Joe Bonamassa Plays 1919 Gibson Style U Harp Guitar — Video

Followers of Joe Bonamassa's Facebook page know the gear-loving guitarist likes to shoot quick, spur-of-the-moment videos backstage at his shows.

These videos usually show him playing rare, oddball or just plain insane stringed instruments. As evidenced below!

In one of his latest (although not the latest) backstage videos, Bonamassa is playing a 1919 Gibson Style U harp guitar.

"Some backstage fun with a 1919 Gibson Style U harp guitar," Bonamassa wrote on his harp-guitar Facebook post from March 3. "Please keep in mind it was recorded on an iPad and not in Abbey Road Studios. Enjoy!"

Harp guitars like this one (we're not sure if it belongs to Bonamassa, who has a lot of rare guitars—and a lot of rare-guitar-owning buddies, it seems) are early relatives modern doubleneck guitars, offering two stringed instruments in one, even though it's played as a single instrument. The top neck sports 10 sub-bass strings (earlier versions had 12 sub-bass strings).

For more information on these guitars, visit americanhistory.si.edu and harpguitars.net (You might as well try here too.)

Post by Joe Bonamassa.

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Damian Fanelli
Editor-in-Chief, Guitar World

Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.