RAMMSTEIN Guitarist Talks About Signature Les Paul Guitar

Long the fiercest voice in European metal, the enigmatic Paul Landers has propelled RAMMSTEIN with his fiery riffs and uncompromising attitude since the band's inception in 1994. Born of Russian descent in East Berlin, Germany, Landers always has displayed a knack for extreme tones and subtly heavy styling — both of which are captured in spades by the new Paul Landers Signature Les Paul by Gibson USA. This supercharged new guitar takes the traditional elements that have made the Les Paul Standard a favorite among rockers for more than five decades, and totally upgrades them for the no-nonsense metal merchant. The result is an EMG-equipped tone machine with nothing to get in the way of your riffmeistery other than a single volume control, packed in über attitudinal satin-black and silver styling. As a take-no-prisoners electric for the seriously heavy rocker, the Paul Landers Signature Les Paul simply can't be beat.

The cornerstone of the Paul Landers Signature Les Paul lies in the traditional ingredients that have put the Les Paul at the top of the tone tower since 1952. The body is made from solid mahogany, strategically weight relieved for a more comfortable playing experience and enhanced resonance, and topped by a carved solid maple cap. From the mahogany's depth and richness to the maple's punch and clarity, this pairing is a match made in tone heaven. The glued-in neck is carved from solid quarter-sawn mahogany to a rounded '50s profile, and topped with a dark obeche fingerboard. Body and neck are finished in hand-sprayed Satin Ebony in nitrocellulose lacquer. Silver binding graces the body, and the minimalist styling is enhanced by the total absence of fingerboard inlays or pickguard, while the headstock is adorned by a mother-of-pearl Gibson logo and silver silkscreened "Les Paul Model" (rather than the usual gold) in keeping with the silver-and-black theme. Even the precision PLEK-cut nut is made from black Corian, and to tip off this guitar as something truly special, a silver disk engraved "Paul Landers #1" is attached to the back of the headstock.

The hot, beating heart of the Paul Landers Signature Les Paul is represented by a pair of Paul's choice of EMG pickups. These active humbuckers have been a favorite of heavy rock and metal players for decades, and provide unparalleled power, range and sustain. A silver-covered EMG 60 in the neck position offers deep, warm tones with incredible clarity, while an EMG 81 in the bridge position cranks out unbelievable levels of crunch and screaming lead tones, all with impressive resistance to noise. The pickups are linked via a traditional three-way toggle switch to a single chrome-knobbed volume control, which has been moved further up and forward from the customary position to make it accessible for easy "pinky finger" volume swells. A chrome TonePros Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece provide a solid anchor at the body end, while a set of locking chrome Grover tuners with keystone buttons clamp your strings tightly at the headstock. Add it all up, and the Paul Landers Signature Les Paul takes you straight to the meanest metal tones available today, in a showstopping style that's guaranteed to get you noticed. All guitars include a Gibson hardshell case and owner's manual, and are covered by Gibson's Limited Lifetime Warranty and 24/7/365 Customer Service.

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Tags:  Rammstein, Gibson, Paul Landers  

Jason Fisher    June 19, 2012