Epiphone Kirk Hammett Greeny 1959 Les Paul Standard

21 Nov 2023 by Jef |

2,6 / 5,0 | Approximate reading time: 2 Minutes

Epiphone Kirk Hammett Greeny 1959 Les Paul Standard front · Source: Epiphone

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The Epiphone Kirk Hammett Greeny 1959 Les Paul Standard is officially out today, after being teased by Hammett live and by Gibson CEO Cesar Gueikian for the last few weeks.

Kirk Hammett Greeny 1959 Les Paul Standard

This Kirk Hammett Greeny 1959 Les Paul Standard by Epiphone was promised back when Gibson did the run of US-made Greeny models. Hammett wanted to make an affordable version of the famous ’59 Les Paul. A guitar once owned by Peter Green and Gary Moore.

Kirk has been spotted playing the Epiphone model live with Metallica for the last few weeks so it was no secret that it was coming out today.

Specifications

The key feature of this model is going to be the Gibson USA Greenybucker pickups, with the neck pickup reverse mounted and fitted with a reverse polarity magnet. These are wired using the standard 2 volume controls, and 2 tone controls. It has 50s wiring and uses CTS Potentiometers, and Mallory capacitors, plus a three-way switch.

The controls also have mismatched knobs to mimic the original guitar.

Headstock

Plus, this Epiphone has the correct Gibson shape headstock, which is normally only seen on some Japanese Epiphone models and is a welcome addition to the range.

Apart from that, this model is a typical Les Paul build and includes a mahogany back and neck, plus a maple top. The top has a AAA flame maple veneer to make it look closer to the original and to keep the costs down. Plus, this model features an Indian Laurel fretboard fitted with 22 medium jumbo frets.

Hardware

The nickel hardware includes a set of Grover Rotomatic tuners with spade buttons, plus an Epiphone tune-o-matic bridge and matching Epiphone LockTone stop bar.

The guitar also comes in a nice-looking vintage-style hardshell case with a tan exterior, and pink interior, and it has some custom artwork on.

Verdict

It is pretty expensive for an Epiphone, though in line with the recent Kirk Hammett Flying V models from last month. Apart from the US Gibson pickups and the headstock shape, it is pretty much an Epiphone Lazarus Joe Bonamassa model, which in 2021 was essentially half the price of this release.