Late last year, Adam Jones’ long-awaited Epiphone Les Paul Custom signature guitar finally arrived, though did so with an eyebrow-raising twist.
The initial Silverburst beauty was revealed to be one of seven in a series of limited-edition Epiphone Art Collection guitars, each of which will be limited to just 800 units apiece.
The artworks adorning the rear of the instruments were selected by the Tool maestro himself, with the first flashing an intricate “Veil of Bees” motif. The second, dubbed “The Berserker”, was even more eye-catching.
Now, the third Adam Jones Art Collection guitar has been unveiled – “Study for Self-Portrait with Rose Skirt and a Mouse”, which features artwork by Julie Heffernan.
Admittedly, that doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue quite like the previous Epiphone efforts. Stylistically, the baroque-flavored Heffernan model is the complete visual and thematic opposite of The Berserker, trading the fiery depiction of a sword-wielding warrior for something far more calming and peaceful.
Aesthetically speaking, it’s more aligned with the original Veil of Bees model, which boasted artwork composed by Mark Ryden.
As is always the case with Jones’ Art Collection models, the unique artwork on the back of the body is the only thing that separates “Self-Portrait” from its six-string siblings.
To recap its spec sheet, the Epiphone Les Paul Custom features a bound mahogany body with a maple cap, which is joined by an Adam Jones Custom-profile, three-piece bound maple neck. The block-inlaid ebony fretboard, meanwhile, offers 22 medium frets, a GraphTech nut and a 12” radius.
The 24.75”-scale LP also recruits a classic hardware combo comprising an Epiphone LockTone Tune-O-Matic and LockTone Stop Bar tailpiece, with vintage-style chrome tuners also making the cut.
In terms of tone, a reverse-mounted Epiphone ProBucker Custom neck pickup lines up alongside a Seymour Duncan Distortion bridge humbucker, and both are at the mercy of an orthodox Les Paul control layout.
Other notable Jones-specific specs include PosiLock strap buttons and a commemorative control cavity cover that features the name of the artwork and the artist.
Once again, the Self-Portrait model is available for $1,299.
We recently gave the Berzerker model a full 5 out of 5 review, concluding, “Aesthetically and tonally, this could easily be the finest Les Paul ever produced by Epiphone”.
Head over to Epiphone for more information.
