Slash Receives 2026 Les Paul Spirit Award

Slash received the 2026 Les Paul Spirit Award on October 5, 2026, during a private ceremony at the Les Paul Recording Studio in Hollywood. The Les Paul Foundation presented the honor in partnership with Gibson Gives.

Inside Slash’s unique award

The trophy was made from acoustic boards that Les Paul built and used in his home recording studio. Each award has a unique construction because it is carved from those original studio materials.

Slash and Paul shared a friendship during Paul’s lifetime and played music together. Slash also attended Paul’s residency performances at the Iridium in New York and other events. In accepting the award, Slash said the moment felt surreal and that receiving an honor carrying Paul’s name and spirit meant a great deal to him. He also wondered whether Paul would have thought he deserved it, adding that Paul might have presented it simply to see him smile.

The ceremony followed a tour of Paul’s studio and a preview of Flying Blind, the forthcoming album by Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators. Slash closed the event by performing for the small audience.

Why the honor matters to guitar players

The annual award recognizes a recipient who reflects Paul’s work across innovation, engineering, technology and music. Slash described Paul as an inventor who changed the guitar, built groundbreaking recording equipment and reconsidered how artists could record music. Those developments shaped both the instruments players use and the methods used to capture their performances.

The Les Paul Foundation honored Slash for his creative legacy, pioneering musicianship and lasting influence on artists and listeners. It said his creativity, curiosity and musicianship carry Paul’s spirit forward. For guitar players, the award connects two musicians whose work reached beyond performance: Paul through instrument and recording development, and Slash through a recognizable playing style that has influenced generations.

(Compiled)