“They gave me a hard time when I brought it through customs. I thought, ‘Are they going to take it off me?’” Steve Hackett on the guitar that defined his Genesis sound – and how he bought it for a bargain price

British guitarist Steve Hackett of rock group Genesis performing with a Gibson Les Paul Goldtop, 1974.

Steve Hackett’s ’57 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop is as storied as they come, having been featured on a wide range of Genesis albums and tours from ’73 to ’77, as well as on his solo recordings. Not bad, considering he bought it for $800 mid-US tour.

“They gave me a hard time about it when I brought it through customs,” he tells Guitarist in a new interview.