New Joe Bonamassa signature Epiphone Les Paul

[glasshand]

I'm not particularly a JB fan, but this one does look pretty nice...LP with P90s and a "Copper Iridescent" finish, which looks almost like an oxblood with a slightly orange sparkle to it. That was apparently a very rare factory finish created for the 1955 NAMM show.

https://www.musicradar.com/guitars/elec ... 5-les-paul

https://gazette.gibson.com/news/introdu ... -standard/

https://www.epiphone.com/en-US/p/Electr ... Iridescent

[tonebender]

Nothing beats a Les Paul with 90's. I say it out in the open not just behind closed doors. LOL.

[andrewsrea]

Okay - who has more signature models, Slash or Bonamassa?

The Gibson model is actually a cool finish, but the price is a bit steep.

[BatUtilityBelt]

Okay - who has more signature models, Slash or Bonamassa?

The Gibson model is actually a cool finish, but the price is a bit steep.

100%. It's just about everything I like in a Les Paul, but I'm not paying that for an Epi.

[tonebender]

I think $849 is a fair price. The "inspired by Gibson" series was more I think. Many manufacturers are now targeting the just under $1000 market with both great quality acoustics and electrics. There are many Epi Les Paul models are well over $1000 topping out at $1500.

[andrewsrea]

I think $849 is a fair price. The "inspired by Gibson" series was more I think. Many manufacturers are now targeting the just under $1000 market with both great quality acoustics and electrics. There are many Epi Les Paul models are well over $1000 topping out at $1500.

The 'inspired by' didn't seem to have the same finish as the Gibson. I liked the Gibson better, but the Eppi wasn't bad.

[tonebender]

I have yet to have an "inspired by" in my hand but I would assume they would be poly instead of nitro. I just looked them up and some were less than the Joe model. I have had several Epi electrics including a couple Les Paul and 335 models. It is just something about the way they feel that do not agree with me.

[andrewsrea]

I have yet to have an "inspired by" in my hand but I would assume they would be poly instead of nitro. I just looked them up and some were less than the Joe model. I have had several Epi electrics including a couple Les Paul and 335 models. It is just something about the way they feel that do not agree with me.

Agree with the poly, which they could easily do nitro given their lack of environmental laws.

I also agree with Epiphones are in the 'try it before you buy it' club. I have three Epiphones: a 2011 Bigsby Casino (China), a 2010 Wilshire Pro (China) and a Les Paul Custom Classic (China). I found that 80% of the many Casinos I played felt and sounded good, so I took a very beat up disassembled one in trade for some of my AMI pickups. I restored it, put my pickups in it and it is now indistinguishable from a 60's ES 330. I had a 1965 Wilshire (one that got away) and wanted another and found the 2010 for $150 and have since made it into 'mine,' also installing my hand-built pickups. I happened to find the Les Paul in my local GC used department for $340, to which I rewound the stock pickups and changed their baseplate to nickel. All three guitars have a 60's profile (not slim-D, but like a '59 with a little taken off). For the Les Paul, that neck profile is hen's teeth.

So, yes - If you are shopping Epi, then try a lot of them and be able to use your imagination if they are not set up properly.

[golem]

Joe B is the patron saint of guitar flippers. No one does it at his level.

Can you imagine buying a vintage guitar and then using it to sell a set of exclusive Duncan pickups or having Fender, Gibson, or Epiphone make you a very expensive replica? No one else is doing it on that level.

Having him be the owner of a guitar gives it a provenance. I've heard mention on forums that he may even have people who are backing him as investors. Can you imagine that?!

While I think he failed in with the thing where he tried to sell that 59 Burst paired with a vintage Fender amp and plenty of other exclusives, you can't doubt that they'll sell that gear somewhere down the road for a tidy profit: https://entertainment.ha.com/itm/musica ... 59-85001.s

It was during the worst part economically of COVID IIRC so it probably was more an issue of bad timing. It probably took a year to set that all up.

[glasshand]

Guitar World has a review of this model and the Gibson Les Paul Standard ’50s Mahogany Top.

They nitpick some stuff, but it's kind of telling that their pull-quote for the article is "We’re not hearing $1,750 difference in the sonic quality, feel or playability. Far from it." (Although they do also say "Playing unplugged, they might feel pretty similar, but the Gibson has noticeably more acoustic volume. It feels more alive, too, although the Epiphone feels far from an inert, dead plank.")