Me and my guitar interview with Joe Bonamassa / Bernie Marsden's '59 Gibson Les Paul 'The Beast
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This edition is a a special one, and more a case of Me And His Guitar as Joe Bonamassa was lucky enough to be loaned Bernie Marsden's '59 Gibson Les Paul, known as The Beast. Joe takes the opportunity to talk about his how he likes his Les Pauls set up and offers valuable guitar advice for other players too.
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Old vid, but I love the advice he gives about "leave it alone"
The more I listen to what this bloke has to say regarding the nuts and bolts of guitar-playing, the more I respect him. With his level of skill he could very easily just fall in love with his own hands. Instead he makes it his job to really know the tool he is using.
Not only that, he then imparts his knowledge to us lesser enthusiasts.
Top shelf he is.
I feel the same way. Joe cares and he's real.
Top indeed.
I agree
Another Joe. Joe Walsh. He looks like he should be homeless, but he seems to know guitars and teach it.
Anybody who cites peter green, Paul kossoff and Gary Moore as imfluences instantly has my respect. This guy knows his stuff and has my respect.
I've never really been into Joe's music but he's a good player and I'm aways interested in his advise on guitars and playing. He comes across as the ultimate guitar geek, someone who's goal in life is just to play, and thats very admirable to me.
+nefarioque I dunno man, Page, Clapton, and Beck sounded genuine even though they all put their own twist onto the blues. Wasn't Stevie just a clone of Hendrix? He's copied Jimi's tone, vibrato, a lot of his licks and even his clothing style haha.
+Gonk Yeah don't mind him. He's just making it about color when it's about the music. Every musician knows the color of your skin doesn't matter. He still has a lot to learn and realize.
Stevie was more Albert King than anyone. His Hendrix is very good but he was Albert King in a white boys frame. Hendrix copied Albert King and many other original blues players.
Eye Beam he's a dickhead
+6120 They were certainly all genuine stylists of electric blues. Those
people were what brought blues back to American audiences. Once
they began to talk about their influences the market opened up again
for the seminal electric blues players of the 50's and 60's. And they
did love the music to begin with. Stevie Ray was more than a Hendrix
clone, way more. He was fantastic at doing Jimi and he had it better
than most. But he really got into the blues as an idiom and continued
to be a blues player, while Hendrix took it a much different direction.
Jimi was a blues man at heart and he loved it. He just had a way more
open mind creatively and he wanted to get his music out there. It was
his mission in life. Stevie did his homework on all forms of blues and
electric guitar and was a master of it, not just a Jimi wanna be.
I saw him in concert last April and it was well worth the price of admission. One of the best concerts I’ve ever seen. One thing I like about him, aside from his abilities, is that he’s very approachable and has a great personality. He doesn’t take himself too seriously. That’s one thing I’ve tried to emphasize with my son, who is a touring musician. Don’t forget where you came from and make time for your crowd. They are the reason you tour and play.
Just saw Joe for the third time and it was breathtaking as always. If you never saw him live , you're missing out.
I'll take your word for it because his playing does zilch for me. He just seems like a million other white guys who play the "blues". He looks and sounds like he should be working in an office as a middle manager somewhere. Technically he's good but TH-cam is full of 10 year old kids who are great technical guitar players. Technical talent never moved me and as far as emotion or feel his music just does nothing for me.
@@Vichedges Correct. I'll take soul over shred. He does nothing for me either. The emotional space and depth a player connects with in a audience, Joe can't do that. He appeals to the rock shredders. About as deep as Angus Young.
You really are, he is AMAZING!!!!!!
As an Englishman myself I find it really strange to hear an American use terms like “Fiver” and “20 quid” 😂 oh I love this guy.
Love you Joe B. Despite all the haters, you have certainly changed my life. keep it up and keep them videos coming. We guitar geeks know you are the real deal.
Joe is a great guitarist but Bernie is a different breed and is a huge influence on my playing. His blues playing is absolutely on the money and he can rock out.
Bernie is a great ambassador for the guitar.
Yeah ol Bernie's a bad rascal...his writing is the thing...and his tone is so right
Looking out for others with very good advice. Thank you so very much Joe. When he talks I listen for sure. Thank you! 🌠🌌
i'm sure glad there is a guy like joe playing les pauls out there love Joes passion for guitar. been playing over 40 years my main guitar is 1982 Les Paul Deluxe goldtop love this guitar i know barry Bailey from atlanta rhythm section played a LP deluxe i say thanks Joe you give me hope the heart felt music can survive Take Care Tom Sylow Guitarist
+thomboy54 I have an '82 LP Custom with Tim Shaw humbuckers, an
excellent guitar. Norlin era gets a lot of crap but a good guitar is still a
good guitar no matter what. Plus - I had a '70 Gold Top Deluxe, which
I should not have sold. Those mini buckers had a sound close to P-90's
yet no single coil noise issues. Barry Bailey, really good player!
Love the blues and Joe is one my favorite blues guitar players.
Such a great player (seen him a couple of times at Brighton), and such a grounded normal bloke; not a ounce of conceit or arrogance in his nature; top bloke!
I have had the honor of playing this guitar. It's a beautiful instrument.
+SIXSTRING63 Finest faded burst of all time.
+SIXSTRING63 How, may I ask? Not that I don't believe you, it's just...I don't believe you. Sorry, extraordinary claims need extraordinary proof. Please relate your tale.
+Six String Löve I won a contest in September of 2014 to record with Bernie. So in June of 2015 I flew to England and spent a day in the studio with Bernie and went to his home the next day were he kindly got the beast out for me to play and take some phots of it and me playing it with Bernie snapping the pics on my phone. Go to My Les Paul forum to see some pics of me playing it. www.mylespaul.com/forums/member-classifieds/362956-fs-collectors-choice-cc-8-beast.html#post7616968
SIXSTRING63 Cool
That's amazing...Cheers!
Absolutely the best and most honest words about the true essence of guitars!
Seems like a good guy to me. Knows his stuff.
He's talking British slang I love this
Charlie Shaw this video was intended for the British market probably
Poor guy spent so much money on guitars, he cant afford furniture :(
Good rehearsal room tho. Expensive to heat, just like the gig next day after X-mass.
@@beableish in guitars
@@therugburnz true
l.o.l.😀
Worth it
The only Joe, YOU NEED TO KNOW ! Joe Bonamassa in the house, keepin' it real ! Love this guy's musicianship !
The Beast is the best sounding guitar on the planet that I've heard, IMO. That overwound neck p/u is the tone I hear in my head before I pick up my guitar...then I hear my Gibson burst buckers and think "I have to get better pups!!"
The neck pickup on that guitar is an overwound Alnico 5 at ~8.75k ohms DCR. Your best bet is to use a Burstbucker (#3 only) in the neck, and swap out the magnet for an Alnico 5 instead of 2. Thank me later.
100% agred. The Beast is the Best!!!!
What great clear information. Thank you very much. David 70 this year still playing Rock n Roll and Jazz. Thank you again.
Love him or hate him this is the best practical advice ever spoken about intonation.
I love this guy. A true guitar man. Great voice also. Thanks Joe.
Joe Bonamassa is a very down to earth guy who enjoys playing guitar and is very knowledgeable when it comes to guitars and amps 😊🎸😊
The Beast was originally a cherry sunburst that has faded, Bernie did an interview for Andertons where he took the pickup selector switch apart to take the plastic surround off and show the original cherry red, if you want to know more about it go to The Captain Meets Bernie Marsden and the Again video.
He's such a nice guy, would love to meet him one day. Cheers for this video!
I know nothing of guitars, I know a bit more now, thanks Joe! Enjoyed the commentary even though not a single note was played. Thank you for taking the time,
I use a bit of coconut oil on a q-tip on my nuts. Never used nut sauce. I'm going to experiment on my Les Paul standard this weekend and give it a top wrap for the first time. Well see how it goes.
Joe is such genius.....NUT SAUCE...indeed! Appling now to my new 2016 Les Paul Standard!
Tweed Fender amp, es 125td , Clapton spec Es 335, a hummingbird, and a 59 burst? Who needs furniture?
Beautiful guitar, Joe makes excellent points here. Cheers
no no no. it's just a replica from aliexpress.. yahoooo!!!
MrTorriann yaahhoooo,yep typing that felt as douchey as i thought it woulf feel
Agreed... so many guitarists change stuf just to change stuff and in the end, they still sound like they always did...
Thank you Joe, that is excellent advice for both new and more seasoned players.
I was considering of purchasing a 7 string and replacing the pickups along with a few other things immediately. Guess I'll have to reconsider everything. Great advice & rundown.
chiefmachine24 lmfao, I have a 7 string, and my pickups suck, so Im going to replace them with seymour duncan sentient and pegasus, however my action is pretty high, like some people can't play good on my guitar but I can't stand a low to mid action on a guitar xd
+chiefmachine24 I'm genuinely intrigued. Why buy a guitar with the intention of replacing stuff? As Joe allures to, if you bought it, then surely something must have moved you, to want that particular instrument, in the 1st place.
Simon Preston
I personally think here's always room for improvement. Maybe you noticed something that bothered you that you didn't notice at first, like the volume knob or toggle switch being to close to the high E string. Or maybe the pickups sounded great at first but then realize they're too muddy or vice versa. These are things that come into consideration for me. I can pick up an instrument & immediately fall in love with it, but after a few months I'm going to see what I like & don't like. Thus giving me the intention of wanting to change certain accessories
chiefmachine24 I can't argue with that assessment. As my previous comment stated, I was genuinely intrigued & you've definitely provided a logical answer, thanks.
+Simon Preston Joe buys overpriced/vintage guitars that lose a lot of value if you replace something. This isn't the case for the average joe. Any guitar will generally lose value when it's not original as most guitar players are stupid and think it must be better if it says Fender or Gibson on it and that their Fender that is one of a thousand slapped together that month will somehow be collectable one day.
The reason to swap components is that one of the best ways to get a great playing and sounding guitar is to buy a cheap one and upgrade. It just won't be worth much if you want to sell it
dont know much about this guy but he seems like a nice guy. i enjoyed that video.
So simple but one of the best advice I ever heard
Awesome advice from an awesome guitarist and seems to be an awesome guy. Thanks so very much.
He nailed every single aspect of a great playing guitar. The top wrap, the Big Bend Nut Sauce, the action...brilliant. And the most important element...fresh strings. To add to what Joe said, buy a device called a Stretcha. It is a stick with a hook and heel that grabs each string and stretches it, only 10x better than you can with your fingers. Try this: Put on a new string, tune it to pitch, use the Stretcha and then check your tuning. It will be a full step lower! Then it is stable and will stay in perfect tune. It only cost like $10 US and will make your setup so much more stable.
Big Bends is a good product. The tube I have does not contain graphite. It works well but I am unconvinced that it works any better than the plain old Chap Stick I used for years before that. One thing he did not mention is making sure the nut slots are clean and smooth. I have found that this is incredibly valuable and helps a guitar stay in tune. Add a bit of lubricant and you are good to go. I like his "if it is not broken don't fix it" model and also his advice to play and evaluate first before making changes. Good stuff.
great little yt gem..cheers Joe....9 years late...haha
and rip Bernie...and cheers forlending Joe your guitar...i wonder if he bought it....
I saw Bernie join Joe on stage at the Royal Albert! Very cool!
Thanks Joe, I keep learning from you man!!! on and off stage
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" Great advice...
I detect a hint of Gregory Kochery in Joe's presentation. I like it. Probably the most laid back I've ever seen Joe.
Old strings do not intonate properly as you go up the neck, because they have a bunch of flat spots on them due to being played, which changes the ellipsis, or the way the string vibrates. Absolutely correct on lubing that nut. I use Renee Martinez' brand. Well done, Joe.
JB is an awesomely cool dude. Great information here
seems like you trained me...love Big Bends...I do setups , repair...you are my favorite guitar player. Backwoods uses Big Bends on every setup!
If my guitar was a 59 burst I definitely would not change anything. However my Greco LP once i changed the pots and dropped some antiquitys in there became the best guitar i have ever had. So changing the pickups and pots even on new Gibsons (because Gibson skimps on everything) is the absolute best thing you can do to a guitar IMO. Good pots and caps plus good pickups opens up so many sounds just be rolling the volume and tone controls.
Heard this guitar live three times. Twice with Bernie playing when he was in Whitesnake back in the day and once with Joe playing when he toured a few years ago with Beth Hart. Three of the best gigs I've ever been to. How much The Beast had to do with that, who can say?
Joe seems a very decent guy, and went to the trouble of changing $ to £ 's for UK peeps.
Great advice! Seems like a down to earth guy.
Wow, a Joe Bonamassa video I really liked.
+1 for Nut Sauce - especially Gibson with the sharp break angle of the D and G strings.
RIP Bernie, I hope that Guitar goes to someone for an insane amount of money and that they can play it the way it should.
I like his outlook. A lot of people really do immediately load up their guitars with "every aftermarket part known to man". If it ain't broke don't fix it is exactly right.
One hell of a room.
I know what he means though my guitar (a les paul ) It my be bottom end 60s studio tribute but she speaks to me.
"Big Bends Nut Juice" Thanks Joe!...I have a '64 ES125TDC with Bigsby which I love but as to be expected had return tuning issues. Nut Juice fixed it.
Thanks Joe. I'm hopeful that eventually all the major guitar mfg's will use a compensated net - like Ernie Ball Music Man guitars use.
There you have it 👍😃 the best advice JB could give you all Guitar players 🤟🤟
Just Raise the stud . Works wonderfully ...
People are acting like what Joe said is fact and not just his personal opinion. The part about leaving guitars alone? Les Paul and Eddie Van Halen probably wouldn't advise that. The part about changing strings? Brian May never changes his strings unless they break. The part about changing pickups? Pickups are easy to swap, if you didn't like the sound of the new ones all you have to do is put the old ones back. I like changing things on my guitars, just for the hell of it. I have a Jet King and the plastic pickguard/control cavity cover it comes with was cheesy so my cousin and I made an aluminum one for it, it actually affected the guitars sound, the aluminum pickguard vibrates along with the guitar and the guitar, IMO, sounds better. Some of the most famous guitar sounds in rock have been created by someone messing with a guitar. Look at Neil Young's LP or EVH or "Greeny".
Well, Joe, you have a chance to own this guitar now. Talk to Bernie.
Best guitar video I have ever seen.
I totally agree about if the guitar sounds great, leave it alone...I have a 2001 Les Paul Standard previously owned by my friend Victor Griffin of Pentagram. My guitar is totally stock, and sounds fantastic...clean or overdriven...Even some of my colleagues who hate Les Pauls love mine and used it on their records.. I was tempted to put some new stuff on it, change pickups etc, but after waiting a few weeks, I said to myself, gee, this sounds good...why bother changing it?
Yeah, but just because your guitar sounds good stock doesn't mean they all do. The irony of a guy playing a LP saying "don't mess with a guitar" is staggering. Les Paul CONSTANTLY tinkered with guitars. So did EVH. One of my favorite guitar sounds is Neil Young's Blackie which is HIGHLY modified. The guy from Rage Against the Machine gets amazing sounds out of his guitar and he's said he's changed just about everything on it. I have a Jet King and it came with a really cheap looking plastic pickguard/control cavity cover. My cousin and I made an aluminum one for it and it actually improved the sound of the guitar (IMO) because it vibrates along with the guitar. Joe says not to change pickups....why not? It takes a few minutes to swap pickups. If you don't like your new ones.....you could just put the old ones back. I have an 1988 LP Custom, it has (I was told) 57 Classics in it. I don't particularly like them but I love the guitar.....so one of these days I'm going to swap them out.
That was all very good advice.
Over past 30 years used just 2 electric guitars (ok, ok I recently acquired a third) - but point is you don’t need to chop and change and have 50 guitars.
You don't "need" an electric guitar period. But people like them and a lot of us collect them. How many does Joe have? And you obviously don't "need" to "chop and change" but a lot of us like doing it and experimenting with different setups and sounds. Different strokes. We're not talking about can openers here we're talking about tools used to express ourselves and have fun with. It's all highly subjective and what works for you won't work for someone else. The Les Paul guitar is named after Les Paul who CONSTANTLY chopped and changed his MANY guitars. Talk about irony.
Good advice - play and practice first.
If you are an experimenter - The possible after market upgrades can result in a much better guitar, but don't bother if you haven't played the guitar enough first to truly asses it.
Just great guitar tech tipps! Thank you!
Just my 2cents from maintaining about 50 guitars I've accumulated.
Nut sauce is good stuff but imo you do not get very much and it goes fast. Pro is that it goes on easier with the applicator.
I prefer Guitar Grease thats is a graphite/wax that comes in a round red plastic container from Stew Mac.
You just dig a little out and smear it on the nut grooves and saddles. Last forever and you get a whole lot more uses. I have been using the same small container for a year and 1/2.
I bought a tube of Nut Sauce and it's lasted me about 4 years. I apply it when I change strings. I don't think you need much.
Love this guys approach :))
Very good advice from 1 of the Top Gun in the music industry👍
'Twenty quid' + 'a fiver' :-)
glad im not the only one who noticed :3
...exactly like why are we playing at an air force base!?
He's the true definition of a poseur.
@@TheWoWRevelation Everyone who watched the video noticed, how could you not? He didn't whisper or anything. I assumed this video was intended for the UK market. When you hear UK artists interviewed in the US they often say "dollars" or "bucks".
came to the comments for this haha
Joe, you are so right about leaving the guitar as original as possible. But. and this is a big but. That's only the case if you can afford a top brand guitar. Believe me, if you buy a cheaper brand like Squier, you do wanna change the Pups and pots. The most of them are pretty good guitars, just need a little work like electronics, the nut and sometimes another bridge. Then you'll have a guitar you wanna keep for life.
Just buy a better guitar
Agreed. Leave the guitar what it is. A suped-up Squier is still a Squier, just an expensive Squire. Just buy a Mexican Fender. & when you go to buy the Mexican Fender, sell/trade that Squire.
Cheaper & easier way to upgrade.
@@coffeecomics3583 or skip the Mexican and just buy a real Fender in the first place. BTW some Squiers are very nice guitars and you can get them dirt cheap. It also depends on what kind of music you play. I suck and play rhythm. Mostly rock. My guitar doesn't need to sound perfect. I have an 88 Gibson LP Custom, I have a 78 Gibson LP Deluxe, a 95 LP Classic, a Gibson LP JR, a Gibson Midtown and I love them all...but I also have an Ibanez Jet King I paid 130 bucks for, a MIJ Squier Bullet that's great and a Yamaha Revstar 502T. Honestly out of all of them I've been playing the Jet King the most lately.
Thank you
bernie said joe plays “The Beast” more than him. he also said it belonged to clapton then kossoff before he bought it in 74 i believe.
just found out bernie pass away on the 24 08 2023 . RIP bernie
look at the flame on that one! just listen to that sustain....just listen!
What a nice guy, no bullshit.
Way cool but i would have preferred Joe talk about the 335 Gibson lingering in the distance.
The man is the best !!!
Not
Ernie Ball strings? Never bought a set of those without one from every setup breaking. High E? Pop! G? Pop!
D'addario? Elixirs? Hulkbuster strong.
Remember that.
Mr. Bonamassa, sound solid advice as always, The Beast is well named, its Savage, as for John Henry (Doc Holiday) TB killed him if it was the other John Henry (rail-line worker) that Legend is still laying tracks......so I`ve heard..
Great Tips, Thanks.
a great informative video by a master craftsman.
Sound advice from the master
Very good advice.
Excuse me sir, did you just say “Nut sauce?”
Hahahahaha
MasunN47 “Big Bens nut sauce” to be exact lol
My dream guitar :)
*****
Yeah, you and everyone else on the planet.
Scott Howes I saw Goldie once in Rumbleseat music! Probably the best guitar astetically :)
wise words!
Hey Joe, excellent playing just wanted to let you know I have managed to replicate your sound. I’ve only been playing for 40 years never made it as a rockstar, but certainly did plenty of gigs in my life and had a lot of teaching skills and manage to graduate from Berkeley I thought great accomplishments either way as my time is fading I only have a few months left to live. I am almost 49 years old. I am totally blind and I’ve been playing guitar, since I was just a kid as a matter fact, I don’t remember not there being a Guitar somewhere around either way I just wanted to let you know I had replicated your sound with a guitar and I’m really happy with the results. Your damn pick ups are so hard to get my friend. I have a pair from back when they first came out. However I should’ve bought more. I’ve been offered $1000 for that pair but I will tell you I found a wonder who makes a pick up that I was so blown away by the same collector that liked those custom shop. SD pick ups of yours the Amos version fell in love With my 1961 LP, which has the WCR Jim Wagner cherry buckers and I gotta say they grab your sound man and burn it up as well as you know giving a good cost soft sound with your guitar does take care brother and see you on the other side man Keep strumming though been watching you since you started big fan I don’t really have heroes, but I do believe in people that are naturally gifted and you certainly are. God bless you man thanks for the blues I’ve been living up my whole life and truly, I never reached a pinnacle, but certainly always strive to be the best I could. 4:44 4:44
I love this man
What a cool guy
"Bernie was kind enough to loan me his guitar so I put big strings on it and set it up differently." What a nice guy.
They're good friends. If he had a problem with it. He wouldn't have done it.
But did a top wraping on a 59 tailpiece?? Damn Joe, this will certainly leave some marks on it!
this is basically Joe giving me an intervention on my guitar obessions lol
Ha I get a pass, I swapped out standard SD '59s for Custom Shop Skinner Bursts almost immediately after getting my new guitar.
Joe is a good dude in a great guitar player maybe not the best but still a great guitar player.
I've read that top wrapping can cause problems with the string jumping out of the bridge, also that the harder break angle at the bridge is there for the extra sustain. what are people's thoughts and I mean people who have tried both
I use to play without the top wrap and now that's all I use. It has little to no affect on the sustain, at least in my experience. I would recommend it.
Seth Morse oh and about the string jumping off the bridge: that deffinately won't be a problem. Yes it does make it easier for the strings to come off... but you really have to be trying
Thanks for your input :-)
jon carley I top wrapped when I first heard about it. I think if you use heavier gauge strings, you can feel the difference in the "slinkiness" he talks about. I use a lighter gauge and really couldn't tell the difference. A string never popped out while trying it..you would have to really be trying to get it out of the saddle for it to do so. For a while I was top wrapping only the B string because that tends to be the string I bend the most and I saw someone else doing it back in the 90s and I thought it looked cool.
+jon carley never happened to me and ive top wrapped for years. i play with a little more aggressive style of picking too, including some hybrid picking
Tried one time the wrap over string set, no difference at all ! That's just if you want to do like Jo and ruin your stop bar. I play 11-52 cause I want strong strings. It fits with my guitars and my play. If you want less tension put some lower strings ;)=
After seeing this n hearing Joes view on intonation Id love to hear his opinion on the Evertune system
Legend !!!
Every guitar player should know how to set up their guitar, how else will you discover what you like ?!
One of the best guitarist out there. He’s got 200,000 to 300,000 sitting on his lap. Would love to own a 59’ someday.
Why? You suck.
Me too. I'd love to own a 58-60 LP so I could I'd sell it and buy a much nicer guitar, buy a new house and put the rest in the bank. Those old LP are cool but the way people worship them is just baffling to me. They're just guitars.