This take on the holiest of Holy Grail guitars is quite special indeed, and an incredible instrument in its own right. Indian laurel is cool, but it’s not rosewoodĪ collaboration between the Gibson Custom Shop and Epiphone has sired one of the most candent stars in the Inspired By Gibson series. If you’re looking for a guitar on which to play your own blues, wading through this tide of music history can be a grueling and dispiriting task, with comparable instruments from the same eras as the greats only found in the overheated vintage market. Maybe that’s true of all blues guitars, to a lesser degree. That’s testimony to the lure of the blues guitar the best are inextricably linked to the players. The second is Lucille, his iconic Gibson ES-345 – a most regal instrument for the King of the Blues. Where, for instance, is Beano, Clapton’s long-stolen Burst? (Many guitarists will have their own theories.) When you think of the blues, the first name that comes to mind is B.B. The point is: we see great blues guitars everywhere, and oftentimes we’re even familiar with their origin stories.

Not only is Bonamassa the marquee name in contemporary blues, he’s got all the good stuff, too. Or you could forget all of that and take a digital tour of Joe Bonamassa’s Nerdville (opens in new tab). Then you could move on to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Peter Green, Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy. You could start with the Kings – Albert, B.B.

Blues on the bridge 2021