Speaking with Guitar World about his new limited edition signature “Wino” Les Paul Custom guitar, Alice In Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell reflected on the time when the band supported Van Halen on tour and came back to find Eddie Van Halen had sent  a couple of guitars and an entire rig as a gift.

Canterll: "That was pretty amazing. He had a really big heart. It meant a lot then and it means even more to me now that he’s gone, that he took a shine to me. We had a little bond, you know. It was a really cool thing. Any time we got the chance to hang, going to a pool hall or just meeting at his hotel and whipping out a couple of guitars or just sitting around backstage. Sometimes I’d be late for soundcheck and I’d show up and he’d be up there with the band, fuckin’ rockin’ out with them (laughs)."

And honestly, those two EVH guitars mean the world to me. One of them was the Goldtop that went missing when I was making (2002 solo album) Degradation Trip. Somebody lifted it out of the A&M studio. 

I just got it back a few years ago – a couple of AIC fans and collectors tracked it down and tried to do a sting on this kid who had it and was trying to sell it. He went dark on the first guy, who was from Florida. The second guy was a separate collector from San Diego. Between the two of them, it took about two weeks for me to get that guitar back… after 19 years!"

Read the complete interview here.

For the past 127 years, Gibson--the iconic American instrument brand--has been synonymous with creating and shaping sound across genres of music and generations of players. Today, Gibson Custom Shop has announced the release of the limited-edition Jerry Cantrell “Wino” Les Paul Custom guitar, the guitar marks the first official collaboration with Gibson luthiers and the legendary singer, songwriter, guitarist, and Alice In Chains co-founder Jerry Cantrell.

(Photo: Jonathan Weiner)

“The Wino has always been one of my favorite guitars,” says Jerry Cantrell. “It’s a really good-looking guitar.”

Only 100 of the new Jerry Cantrell “Wino” Les Paul Custom guitar were hand-crafted by the expert luthiers of the Gibson Custom Shop. Each guitar in this very special limited run is personally hand-signed on the back of the headstock by Jerry Cantrell. The Jerry Cantrell “Wino” Les Paul Custom guitar is available worldwide via Gibson.com.