“It’s a flamethrower”: Mark Morton’s new Signature Les Paul Modern Quilt unites Les Paul heritage with metal-ready specs and aesthetics
Lamb Of God’s Mark Morton has teamed up with Gibson for the launch of a new signature model, the Les Paul Modern Quilt.
As the name suggests, the AAA quilted maple top is a real standout on this new model, which is set off by a smokey Translucent Ebony Burst Satin finish. Morton’s input doesn’t stop there of course, and its features have been designed with modern metal players in mind.
READ MORE: Lamb Of God’s Mark Morton picks his favourite non-metal guitar players
The Mark Morton Les Paul Modern Quilt has a mahogany body utilising Gibson’s Ultra Modern Weight Relief for comfort. Its mahogany neck with a SlimTaper profile and Modern Contoured Heel aids upper-fret access, while the ebony fingerboard offers a compound radius and 22 medium jumbo frets. Its aesthetic is complemented by chrome hardware, Grover Rotomatic locking tuners, black rings with chrome trim, and a truss rod cover bearing Morton’s signature.
Tones come of two exclusive Mark Morton signature humbucker pickups, which have been specially handcrafted by the Gibson Pickup Shop to deliver his tonal desires. While this model was in the making, Morton had been taking prototypes of these pickups with him on tour to try them out in his actual work environment.
The rhythm pickup features moderate, Patent Applied For-style windings with a ceramic magnet for clarity and punch, while the lead pickup offers higher-output windings and a ceramic magnet for added presence and power. Both pickups are wired to individual volume and tone controls with Orange Drop capacitors and a three-way selector switch.
“I wanted something that stayed classic to the heritage and the history of the Les Paul, and something that looked heavy metal. The quilt top and the trans black satin finish felt dark and metal to me, but not over the top,” says Morton.
“The 60s style knobs are a cool throwback to the John Sykes model that was done a long time ago. The way it is contoured at the heel allows me to reach the upper registers comfortably, and the ebony fretboard is really fast. This model has a slim taper neck which was very important for me, as it’s the most comfortable neck profile.”
Image: Gibson
Morton continues, “The pickups are unique to this guitar, it’s a brand new Gibson pickup and I worked closely with Jim DeCola (Master luthier at Gibson), and the Gibson Pickup Shop in designing them. The neck pickup [is] more conservative in terms of its output, which allows me to flip to the neck position and play clean, and roll back the volume to not hit the amp as hard. Switching to the bridge pick up, it’s just a flame thrower; it’s super high output.”
He concludes, “It’s an iconic guitar and an important piece of music history, and for me to be associated with the legacy of the Les Paul is one of the greatest honours of my career. I am thrilled with the process of developing this guitar, and I am immensely thrilled with the outcome.”
The Mark Morton Signature Les Paul Modern Quilt is available now for £2,699. Find out more via Gibson.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
