Seymour Duncan and Joe Bonamassa have recreated the humbuckers from the blues maestro’s Bolin ’Burst – a famed 1960 Les Paul Standard that carries close ties to the late Tommy Bolin.
A few years ago, Bonamassa acquired the guitar under some extraordinary circumstances, going as far as to call it the strangest guitar deal he ever did. Now, he’s linked up with the US pickup manufacturer once again to analyze the Les Paul's two humbuckers in exacting detail, resulting in the signature "Bolin Burst" set.
Bolin himself made his name in Zephyr, the James Gang, and Billy Cobham – ultimately inspiring Steve Stevens to use toy ray guns in one of his most iconic guitar solos – before replacing Ritchie Blackmore in Deep Purple in 1975. He was driven to his intense audition by none other than David Bowie.
In the group, he helped reshape their sound on Come Taste the Band, before releasing his second album, Private Eyes, in 1976. He died at the age of 25 following a drug overdose in December that year.
The Bolin ’Burst actually belonged to Bolin's friend David Brown, who purchased it for $125 in 1966. It later became Bolin's main six-string after his Goldtop was swiped from a Zephyr gig, and Brown kindly lent him the Les Paul Standard as a replacement.
The pickups were never swapped out, and they – along with Bolin's touch – helped give the electric guitar its singular tone.
To harness that sound, the Bolin Burst pickups feature Alnico 2 magnets to “deliver authentic vintage tonality with dynamic bridge and warm neck pickup characteristics”, and they have been aged by the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop to match the time-worn vibe of the originals.
A portion of the proceeds from sales will support Bolin’s legacy “through dedicated endowment and memorial funds.”
Seymour Duncan says “the bridge pickup provides a dynamic and barky sound,” while the neck is all about “warmth and clarity” through an overdriven amp.
“It really is a special set,” Bonamassa says of his latest signature pickups. Production is limited to 500 sets. Each bottom plate is signed by Bonamassa and Seymour W. Duncan, and the pickups arrive in numbered packaging to the tune of $375 per set.
Visit Seymour Duncan for more.
The release comes as part of Seymour Duncan’s Joe Bonamassa collection, which includes pickups inspired by a 1950 Broadcaster, the most dynamic guitar he's ever played, and one of his personal favorites, an ES-335.
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