For 150 years, Epiphone has been a leading innovator in instrument design. By leveraging its iconic past and leaning into the future, Epiphone has now set the stage for the next era of sound for present and future generations. Epiphone is proud announce the long-awaited Adam Jones and Epiphone partnership has now arrived with the release of the Epiphone Adam Jones Les Paul Custom Art Collection. This unprecedented, limited-edition collection blends Adam’s love of fine art and music, resulting in seven, iconicand unique Les Paul Custom Silverburst masterpieces which feature the artwork of five distinguished visual artists curated by Adam Jones of TOOL. The Epiphone Adam Jones Les Paul Custom Art Collection is now available worldwide at authorized Epiphone dealers and on www.epiphone.com.
The second model to debut in the Adam Jones Les Paul Custom Art Collection is Frank Frazetta’s “The Berserker.” Known as the Godfather of fantasy art, acclaimed artist Frank Frazetta was an illustrator of comic books, movie posters and paperback book covers whose visions helped define fantasy heroes like Conan, Tarzan, John Carter of Mars, and more. This guitar displays Frank Frazetta’s masterpiece, “Berserker” on the back of the guitar, artwork on the rear headstock is designed by world-renowned artist Korin Faught. The artwork “Berserker,” also known as “Conan The Conqueror,” was painted by Frazetta in 1968, for the cover of the Conan The Conqueror paperback novel by author Robert E. Howard. The original artwork is currently owned by Kirk Hammett of Metallica and Conan® is a registered trademark of Conan Properties International LLC.
Frank Frazetta was born in Brooklyn on February 9, 1928, and as a boy studied art at the Brooklyn Academy of Fine Arts. He began drawing for comic books of all stripes–westerns, mysteries, fantasies–when he was still a teenager. He was also a good enough baseball player to try out for the New York Giants. Frazetta was a versatile and prolific comic book artist who, in the 1940s and ’50s, drew for comic strips like Al Capp’s “Lil’ Abner” and comic books like “Famous Funnies,” for which he contributed a series of covers depicting the futuristic adventurer, Buck Rogers. Explore the artwork of Frank Frazetta, HERE.
“My exposure to Frank Frazetta began early in my life. There’s something about his artwork that has spoken to me for as long as I can remember,” says Adam Jones. “When I was very young, I would save money to buy his adult comic art and pulp novel covers without my parents’ knowledge, sneaking them into the house undetected. To this day, as I work on my own projects, I’m transported back to those moments of discovery and influence. Frank’s technical prowess is unmatched in his genre (I’m such a proud nerd…) and he continues to be one of my heroes.
When Cesar at Gibson and I discussed a line of fine art-enhanced guitars, I hoped we would get permission to use one of Frank’s images, and I am so grateful to his estate for allowing us to use ‘Berserker’ on this Epiphone Les Paul.”
“I was 13 years old when I first heard the TOOL song ‘Schism,’ it immediately resonated with me on a spiritual level and I’ve been a fan ever since,” adds Sara Frazetta, Granddaughter of Frank Frazetta. “To collaborate with Adam Jones and my Grandfather’s artwork on this gorgeous new Epiphone Art Collection of guitars has been amazing and seeing the guitars, it’s clear Frazetta’s art was destined for guitars.”
Watch the video for the Epiphone Adam Jones Les Paul Custom Art Collection,HERE, and explore the collection HERE.
The Adam Jones Les Paul Custom Art Collection: Frank Frazetta’s “The Berserker” isn’t just an art piece to hang on the wall; it’s an exceptional instrument for players to craft their own masterpiece. The Epiphone Adam Jones Les Paul Custom Art Collection has a bound mahogany body with a maple cap, a three-piece bound maple neck with an Adam Jones Custom profile, and an ebony fretboard. It is equipped with a reverse-mounted Epiphone ProBucker™ Custom humbucker™ in the neck position and a Seymour Duncan® Distortion in the bridge; both are wired to CTS® potentiometers and Orange Drop® capacitors. A Marquee Back Plate with Frank Frazetta’s name and the title of the artwork, “The Berserker” is also included. The guitar is finished in Antique Silverburst as an homage to Adam’s beloved original Silverbust 1979 Gibson® Les Paul Custom, a Protector hardshell case is also included.
The Epiphone Adam Jones Art Collection consists of seven, Silverburst Les Paul™ Custom models, each featuring reproductions of different works of fine art on the back. Adam curated all of the featured artwork, and selected five distinguished artists Mark Ryden, Frank Frazetta, Julie Heffernan, Korin Faught, and Ernst Fuchs for the collection; additional artwork designed by world-renowned artist Korin Faught, adorns the back of the headstock of each model. Only 800 guitars of each model from this unprecedented, extremely limited edition run will be produced.
One of the rock’s most talented and sonically innovative guitarists, Adam Jones is renowned as the guitarist for the band TOOL, as well as his work as a visual artist, sculptor, videographer, producer, and special effects designer (Jurassic Park, Terminator 2, Edward Scissorhands, Ghostbusters II, Batman Returns, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3, 4 and 5, Dances with Wolves, Bride of the Re-Animator, Pet Sematary, Shocker, and License To Kill).
The Epiphone Adam Jones Les Paul Custom Art Collection guitars are a new take on Adam’s #1 guitar, his prized original Gibson Silverburst 1979 Gibson Les Paul, and Adam was heavily involved in creating the new guitar. Utilizing his extensive experience in visual art, special effects and design, Adam Jones is both the director of the majority of Tool’s music videos and creates the visual experience on stage for the band. For the world premiere of the Gibson Custom Shop Adam Jones Les Paul, Adam composed and scored “The Witness” a new song and animated short film. Watch/share the “The Witness,” on Gibson TV, HERE.
Explore the Epiphone Adam Jones Les Paul Custom Art Collection “The Berserker,” HERE.
