This video is bonus content related to the April 2014 issue of Guitar World. For the full range of interviews, features, tabs and more, pick up the new issue on newsstands now or at our online store.
When Epiphone approached Trivium guitarist Matt Heafy to collaborate on his signature guitar, he had two requests: the guitar had to play, feel and sound like the Les Paul Custom that he’s played for these many years, and it had to be reasonably priced—Heafy rejects the trend of offering signature guitars in either price-prohibitive or performance-compromised versions.
Through their close collaboration, Epiphone and Heafy were able to reproduce every specification of his original LP Custom and build it to a price point that’s not out of the average player’s reach. Heafy further challenged Epiphone for this seven-string version, asking that it be just as easy to finger as the six-string and almost identically proportioned.
The resulting signature Matt Heafy Les Paul Custom-7 is the actual guitar that he now shreds onstage and in the studio, and it’s one of the most playable seven-strings you can buy.