So...
I feel the...
That energy, I feel it, in a good way.
Still be nice that way...
Take this ! There you go, over here.
I won't lie to you guys, I'm pretty fucking nervous.
I'm not known for my even enunciating.
Bit of a mumbler. I don't even like doing interviews
now, I'm fucking interviewing one of my heroes...
I'm like, acting ? Sure, I don't have to look at this fucking thing.
Appetite...
Firebird...
... 58.
There's not one type of music I just don't like.
To me it's the most powerful art form that humans can create.
Sings to our souls, it talks to us, it instantly puts us
into a time and a place and a feeling and a memory.
When you hear a legendary guitarist sing you can hear the stories
bound into the wood, the memories that remain from years on the road.
These guitars become time capsules
and they'll bring you back like nothing else can.
For me, nobody embodies this more than Slash and the Gibson Les Paul.
That's my childhood, that shape, that look,
Slash just shirt off, leather pants, hair everywhere,
top hat, and just leaning back,
had a cigarette and just being, like, that guy is cool as hell.
I have one of the most embarrassing stories,
but, I was out, you know, I wasn't supposed to watch MTV
and all that stuff, but I'd go to babysitters and be watching,
like, Paradise City and Motley Crew
and all these things that my mom didn't want me watching,
and I'm just doing circles, and it's the part where
Slash is about ready to kick off, and it's like hitting the high note
and then he's just going around just the whole stage and just killing it.
And I'm jamming, all of a sudden my pants fall down.
My sweatpants fall down and I trip over 'em and my ass is out
and these girls are staring at me, and I was like hitting the high note,
like Slash, like, yeah ! But I can still love this video.
This is the part that I've really been waiting for, here we go.
- You gonna light the studio ? - We need something.
- Let's do that one first. - Okay.
Yeah, bro.
So, that's the original number 250F.
So, this guitar was the second Sunburst Gibson ever made.
And you know how the Sunburst is such a popular finish.
Bro ! Hold up !
One of you guys get in here and look at this thing.
- It is so beautiful. - That was a sticker, it's still...
Don't pick it !
I literally think you're just picking it like it's nothing.
So, oh my gosh, dude, it is unbelievable.
Each guitar, they all have their own magic,
they all have their own mojo, there's like little odd things or hums
or different feelings to 'em, and they all have their different sounds,
like, you could play 100 guitars and not one of 'em are alike.
When you have something that's been on the road,
that's lived through it, that's taken the smoke
and the feeling and the energy from these rooms, and going to these shows,
they have their own soul.
It takes form with these musicians who puts their magic in there,
and so I wanna just highlight and celebrate the artist
and his tool.
That's my main live guitar, with... So, I've had this since...
It's a 1987 Les Paul Standard.
This is the one with the cigarette burn.
Her name's Jessica. This is one of the few guitars that has a name.
- I can't believe this is an 87. - It's just seen a lot of travel.
I don't even know the story about the cigarette burn,
my guitar tech could tell you, he knows exactly, and I asked him,
I said, how did that happen ?
I was playing with Alice Cooper, apparently, when that happened,
and I guess the cherry just, the cigarette fell,
and I guess I was so toxic at that point
it just stuck to the fucking guitar and just burnt.
- That's amazing. - Yeah.
When I got to see these guitars, it's so very special,
and I didn't think they were gonna be that impactful on me, but it is.
These are literally the guitars that created the sound of my childhood.
I cannot believe that I get to see them, much less hold them.
So, this is the actual original AFD.
I've still got a pick in it 'cause I was just in the studio.
A funny story about this guitar, when Guns first started out
I went through a lot of different guitars.
From 1985 through 86 I had a really cool Steve Hunter,
pre-owned Steve Hunter Les Paul.
And then during sort of a bad period of mine I sold it,
and I didn't really have any guitars,
so, when we were doing the Appetite For Destruction record,
I was using a couple of guitars that I had that didn't sound good,
so, I was sort of freaking out, 'cause we were doing basic tracks
and I was, like, these guitars sound like shit.
Our manager, at the time, he came up when I was going in to do the guitar,
Ben showed up at the studio with this particular guitar,
so this was my main chording guitar, obviously,
and then I took it on the road for a while,
and I thought I should retire this from touring.
So, it was still pretty beat up just from that, you know.
But you keep it in the studio this is what you got.
So, I still use this in the studio, it sounds great, it's got a raw...
- Look at you, that thing is... - Unique sound to it.
I had it in the studio a couple of days ago,
I've got a bunch of guitars in there, they're all Les Pauls,
but this one just has this unique thing to it.
So you've just been in the studio, so this is definitely...
Yeah, that's why it's in tune. The other ones are sitting around.
And it's funny, 'cause you said you retired this one too, right ?
I just don't take it on the road anymore.
That's just from 1987 to 1988, that's just a year on the road.
- That's just a year ? - It was brand new when I got it.
So, that's why I just said, I'm gonna put this one away
and just get something, and I still do that,
I like to work with new guitars on the road,
I don't take vintage guitars out, I'm really rough on 'em.
- You sing, you know... - Yeah, bro.
Just to think about going to your childhood hero,
like, I love Slash, like, his music it blew my mind,
it just changed everything for me.
So to be able to, first off meet him and then I was like, I have this idea.
He was just talking about his guitar, the Appetite for Destruction guitar,
but he's only got one of 'em, he gave one to Axl,
so he doesn't like to take that one on the road because they love them
then retire them, but he still wants to have that feeling, that look,
and I was like, let's duplicate it.
What is your guitar that you have, that would you like to have a replica,
so you had another one ?
So, I think Jessica's gonna be the one, you said that.
That would be the coolest one to make.
- Jessica would be the cool one ? - 'Cause it's got so much detail.
I'll see Cesar next week, I'll tell him, we'll show him this footage.
That's a wrap, guys.
Mike Hayes is possibly the greatest musician that nobody's heard of,
he is my dear friend and my guitar coach.
Let me just...
- He's here ? - He's coming.
Alright, so, it's been almost... At my wedding.
Yeah, sure. No, yeah.
He's here.
You are still digging ribs, look at you !
- Well, baby. - How you doing, brother ?
Mike Hayes in the house.
You just got digging ribs, you're so skinny, man.
- Hey baby. - What up, man, how are you ?
- You look good. - I asked about the, that's gone.
- Yeah. - Let's go, come on in.
When I find a cool room.
Hayes had moved out to Nashville and I was gonna go to Gibson
and I stopped at Carter's Vintage, one of my favorite guitar shops,
and so, when I was there I learned
that Hayes had sold his Les Paul that his father gave him.
We got this whole room to ourselves.
- Shut the door, right ? - All the room to yourself.
Man !
So, get going brother, get in it !
Alright. I'm glad I told the wife...
So I call him, I'm like, we're in town,
he's like come to Carter Vintage, I can't, my wife's pregnant,
any second, so I've gotta go hospital.
And then I got off the phone and she looked at me,
and she looked at me, she was like: "What are you, stupid ? Go !"
Jason and I met, I'm gonna have to think about this for a second,
we met in Guitar Center, Hollywood.
I used to close a lot of deals,
I'll say I would come in and have me play the guitar for the client,
he wanted to learn the Delta Blues, he didn't wanna start
with, like Mary Had A Little Lamb.
He invited me up to his house,
we started playing some basic Muddy Waters' songs.
When you're into music like that, something that's so deep,
you really form a connection, it's not just teacher and student,
you become like blood brothers.
That's pretty special, because Mike Hayes is the reason why,
I met him just before I met my wife, about 15 years ago,
he's the reason why I picked up the guitar...
But he taught me everything I know and I fell in love with music, guitars,
and so, you moved out here, and got now almost a third baby on the way.
- Yes. And on any day now. - Which I'm excited to see your wife.
- A boy child. - Boy child, finally got a match.
But, about your guitars here, you've got a...
I was in a tight spot when I got here after a while
'cause things didn't work out, but, I had to sell the car
and sell all my guitars at a certain point,
but, I'm glad to see some of 'em are gone.
Sometimes in life you have to do what you have to do,
and that's not pretty sometimes,
and I had a Les Paul, it was a 99 Standard,
which they don't make anymore, not like that anyways.
My dad bought it for me when I started to play,
so, I had it everywhere with me, my whole life.
Then at a certain point in my life I wasn't doing so well
and I had rent to pay, kids to feed, and so, unfortunately I had to sell it.
It was the toughest thing I ever had to do.
I can't remember anything that was tougher than that.
We're gonna find it, the 99, so they're on the lookout for it.
Like all musicians I'm a prideful kind of guy,
so I don't gonna ask for a lot of help,
even when I've got friends that are doing very well.
I never called Jay to ask for anything.
I guess I just didn't wanna tell him what I did. Or what I had to do.
I wish he would have asked me. I mean, a little heartbroken,
I've been in this position where I've sold some crazy things to friends
who took pity on me, 'cause I needed to put food on the table,
so there's a lot of hard moments in my life and sometimes
that's what you've gotta lean on your friends for.
But, this is the way it was meant to happen
and maybe we'll find that one again.
Or maybe someone has it out there in the world and they love it
and that's something they always were looking for,
they've got something good out there.
- Mike Hayes, what's happening ? - What's cracking, babies ?
- It's live, baby. - We're live right now ?
Welcome everybody, all 15.5 million viewers,
my name is Mike Hayes, we are down here at Carter Vintage,
my best friend Kenny Dayle.
- What's up, guys ? - From the swamps.
And my other best friend behind you, it's Jason Momoa.
So, listen. Where we going ?
Thursday night on the 24th we're all going to BB King's,
Nashville, Tennessee, about six pm and we're gonna watch...
And we're gonna watch me, The Mike Hayes Band,
play at BB King's, Nashville, Tennessee, six pm on Thursday night.
- Peace out, guys. - Peace and love.
We're here, come and see us !
- How was your camping ? - I froze. I was so wet.
It's so humid here though... I woke up wet.
- Yeah. Not great. - Not a good morning.
I went to the showroom in Hollywood, super nervous for me
'cause I know Slash, but I don't interview anyone,
I don't even normally like interviews.
Let alone, like, interviewing him. Because I'm super-passionate about this
and, you know, it was an honor...
Anyways, we edited this together, I'll just play it.
Hold on, right.
What is your guitar that you have that would you like to have a replica,
so you have another one ?
I think Jessica would be the one, you said that.
That that would be the coolest one to make.
You kept bringing that one on the road, it'd be nice to take a new one.
Let's put it that way, maybe I should get another AFD.
I think we should have another AFD too, you know ? He's only got two.
I only have two of them
and I could definitely use another one, so let's do that.
Let's do that !
Cesar !
Okay, we have to make 'em.
We're gonna make 'em. Awesome.
If you guys say so.
What a beautiful thing, that's my childhood
is that seeing Paradise City and Welcome To The Jungle
and that was the guitar.
We'll go to the custom shop and go inside the Murphy lab
where those guitars are gonna be made.
That's just blown my mind, the Murphy lab.
You're gonna be the first one in the Murphy lab, we just opened it.
First of all, no outsider will ever be able to come in,
unless it's Slash or somebody like that.
But you're gonna be the first one to be allowed into the Murphy lab
other than staff.
Yeah, wow. So excited, I think it's gonna be a good day.
Dudes !
What's up ?
Man ! Pleasure to meet you.
- You too, man. - Pleasure to meet you !
I made it !
- Don't scratch anything. - Yeah, don't scratch anything.
Check it out.
Bro !
Look at that !
Murphy's lab is based around Tom Murphy, an amazing craftsman
who has mastered the art of basically distressing these guitars
to make them look worn.
The way I describe it, the Murphy lab is a place
where the concept of adding age to a guitar happens.
We all know what that stands for, right ?
That's a lot of rock and roll. A lot of years of rock and roll.
A lot of years, bro.
It's not for everybody, but it's for somebody.
I always just go back to the blue jean analogy,
it's just can I just buy blue jeans that feel like they're broken in
and really soft ?
When I was a kid, your mother had to wash your Levis many times
to even get close to feeling like you want 'em to feel,
and, actually, back then, when they got just right
is when they blew out and you had to get new ones.
That was my offering to the consumer, I can take your historic instrument
and add the aging, and, of course, it caught on, big time.
I never heard about where they actually, liked, smoked,
if that even works, but like to sit in there with the paint, do you think ?
I've heard of that, yes, you take a guitar box, upside down,
and light a carton of cigarettes, that just bakes it in nicotine.
We don't do that. We have ways to make the lacquer.
- But yeah, I mean. - It's crazy what you see.
I've had amps that, that whole grill cloth just turns brown.
I have aged so many guitars based on a pattern
of a celebrity guitar or a collector's guitar,
so I've seen all sizes of belt buckle wear on the back, arm wear on front,
dents, cigarette burns.
A lot of the rock stars don't play their original guitars anymore,
'cause now there's so many alternatives,
we make guitars for rock stars that they play in place of their originals,
that they don't have to take out on the road anymore.
We originally sort of kept all this secret,
you didn't want people to see how you do it,
so they even, like, tried to do it themselves.
After a while I thought, here, I'll show 'em.
Knock yourself out !
That's what I love about it, it's like showing the other artists.
Knock yourself out, take all this stuff and do what I do.
That's how you age a guitar, right there.
Most everybody who knows me and knows about the aging
knows that I have a big ring of car keys to create what would appear
to be natural dents and scratches.
I used one belt buckle many years, until the actual cowboy and the horse
and the cow broke out of the buckle from me pounding on it so much.
I'm taking this when I go on eBay at some point.
We have to make it look realistic, and if it has a dent or a chip
it has to be in a place where that would happen.
You can't just take a gouge out of the front of a guitar
and make it look real.
This is a railroad spike,
every guitar you see will have something done with this.
Every single one.
That's a hinge pin off, rounded up,
and that makes the little nick down there,
every one of those is done with this.
And like you hit a mike stand or something right there.
When people say I'm an artist,
I never considered an art, I didn't do it for art.
Mother Nature's the real artist, when the combination
of the finishes on guitars and the wood and the people playing it,
that's the art, and then recreating that is a craft.
Where we stain it don't forget it !
Just being able to sit with him and watch him paint,
he's just such a veteran.
That was beautiful, holy crap.
Murphy...
He's studied so many different types of guitars,
through different players and really gets to understand
the wear that goes into these guitars.
There you go.
I'm gonna have Jason put his initials inside of the cavities,
that way those initials will be there forever.
- J. Momoa. - Yeah. Awesome !
Rock on !
I had one thing to do before I left Gibson.
So, I introduced two of my good friends, Mike and Cesar.
This guy's like, he took Hendrix and did that...
I'm really excited for you to see him, I've always been proud of him
and it's just been a hard assed road for 15 years, this man right here.
We knocked out this 1959 custom shop reshoot.
Open up the case !
The case...
One of you guys on the face and one of you guys on the case.
That's a beautiful guitar right there.
- Yeah. Okay, thank you. - Love ya.
That's the most beautiful Gibson I've ever seen.
- I appreciate it, thank you so much. - My pleasure.
He presented me with a 59 Les Paul
that was hand touched by Tom Murphy.
It's the greatest guitar that I've ever owned.
It's the greatest sounding guitar I've ever played,
and he just gave it to me, and it was just...
It was a big moment for me.
Jason's so free, and having him as part of my family,
he always reminds me of that, this world is not about material,
everything's gonna be okay and let go.
I am not playing well at all, guys, I'm just like this, sorry.
I'll bet, I can see it in the eyeballs.
I don't know, but I don't think I've ever played a Les Paul this good.
I don't know.
Look out, man !
- Love you. - I love you.
- How are you ? - It's like you're live to the world.
Bubbas, what's up ! Come on down to BB King's, Nashville, Tennessee !
It's my first time.
Holy shit, man, there I am !
Look at it, there it is !
- Where did you get that coat ? - Take a little spin, man. Yeah.
Mike Hayes, ladies and gentlemen !
Every time we get together I try to get everybody to see him
and everyone that sees him is just blown away,
he's a power house.
- Ready ? - The best performance I ever had.
Alright, baby, let me sell this.
What's up ?
I'm not gonna lie to you, I'm nervous.
It's gonna be an amazing performance tonight,
it's a very special night for my best friend,
I haven't seen him in a long time, he taught me how to play guitar.
Michael Hayes !
I just got a new guitar, folks.
How's it look ? Okay ?
It's something you have to feel, you have to completely let go
and everything that you've learned you have to unlearn it instantaneously.
You're trying to tie up into a different type of consciousness.
In that period of time, it could have lasted a half an hour,
for you, in that slow motion, but it's only like a 45 second solo.
So that's what it looks like when I'm in a trance,
because it's a form of meditation.
Jay, what are you about to fucking do ?
Something stupid, I'm gonna get on stage and play bass.
I'm absolutely terrified. Thank you.
That was a very memorable experience for me,
to actually be playing with him, making music.
What's amazing with Jay is that he's such an artist with himself
and he does that same thing, he just lets go
and he lets go of his own ego when he is doing anything.
The student has passed the test.
This is the greatest guitar I've ever had in my hands, ladies and gentlemen.
Alright, home sweet home. Let's do this !
Look at it ! Looks good !
Yes.
Man, I love guitars. Ready to have my mind blown.
- You ready ? - Not really, but yeah.
Let's do this. Hey, kids !
Talk about a dream come true, we're finally getting a chance
to look at the guitars that Murphy made.
- Holy... - This is like Christmas for my dad.
I don't know what's in here.
My god !
Murphy !
There you go, it's out to play. Slash's Appetite.
That's Jessica !
There it is, dude, that's Slash's guitar.
- Is that actually Slash's ? - Yep.
- He actually played it ? - This is built off of...
Bro ! Now listen, they made the exact replica of the...
- So, like every dot is the same ? - It says Jessica right there.
- Every mark ? - That's the exact replica of his.
It says Slash Jessica. There it is.
- Well done, bro ! - Cheers mate, take it easy. Be good.
Yes, it's been good enough, but here we go, we'll get it home.
Look at that !
Alright, baby.
The Viper room is hallowed ground for rock and roll,
so, we figured, what better place to show Slash his new guitars.
Look at that ! That's pretty cool.
See, I created myself, bro.
- This is the moment of truth, yeah ? - The moment of truth.
Very exciting for me. Alright.
This is awesome. So, this is, there we go.
They're for you, sir.
Drum roll, right ?
There's Appetite, and it's...
- It's nice and rich looking too. - It is, isn't it ? This is so rad.
He's got everything, the first 50, he's got all types of guitars,
but what could I do that would just make it really personal,
something from my heart, something that I could say thank you
for everything that you've done for my life,
and be a part of creating this, and then also donating to charity.
This is what I wanna do and this is what the show's about.
We made one more, and this one we're gonna auction off.
And then some lucky person out there's gonna be able to...
Especially 'cause these are so rare. This is really cool.
Yeah, buddy ! Yeah.
What's a charity that you might like to ?
I thought about it and I wanted to do it for MusiCares,
a charity that is near and dear to my heart.
They take a lot of care of a lot of people from all walks of life,
but a lot of 'em, mental illness, drug addiction, poverty,
a lot of other different issues that befall us.
And, most of them are obviously musicians, as it's MusiCares,
so, I figure that would be a good charity.
It's perfect, MusiCares. I love it, man. And there it is.
I'm trying not to get too attached to it.
- I am just blown away at this. - It's not over, buddy.
What else have you got ?
No way !
Are you serious ? You didn't mention this.
Look at that !
- Fuck ! - Looks good, right ? Jessica.
Dude, this is like Christmas.
They've really got the details, this is insane.
We couldn't get the cigarette burn quite right,
'cause then the toxicity levels in what you were dealing with.
Sorry about that, it wasn't perfect, but.
It's close enough.
And hopefully I get to see you on tour and watch you fucking jam on these.
Honoring the people who have inspired me,
whether that be teacher, mentor, idols, someone you've looked up to,
is a beautiful thing to just go, thank you for everything that you do,
that's a beautiful feeling.
Let us in, man !
We're in England, we just landed from Mallorca,
and we're gonna see Slash right now and watch Guns N' Roses.
- And I got a surprise for him. - I think Slash is still cool.
Yeah, I know.
He's the coolest, he's the king of cool.
My little brother, who has pretty much lived across the street,
he kinda ratted me out and said that I had some Guns n' Roses tapes,
or something like that, and so my mom listened to him,
and she happened to put on like the Patience album,
"Lies, Lies, Lies", and my mom was: "What the hell's my son listening to ?"
And I was in so much trouble, she was, like, you can't have these back till
you're married or you're bald, and you've got kids.
And, still, I ain't got the god damned tapes, ma, so, what I do is...
My kids first clothes, it's like "Forever Slash"
and, like, Guns n' Roses Sweet Child of Mine,
all these baby clothes, I take pictures of for my mom.
It should look good. This look good ?
She just, like, Jason, and now, Slash and I are pals.
Just being able to go to the show
and then watch him play one of the guitars that we made,
and see him up on stage, it was just, like, he loved 'em.
And that's a huge love and respect to all the artisans who made it
and who are a part of making Slash's guitar.
The quality and the craftsmanship, for him to be like, this is it,
this is going on the road with me, this is gonna go on my album.
Done, job done.
Such a full circle moment for me and my kids.
Music means so much to me, its history, it's human experience,
it's something that connects each and every one of us. It is everything.
- Look at how tall they are ! - I know, right ?
Just put Lola and Wolf, and they'll be stoked.
- For the baby somewhere. - You're a sweetheart.
I don't have any guitars that I dedicated to my kids beforehand.
- Look, Lola and Wolf. - Cool.
And another thing for you guys to fight over.
Right, well, so one of you does the fingering
and the other one does the...
- Cut it in half ! - You did it, Lola.
That was great. That was amazing !
So, he asked me how he was, bro, just ask, see how was it ?
He got all the way on stage.
It was all on the stage, you were all in, you left it all there.
- Fuck it, that was amazing. - Thank you.
He made me basically weep at the custom shop, so,
I was thinking to myself, I'm gonna get him back, you know ?
We've been doing and talking about all the past,
bringing up stuff and getting stuff together,
and life is about letting go,
and you're one of the people in my life that has helped me
let go of a lot of stuff that I needed to let go,
and you've given me so much and I wanna give something back to you,
and I don't really have anything I could think of,
but, there's something I really want you to have.
- Jesus, right... - That's for you now.
For you ! I love you.
I love you.
Bring it home. Take it home.
- My brother. - I love you.
And I told my wife I was gonna make him cry.
Man, dude ! This is a holy grail piece
and you're my teacher.
What a night, no ?
I used this guitar all around the world,
the neck was from my first guitar,
so when I got it I was about 13 and I had a Mexican body
and I add these pick-ups from the 60s, and it had magic to it.
It was beautiful when I got it,
but, it has been through everything with me,
so it got so torn up, it was almost at the point of unplayable.
But it was time, and Jay, that whole experience with him
coming down and making me feel so good,
for my family, reminded me that it's alright to let go,
and so I want you to have this,
because this is everything to me.
And I got him to cry, just a little bit.
Made me cry and it's you get a guitar and...
You get a guitar, you get a guitar !
Man.
You guys saw it, that's the real deal.
I know the story of this guitar, I know everything about it,
I know everything he went through.
I was there through all the tough times, all the good,
we're all been there.
I left his concert a month before my son was born,
the day before my wife's birthday and I went to see him in Hollywood
and I went to a bar to celebrate and this smash happened in my face,
and I took a pint glass to the face.
I called him to the hospital, split my face open,
40 stitches, changed my world,
I got famous one eye-ed actor.
It was like it was a millimeter away from my eyeball,
split my whole face open,
and, first audition back was Game of Thrones.
I had a good scar going through my face, I rest my case.
- You got it, brother, anytime. - And then everything changed.
We've been through the highs and lows man,
and then get Kenny together and all this together.
Fuck 'em !
Yeah.
It don't get better than that.
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