Joe Bonamassa’s love for and knowledge of vintage gear is vast. Recently, he sought to share the stories behind his own legendary guitar collection by inviting into his Nerdville museum for an ultra-nerdy mini-documentary. Bonamassa first let Reverb’s camera peruse his gear collection in 2014.
Suffice to say, in the intervening eight years, the bluesman has made multiple additions to . “I look back at the 2014 documentary and that room seems so empty,” Bonamassa reflects early on, “like, where is everything, did I get robbed?!” The YouTube documentary therefore made for a comprehensive catch-up, which is packed to the rafters with anecdotes involving seánces, trash bag guitars, and Korina kitchen cabinets. Highlights from the near-40-minute film can be found below, but take note: this list is by no means exhaustive.
Watch the full video on . Of Bonamassa's many new purchases, a $200,000 Flying V that was found in a trash bag stands out. As JoBo explains, the niece of a Bay Area gospel musician named Gino Landry didn’t know the treasure she had come across when she found the guitar wrapped up in a bin liner among her uncle’s belongings.
She estimated she could get a quick $500 out of it; Bonamassa knew otherwise. A 1958 , it is a notably rare example, as it hails from the firm’s original run of Korina Vs. Gibson later switched to mahogany bodies after disappointing initial sales.
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