It's the ultimate compliment for a musician to have their own signature model instrument, so you know that Bring Me the Horizon guitarist Lee Malia has to be thrilled that there are three, yes three, signature guitar models created for him by Epiphone. In this edition of Loudwire's Gear Factor, powered by Sweetwater, the Music Experience's Squiggy talks with Malia about the development of his instruments and his relationship with Epiphone.

The guitarist says he's been working with Gibson Guitars for a bit, but had spoken with Epiphone Germany and was pleasantly surprised by the response. “I sent them a list of all the stuff I’d want and they sent me a prototype back and the first one was perfect. I was shocked at how good the quality was," says Malia. "We just changed a couple of things on it, but I think it was the next prototype was the one that’s been in shops. It was super easy."

The guitarist says the biggest thing was getting a particular pickup correct. "We did the Les Paul and it sold really well. I guess I didn’t really want to make it so signature looking," says the guitarist. "I just like classic looking guitars that look classy and old school. I didn’t want it to look obnoxious.”

Malia says the Les Paul is his "go-to," but adds, “There is a certain sound out of Explorers that I think is more aggressive sounding, so any of the older heavier [Bring Me the Horizon] stuff we play, I always use an Explorer on that stuff. It’s got an edge to it and it looks sick.”

To learn more about Epiphone guitars and for all your gear needs, be sure to head over to Sweetwater.com.

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