This is an excellent, near-mint Adam Jones Epiphone 1979 Les Paul Custom, with hardshell case and all the original case candy. To properly understand these guitars, you first have to make your brain understand that you are playing an Epiphone, and not an actual Gibson. The playability, quality, attention to detail, appointments, etc., are everything you would expect from a Gibson custom shop instrument, at a fraction of the cost. This particular guitar plays like butter.

Description from Sweetwater, where this guitar was purchased:

"Longtime listeners and eagle-eyed admirers of Tool’s Adam Jones have been waiting for an Epiphone iteration of his iconic axe, and that day has finally arrived. The Epiphone Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom sports a feature set unique to late ’70s Gibson instruments; the body is a classic maple-on-mahogany construction, but the neck’s 3-piece maple design offers enhanced stability — it’s even further upgraded with a sleek piece of ebony for the fingerboard! Under the hood, a bridge-position Seymour Duncan Distortion delivers the same searing high-gain tones found on many a Tool album, while the inverted Gibson Custombucker offers a smooth PAF-style shimmer for your cleaner moments. Lastly, the Epiphone Adam Jones 1979 Les Paul Custom sports all the elegance of a late ’70s Les Paul Custom with multi-ply binding on just about every surface and a moody Silverburst finish."

This guitar is in excellent condition. It has mostly stayed in its case in my smoke-free home. I don't have case queens, so there are superficial pick marks--nothing that penetrates the finish, and only detectable in certain light. There are no dings, scratches, or other signs of wear. Some key features that make this a truly striking/stunning guitar:

*Mother of Pearl Block inlays (real mother of pearl--absolutely stunning in the light)

*Multi-ply binding on top, back, and headstock

*Ebony fretboard

*Gibson shaped headstock (not Epiphone shaped headstock)

*Locking tuners

*Gibson Custombucker Humbucker neck pickup

*Seymour Duncan Distortion Humbucker bridge pickup

*Historically-accurate volute neck

*Adam Jones artwork on the back of headstock

*Silverburst on top, back, and neck

*Hardshell flight case

*Comes with all original case candy (mirror not installed, so you can put it on or leave it in the case)