How Joe Bonamassa Became The Authority On 'Burst Les Paul Guitars

Joe Bonamassa’s love of the iconic sunburst Les Paul is well documented. But where did that love of the ‘Burst come from?

In this excerpt from The Collection: Joe Bonamassa, Joe tells Gibson TV host Mark Agnesi about his first encounters with the legendary Sunburst Les Paul™, commonly known as a ‘Burst Les Paul to the collectors out there, and where the love of these guitars and his association as the guy to talk to about these vintage guitars came from.

Everyone who loves Joe Bonamassa knows that he’s a Les Paul guy. But he’s also widely known as the guy who knows all there is to know about vintage Gibson Les Pauls!

So where did that start? From the first time he held a 1958 Sunburst Les Paul in 1993 to becoming one of the most recognized players associated with this iconic guitar, Joe’s journey into collecting guitars and his stories are a fascinating look into the world of collecting vintage guitars and just how addictive this love of finding the perfect vintage guitar can be. Hear how a chance encounter with a 1958 Les Paul at the age of 16 left a lasting impression and how he traded a Lincoln Town Car for an original ‘Burst Les Paul. All these cool stories about collecting guitars became part of his lore, and all contributed to how he “got it” when it came to understanding the love of the Gibson Les Paul and how he loved finding out and learning how each guitar neck and parts vary within the serial numbers and the years they were made.

Joe shares the pivotal moment in 2008 when he fully grasped the allure of these guitars after an eye-opening experience in Springfield, Missouri. Lucky enough to be part of a private audience with multiple Bursts, Joe began to understand the subtle differences between the 1958, 1959, and 1960 models. He tells Mark about his love of the slimmer necks of the 1960 models and the bigger frets as opposed to the smaller frets of the 1958 Les Paul models and how handling over 200 of these guitars has honed his ability to identify all-original instruments and spot fakes – he is a true professional when it comes to finding and identifying the iconic Sunburst Les Pauls. People started bringing them to his shows to identify them and learn about some of their history from Joe.

Joe’s advice for collectors is simple: play as many vintage Gibsons as possible. That way, as collectors, we can develop an instinctive feel for the real deal, just as Joe has over the years.

#Gibson #JoeBonamassa #LesPaul #59lespaul

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[donmccann]

Respect to Joe for keeping the guitar hero alive and the vintage guitar collector bug going ….

[stevehughes]

Cheers Mark, so good to see these great vids !!

[Jackson-bjl]

A friend of mine bought a 58 from another friend of mine back in the 80s for 3 thousand dollars and I thought that was insane at the time. He still has it and I get to play it now and then, it is a work of art and just as priceless. I turned him onto Joe at the Fox theater in Detroit many years ago and he has been a big fan ever since.

[stevenbird]

Joe Definitely knows his Les Paul’s!! Awesome👍

[jaymax]

I saw a '60 Burst as a kid, within arm's reach, probably in '79. This is a memory that will last a lifetime. And now, I'm playing the Murphy Lab and I'm very happy. What does Joe think of the Murphy Lab Les Paul Standard？

[JFrit]

Most Joe B haters do not realize that as a collector, Joe climbed the ladder, and put in the work. He started out buying and selling guitars and amps in the hundreds of dollars range. His success as an artist certainly helped financially, but the guy did the dirty work early on.

[cowboygypsey]

Thats a great looking room. Set up as a temple to your instrument.

[brianseneca]

Gibson player since 1983 when I could finally afford one (a Studio) I have a repaired 52 which is my lifetime guitar. I have played 8 Bursts. First one ironically at the Philly fall show in 2009. I recently had the opportunity to play 4 side by side. One had the most AMAZING top and sounded fantastic. Another had an above average top and sounded the best of the bunch. The other two were nice. None of them sounded nicer than the price of my house! But as my good friend says "you are thinking about these as instruments, they stopped being instruments and became collectables". Or something along those lines. The first thing that struck me was how much SMALLER the neck shape was than on the many reissues I have owned. I do like a fat neck and it never really bothered me, but none of the 8 I have played were anywhere near the same girth and I have played 58, 59 and 60' which also wasnt as skinny I had anticipated it would be. I appreciate the history and the importance of the Burst, but I have had several R9's and R8's and still do. Some of them at least are IN THE BALLPARK tone wise. Certainly not $345k LESS. But again like my buddy said they arent just guitars anymore.

[nicolasmaurin]

Always great to hear joe talking about this !

[januszplaysguitar]

Love the tones Joe is getting out of these beautiful LPs! They have a very distinct sound with a nice 'bite' to them. But still, my favourite Joe LP has to be Gary Rossington 1959 Custom, which Joe was rockin back in the day. Loved that tone!

[kaan]

only vintage sunburst les pauls? this dude became the advocate of les pauls in 2020s

[Robert_Browne]

Simple answer, he bought half of them.

[adolforodriguez]

Yo quisiera saber porque vendió “Spot” me parecía bastante genial!

[matthewrotherham]

Respect to Gibson and Agnisi for doing this.

Bonamassas music is a taste thing (i love him, I know some don't)

But you have to admit the guy has a passion and a knowledge for these things that rivals people like norm who have been in the business their entire lives.

[michaelheller]

I unfortunately don’t have the pocket for an original 1958-1960 Gibson Les Paul. I however worked and within some time and savings managed to buy a brand new Gibson Custom Shop Les Paul R8. I can’t say that it’s an original but it’s the next best thing. It is my #1. Why is that? Each time I pick it up puts a smile on my face like a kid in a candy store. I better stop talking because my Gibson ES-345 doesn’t like being called my #2 lol. Joe B earned what he is today, you couldn’t ask for a better guy to represent vintage Gibson’s.

[dodgedandle]

I got a 60s Standard 2018-19 Fantastic Guitar and plays like a Dream, and that’s all good with me..❤️🌞👍🏻⭐️🎸

[jeremeydonovan]

Lots of hate in the comments, it’s real easy to scroll on by if you don’t like the content. Joe is awesome Mark dose a great job Gibson earned the top spot in the market through years of hard won experience and under appreciated innovation! Thank you all!

[PaulRixon-nn]

Why do you always wear a Jacket? Asked Mrs. Rixon

[Jimi_--]

Nice second generation ES-150 on the wall behind Joe during the first seconds 🤝💪😎 great guitar! Loves these 17” Archtops from the golden era with the single P90 👍💯

[tetsuo]

Fire your cameraperson. Just set cameras on tripods. It's an interview not a car commercial.