It’s the 100th anniversary of the Les Paul this year – a guitar that has been used by some of the greatest musicians on the planet, with the likes of Jimmy Page and Slash producing some of rocks most iconic riffs.
To celebrate the occasion, Kerrang! spoke to Bring The Horizon shredder/Les Paul user Lee Malia about the legendary axe, and his first memories of playing guitar. Guitar nerds: this one’s for you…
Hey, Lee! How old were you when you first picked up a guitar? Can you tell us your first-ever memories…
“I think I was about 14 – maybe a little bit younger. I always had guitars and stuff in my house, but I was never bothered by them because I was into football. Just randomly, my dad had S&M, the Metallica CD, and he always had a load of classic rock. I heard that and it just got me into music and I just wanted to learn it. I got really into Metallica for about five years.”
What was the first guitar you owned, and how did you end up playing Gibson?
“I had a super-cheap Fender copy thing that I brought for like 80 quid. It was a shitty guitar but I always wanted a Gibson, however I could never afford one when I was younger. Eventually I met the guys from Gibson in Germany, and they were nice enough to help me out and give me a couple of guitars. Since then, all I’ve played is Gibson. I love them – I think they are great.”
It’s the 100th anniversary of the Les Paul this year… As a guitarist, what do you think when you see that guitar?
“It’s pretty much… When you see one, you just think of rock music, no matter who you are, or what type of person. When you see a Les Paul, it makes you think of rock bands. I think it’s just the most iconic guitar you can ever see onstage. It’s solid, it’s pretty simple but that’s why I like them – they’re old-school and heavy, they always sound awesome and I could get a new one tomorrow and it will still sound awesome! It’s not like you have to try and make them sound good – they just always do.”
