Speaking to Guitar World “Wino” Les Paul Custom guitar , Alice In Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell reflected on the time the band toured with Van Halen and returned home to discover that Eddie Van Halen had sent them some guitars and a whole set of equipment as a gift.
Cantrell says: “That was incredible. He had a really huge heart. It meant a lot at the time and it means even more to me now that he’s gone, that he cared about me. We had a little bond, you know, it was a really cool thing. Whenever we had the chance to hang out, go play pool or just meet at his hotel and pull out some guitars or just sit backstage. Sometimes I’d arrive late for soundcheck and I’d show up and he’d be there with the band, rocking out with them (laughs).”.
According to Cantrell, Eddie Van Halen's two guitars mean a lot to him. One of them was the Goldtop, which disappeared while he was recording his 2002 solo album, Degradation Trip . He says someone stole it from the studio.
Fortunately, the guitarist eventually recovered it a few years ago. Some Alice In Chains fans and collectors tracked down the boy who had the guitar and were trying to convince him to sell it. He ignored the first offer. Then, there was a second collector. After these attempts, it took him another two weeks to get the guitar back, after almost 19 years.
For the past 127 years, Gibson – the iconic American instrument brand – has been synonymous with creating and shaping sound across musical genres and generations of musicians. Today, the Gibson Custom Shop announced the release of the limited edition Jerry Cantrell “Wino” Les Paul Custom guitar, marking the first official collaboration between Gibson luthiers and the legendary singer, songwriter, guitarist, and co-founder of Alice In Chains, Jerry Cantrell.
“The Wino has always been one of my favorite guitars,” says Jerry Cantrell. “It’s a really beautiful guitar.”
Only 100 of the new Jerry Cantrell “Wino” Les Paul Custom guitars were handcrafted by the expert luthiers at Gibson Custom Shop. Each guitar in this very special limited series is personally autographed on the back of the headstock by Jerry Cantrell. The Jerry Cantrell “Wino” Les Paul Custom guitar is available for purchase on the brand's official website.
