“A brand-new Marshall and an Epiphone, if you dial it in right, can sound like a sunburst Les Paul through a vintage Bluesbreaker”: Joe Bonamassa explains why great tones are “much cheaper than people realize”
“If Lewis Hamilton gave me the keys to his race car and I gave him the keys to a Toyota Prius, he would still beat me around the track. It’s not the car, it’s the driver,” insists Bonamassa in the latest issue of Total Guitar.
“You don’t need $100k worth of perfectly preserved, mint condition, ultra-rare Hendrix kit to sound like Jimi. You can get it out of a Squier Strat, a Peavey Classic, and a bunch of Dunlop pedals, as long as you play in the spirit of Jimi Hendrix.”
According to Bonamassa, the same theory applies when it comes to using a vintage Gibson Les Paul versus a modern Epiphone. “It’s the same thing with a Les Paul. If you do it blindfolded, with a brand-new Marshall and an Epiphone, and you dial it in right, it can sound like a sunburst Les Paul through a vintage Bluesbreaker. Great tones are much cheaper than people realize.”
Bonamassa explains that he did the Reverb video to “demystify the notion that you need a Dumble and a Klon or whatever.”
Joe Bonamassa Plays Hendrix's "Band of Gypsys" Rig: For Real & For Less - YouTube
He adds, “You don’t need anything. You need to practice and focus on how you really want to sound. Some of the greatest sounds were created on junk! Or at least cheaper gear.
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“Most of your favorite rock ’n’ roll sounds from the ’70s were created on the Les Paul Customs that were modern for back then.”
Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology, and how this is shaping the future of the music industry. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Dream Wife, K.Flay, Yīn Yīn, and Black Honey, among others. When she's not writing, you'll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her art-rock/psych-punk band ĠENN.