“At some point in time, we may have to get our head around the fact that these things we trade will be worth absolutely nothing”: Joe Bonamassa on the one thing you should never do when buying a guitar

(Image credit: Future / Olly Curtis)

Over the course of his storied career, Joe Bonamassa has learned a few things – especially when it comes to buying electric guitars and other pieces of assorted guitar gear.

Indeed, the besuited bluesman has bought and sold more guitars than the average Joe could dare to imagine. After all, this is a man who entered in an utterly bizarre deal to acquire Tommy Bolin’s famed Bolin ’Burst Les Paul.

But not all purchases need to be so complicated. To help with that, he’s offered his top tips for buying the right guitar for your needs.

“In almost a half-century of being around guitars, I’ve learned that keeping up with the Joneses isn’t what you want to do,” he tells Guitarist. “Because at some point in time in your life, you wake up in the morning, pour a cup of tea or coffee, and you realize you fucking hate the Joneses.

“So, my suggestion is, if you’re a collector, a hobbyist, or a professional musician, to buy things that make you happy. If you’re sitting on the couch and you can’t stop grabbing a guitar, it doesn’t matter what it says on the headstock. It doesn’t matter how much you paid for it.”

Indeed, as the sale of Jeff Beck’s guitar collection shows, instruments are made to be played. Beck’s widow, Sandra, auctioned off over 130 of his famed electric guitars so they’d get a new life, so they’d be played.

Bonamassa practises what he preaches, and has been quick to sell gear that doesn’t give him joy, just as he did when he swapped a Dumble amp for a 1959 Les Paul.

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“You pick up the guitar and it inspires you to play and you can just zone out for three hours and not think about anything,” he ascertains. “That’s the guitar you want.

“Buy the stuff that speaks to you before you buy the stuff that you think is going to impress your friends. You want to be able to create sounds and tones and things that you enjoy and that augment and support the music you’re making,” he continues, “not what somebody else is doing. And you need an amplifier that can keep up.”

(Image credit: Future / Olly Curtis)Handily here, he’s also revealed his secrets for picking the right amp for the right gig, and says it doesn’t have to be complex or costly. Ultimately, his comments in both instances boil down to individualism – players should buy gear for their needs or the gig they are set to play, rather than bowing to peer pressure, trends, or any other external influencer.

If that means stepping away from off-the-shelf models and into the “hazardous minefield” of the vintage guitar market, he advises would-be buyers to proceed with caution.

(Image credit: Press)“The more knowledge you have going in and the more questions you ask people that you trust, the better off the results are,” he promises. “Take your time, and trust your gut. Your instincts are your best friend. The rest will fall into place.”

Compounding that, he says, is that vintage gear today that costs a fortune might not hold its value forever.

“When talking about a vintage guitar, never ever think of it as like stock going, ‘Well, what’s it worth today?’ Never brag about it,” he punctuates. “Never go, well, ‘I bought this for this and it’s worth that now,’ because at some point in time, maybe in our lifetimes, we may have to get our head around the fact that these things that are traded online and at guitar shows will be worth absolutely nothing. And then you have to ask yourself, ‘Am I still happy?’ And if the answer is yes, that’s the right way to buy it.”

A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He’s also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.