Don Felder On Planet Rock

Tune in to Nicky\'s show to hear a rare interview with the former Eagle

Published 15th Jun 2011

The guitarist will be talking to Nicky after 7pm tonight about the release of his brand new signature edition Gibson "Hotel California" Les Paul.

Nicky will also be quizzing Felder on what he's up to at the moment and what he thinks of the Eagles - the band from which he was fired in 2001.

Here's a little more about the new Gibson Les Paul:

Gibson Custom has released the Don Felder "Hotel California" 1959 Les Paul, an instrument created in the image of Felder's original 1959 'Burst in strictly limited quantities. Produced as a three-tiered Limited Edition, with 50 guitars hand-aged by Gibson Custom and personally signed by Don Felder, 100 hand-aged, and a further 150 given Gibson's VOS treatment, each includes a numbered Certificate of Authenticity to record its status for posterity.

Hand-aged examples meticulously reproduce the look of Felder's own '59 Les Paul, while VOS versions present the gently aged look and feel of a vintage instrument. All are made with period-correct specs and components, including a pair of Gibson's most accurate reproduction PAF pickups, and finished in a uniquely tinted and faded "Felder Burst" finish, formulated exclusively for this guitar. As rare and desirable as all 'Bursts are, this limited run recreates one of the greatest, and a big slice of tone history.

Like any great Les Paul Standard, the Don Felder "Hotel California" 1959 Les Paul starts with great wood. Gibson Custom selects figured maple for the two-piece top to replicate the look of Felder's own iconic 'Burst, and joins each set to a select, lightweight, solid one-piece mahogany back. Way beyond merely recreating the look of the original instrument, however, this maple/mahogany pairing perpetuates a tonewood match made in heaven: a best-of-both-worlds palette that gives you the perfect blend of maple's clarity, snap and bite, and mahogany's warmth, depth and richness.

A one-piece mahogany neck is glued in with the preferred long neck tenon for superior resonance and sustain, and carved to match the neck on Felder's own '59 Les Paul Standard. Taking all this tonal goodness to your amp of choice are a pair of BurstBucker pickups, Gibson's most accurate PAF recreations to date. It's all anchored with the rock-solid pairing of a Tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece, and topped with a set of vintage Kluson-style green-button tuners. And with a guitar that sounds and feels this good, you want it to look perfect, too.

To get the Don Felder "Hotel California" 1959 Les Paul just right, Gibson Custom has painstakingly formulated a unique "Felder Burst" finish, which accurately matches the mellowed, sand-hued fade of Felder's own '59 'Burst. Reproduced in nitrocellulose in a hand-executed process that involves several steps, the results are then treated to either meticulous hand-aging by Gibson Custom (150 guitars, 50 of which also will be signed by Don Felder), or Gibson Custom's acclaimed VOS process (150 guitars).