The Big Review: Epiphone Slash Collection J-45 & ‘Victoria’ Les Paul Standard Goldtop

Following the introduction of a Gibson Slash Collection featuring Les Paul electrics and J-45 acoustics in myriad colourways, Epiphone has launched a new range directly inspired by Stoke-on-Trent’s greatest musical export. Budget-conscious rockers of the world rejoice!

READ MORE: Guitar Legends: Slash – the cat in the hat who saved hard rock guitar from itself

Opening the matching black Epiphone cases adorned with Slash’s familiar skull logo, we are greeted by a cheerful brace of instruments which from the nut down look pretty much identical to the Gibson Slash Core Collection guitars that we reviewed when they first hit the UK in early 2020. The headstocks do give the game away but it’s worth pointing out that the redesigned Epiphone ‘Kalamazoo’ headstock lends an air of gravitas and elegance to the brand’s latest models that the previous design never quite achieved.

Epiphone Slash Collection J45

In the electric corner we have the Chinese-made ‘Victoria’, an attractive Goldtop tribute to one of Slash’s beloved Les Pauls, complete with uncovered pickups ready to rock things sideways. The acoustic corner is occupied by an Indonesian-made slope-shoulder J-45 featuring a deep red Vermillion Burst finish for the more sensitive moments. The acoustic is also available in the more traditional two-tone November Burst, while the Epiphone Slash Les Paul Standard is to all intents and purposes the same as our Goldtop review model only with a flame maple veneer visible through Anaconda, Vermillion, November and Appetite Bursts.

We kick things off with Victoria. In an unorthodox move, Slash named his original Goldtop, upon which this guitar is based, after a woman responsible for the theft of several of his instruments. While most of the guitars eventually returned home, the Goldtop is still out there somewhere, presumably with its light-fingered namesake.

Epiphone Slash Collection J45

This is a good looking Les Paul and, at first glance, there’s not much to differentiate this instrument from its Gibson sibling. Yes, the shiny reflections on the gloss polyurethane finish are a giveaway, there are some slightly inaccurate areas of colour application and the gold lacks the depth of a nitrocellulose finish. But it still looks a lot more serious than the price-tag would suggest, and the Kluson-style tuners and nickel-plated hardware also add gravitas. The body weight is reassuring and the neck – carved to the same specifications as Slash’s Gibson models – has a beautifully full, chunky profile. The laurel fingerboard – an increasingly popular alternative to rosewood on budget instruments – looks the part too.

Epiphone Slash Collection J45

Speaking of chunky, the C-shaped neck on the J-45 is a bit of a beast. By no means unmanageable, it’s still quite a handful – just like the Gibson Slash J-45 model, in fact. In acoustic guitars a thick, solid neck is often a very welcome thing as it can prevent energy loss, and as the guitar features all-solid wood construction this certainly bodes well. As you might expect, the Epiphone Slash J-45 also comes stage-ready with an LR Baggs VTC active pickup system.

Epiphone Slash Collection J45

In use

Plugging Victoria Gold into a warmed-up Cornford Hurricane with just a wah pedal between axe and amp, we get an immediate shot of authentic-sounding rock ’n’ roll snarl. The pickups are Epiphone’s Custom ProBuckers – slightly overwound and hot, and unique to this series – and the bridge unit delivers a great take on that raucous, nasal Les Paul sound.

As expected, this guitar loves a bit of tube amp dirt. Powerchords are chewy and, well, powerful and the guitar lends a grippy feel to single notes and doublestops – the very thing for flamboyant pentatonic solos. If you’re looking to emulate Slash’s playing as well as his guitar choice then you’ll be gratified to learn that the big bends and wide-vibrato typical of the man himself are a breeze here.