and so Kirk Hammett - the guitar’s current custodian - is the third high profile player to engage in its mysterious powers.
You and I don’t have to completely miss out on the fun, though! Gibson had made some great replicas in recent years, from a fully aged-up Murphy Lab Custom Shop Greeny, to a standard Gibson USA Greeny that still looks - and more importantly, sounds - the part.
Gibson Marcus King ES-345
Recent Blues rock favourite Marcus King is an avowed Gibson guy. His favourite choice is the ES-345, and Gibson have recently seen fit to honour him with a signature model. Since it’s a signature guitar and not a reissue, this ES-345 does not have to commit to historicity. As such, you do get the golf hardware and split parallelogram inlays, but you also get a Maestro tailpiece, though without a tremolo. How idiosyncratic! Marcus also mustn’t be keen on the Varitone circuit or the stereo outputs, because neither are present on this guitar. No great loss, you may say? Well, either way, it’s a handsome beast, not to mention versatile.
Gibson Custom Shop Gene Simmons G2 Thunderbird Bass
Have Kiss not called it a day? About 8 times now? I wonder what Gene Simmons needs a signature bass for if his day job is done?
Well, whatever the case, I’m glad that Gibson have given him this Thunderbird, because it is waaaay cool. Gene’s bass is black and mirrored, for one thing, and features detailing such as reverse split diamond inlays in the fingerboard. Hipshot hardware and a set of classic covered T-Bird pickups make this a serious rocker.
Is it fireproof and fake blood-proof? I’d assume so, given who this bass is for, but do double check before arranging your pyro.
Gibson Lzzy Hale Explorebird Cardinal Red
Now then, what do you get when you cross a Gibson Explorer with a Firebird? Well, if you’re rock goddess Lzzy Hale then you land on the Explorebird, a fetching and pretty fresh take on two of Gibson’s most celebrated ‘shapes’.
It’s not a guitar for introverts, is it? From the bold (and unusual) Cardinal Red finish to the gold hardware (contrasting nicely with the black guard and pickups), this is an axe that screams for attention. I love this wild spin on the classics, and it’s a perfect platform for all types of rock riffing and soloing.
Gibson Adam Jones Les Paul Standard
Tool’s Adam Jones has done probably more than any other individual to promote the cause of the Silverburst Les Paul. He is so rarely seen without one of his old late 70s models, that he practically owns the style.
As Tool have now become one of the biggest metal bands on the planet, that visibility has meant that fans are clamouring for their own version of this most elusive of instruments. GIbson have delivered, in the form of the Adam Jones Les Paul Standard Antique Silverburst. Interestingly, they went for a Standard over a Custom, so this is more of a ‘based on’ instrument than a direct replica.
That said, there’s plenty of Tool magic here, from the mismatching pickups to the ebony fingerboard. The bridge pickup is pretty hot too, just the thing for those induced feedback moments that Jones is so fond of.
Gibson Elvis Dove
The King did love a good Gibson acoustic. Many would associate him with the SJ-200 model, but he played a number of them, including a lovely black Dove model. Gibson have immortalised that one for fans and collectors as the Gibson Elvis Dove.
Ironically, it doesn’t actually have a dove anywhere near it! You normally see it on the pickguard but this one is plain black, as if it should belong to Johnny Cash or something. It’s actually based on a special custom guitar that Elvis’ dad had made for him in 1969, which he played live and subsequently gave away to an audience member.
Why does that never happen at the gigs I go to?
Gibson Custom Shop Johnny WInter Firebird
Johnny Winter was an American blues giant who maybe didn’t get his dues. Well, I say that, but Gibson are making him his unspeakably cool 1964 Firebird V, so folk obviously do appreciate his dynamite talents.
This reverse Firebird is finished in Polaris White and that it’s been sent to Tom Murphy’s team for their special ageing process. It’s really impressive in the flesh, a proper old relic that just happens to be a new guitar! The cracking on the nitro is exquisite: it never shows up well in photos, so if you get the chance to inspect one of these in the flesh, I highly recommend it!
With mini humbuckers and long slices of mahogany, this thing sustains for days and offers a rich tone that’s maybe slightly leaner than the likes of a Les Paul.
Gibson Custom Shop BB King Lucille
Talking about blues legends, they don’t come any more celebrated than BB King. Everybody knows BB: alongside Muddy Waters, he’s maybe the top all-time electric blues player from the original years.
BB’s guitar is of course Lucille. Great guitars need great stories, and this one is a belter. Lucille got its name when King found himself grabbing his guitar and leaping out of a burning building. He later learned that the fire was caused by a fight over a woman named Lucille, and so christened his guitar with her name.
How about that?
Lucille is a custom take on a Gibson ES-355, the fanciest of that line of Gibson thinlines. It has a number of details that differentiate it from a production model guitar, with the most significant being the omission of f-holes. Yes indeed, look again and you’ll see that the Lucille is fully enclosed, but it’s still semi-hollow otherwise. It’s an elegant and distinguished guitar for an elegant and distinguished man.
Gibson Custom Shop Eric Clapton 1958 Les Paul Custom
Is this one of the most beautiful Gibsons ever? I reckon so, even without the awesome third pickup. This is of course modelled on Eric’s Disraeli Gears-era LP Custom. It's a real peach, and apparently the original one isn’t actually too heavy on the shoulder.
This replica had some exceptional case candy, from signed pickguards to a specially made Duck Brothers case. There were very few of these made, so apologies if you didn’t manage to grab one for yourself, but Gibson Custom Shop do produce a quite excellent - and largely similar - 1957 Les Paul Custom 3 Pickup, so you can still get exceedingly close!
Gibson Custom Shop Trini Lopez
You mean this isn’t a Dave Grohl? Yeah, Dave really pinched a couple of ideas from ol’ Trini, didn’t he? The Firebird headstock and diamond f-holes on an otherwise pretty straightforward Gibson ES make this kind of the original Dave Grohl model.
In reality, he used to use these all the time before he got his own signature model (currently made only by Epiphone, hence its absence here), so the lineage is fair enough.
Who even was Trini Lopez? Well, it’s Trinided Lopez III to you, thanks, and he was a singer from Texas. His big hit was a cover of If I Had a Hammer, and his taste in guitars was very on point. This current Gibson Custom Shop 1954 Trini Lopez Standard has a decorative tailpiece, a wonderfully chunky neck profile and Alnico III humbuckers, which you don’t see every day! These sit tonally right in the middle of the spectrum and are therefore about as versatile as it gets.
Gibson Dave Mustaine Flying V
Megadeth’s frontman is always going to be playing a ‘shape’ guitar, but given how outlandish some of his guitars have looked over the years (graphics of mascot Vic Rattlehead, winged demons etc etc), this Gibson Dave Mustaine Signature Flying V is pretty sensible looking!
Unusually for Gibson, it has a longer 25.5” scale length, presumably for extra tightness in the string feel. There are ‘teeth’ inlays, Dave’s Seymour Duncan pickups and an Explorer-style ‘hockeystick’ headstock. It’s built to rock hard and shred fast, with a look that isn’t so specific that you can’t take it to ‘softer’ gigs, too.
Gibson Artists
Gibson add new models to their artist signature range all the time. Today’s list is an indication of how diverse those artists actually are: from 60s popsters to 80s thrash masters, blues legends to rock icons. Each of them has made their Gibson guitar part of their personal statement, and all of them belong on the pedestal that Gibson have positioned them on.
Who deserves a signature Gibson, who hasn’t had one yet? Here’s a few that I’ve considered…
- Billy Howerdel - A Perfect Circle
- Bernard Butler - ex Suede
- Neil Young (surely they’ve asked him?!)
- Trent Reznor (he did actually have one in development, then vetoed it)
- Matt Heafy (time for an upgrade from Epiphone)
- Ray Toro - My Chemical Romance
- Daron Malakian - System of a Down
- James Hetfield (as if he doesn’t already have one!!!)
- Johnny Marr - The Smiths (they could do a joint signature model with Bernard Butler since it’s the same ES-355!)
So knows what we’ll see in the future? In the meantime, hit the button below to see all of our Gibson Artist Signature electric guitars!
Click to View our Gibson Artist Signature Guitars
