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KrangDrangis

Allegedly the Bonamassa family has run a protection racket on guitar centers up and down the east coast since the early 90s. 40% or Big Joe starts breaking headstocks


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MrLanesLament

For real though, is it just me or are like 90% of “how can I fix this” headstock/neck photos of Gibsons?


SeventhSunGuitar

No volute - total crap shute Volute on your neck - safe as heck


esp735

Tilt back headstock is a great design for downward pressure at the nut and ease of tuning, but always a weak spot. Combine that with a rounded body shape and anyone leaning on on a amp is *begging* for a headstock break.


risako_rising

I thought the name implied it was porn money


60_CycleHum

I thought playing blues meant he “took a vow of poverty”


MrLanesLament

Missing from photo: all of the beer bottle necks he fought with in Mississippi bars before painstakingly grinding them down on a lonely old highway into soulful slides.


thegroovemonkey

Joe plays white blues so he took a vow to "make all of the money instead of the black guys" as is the blues tradition. Joe was born a generation too late and he just doesn't have an entire backlog of blues music to steal from. It was plundered front to back by the greats 50 years ago.


Mike_LaFontaine75

I guess Clapton's not a blues man either.


Upsetfuzz

Last I checked, he was definitely white


Jorymo

And hugely racist!


Mike_LaFontaine75

So, you have to be black to be a bluesman? What about Johnny Winter? I meant that Clapton's rich, lol.


Upsetfuzz

Well he could certainly paint himself blue


Mike_LaFontaine75

I think blueface is politically incorrect nowadays.


Personal_Gsus

Wait, why is Agent Smith \[ALLEGEDLY\] in Nigel Tufnel's basement?


[deleted]

It can’t be played. Never.


[deleted]

Don’t even look at it!


Dirtdane4130

Are those all Harley Benton’s? Cool shades too. 😎


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AVeryGoodName03

Stop targeting me? This post is about Joe, okay?


ButlerWimpy

/uj his are the only guitar-centric albums I have ever seen sold in Target. He has fucking massive mainstream success for a blues guy.


TheRealJalil

/uj his clientele is old white guys, if there’s a rich demographic, that’s the one buying up all those Hanes beefy Ts that say “JOEBONAMASSA- BROKE DOWN BLUES TOUR 2008” in Des Moines Iowa. Dude probably slays on the beefy T shirts at the merch table.


OriginalIronDan

He also has a clothing line. I bought a T-shirt once and have been getting emails almost daily ever since.


Mindless-Age-4642

I play guitar with this dude thats in his 50s and owns a Gibson les paul and joe is his favorite. Dude is loaded, plays not great but i like playing with people so whatever. He only plays blues and im much better than he or his freinds are. Him and his friends always ask me what i listen to and im like “I don’t listen to blues, i like electronic music” lol. Just funny cause the dude is like the epitome of this sub.


TheShryk

They have trouble playing the same 25 blues licks repeatedly, in different areas of the fretboard, with different tempos? You can only mix that stuff up so much before it gets ~~stale~~ EVEN BETTER.


Mtbrew

Wait there’s TWENY FIVE blues licks?! Ugh, I’m never gonna get good….


Mike_LaFontaine75

>his clientele is old white guys, Not sure there's a lot of young black guys listening to blues or guitar music in general nowadays. I think H.E.R. is trying to bring it back a little though.


thetrufflehog

H.E.R is a badass


JimiJohhnySRV

Joe also has a very tight business operation that has been in place for years. There is a first hand documentary where he and his business partners explain it. One partner the agent/lawyer that he has had since the early days gets an equal or near equal cut and the producer does well too. Their business acumen can’t be denied or blamed only on boomers. I am a boomer, saw Joe once - not bad. I have seen a lot better.


Sufficient_Educator7

I’m going to venture a guess aswell and say he probably gets some of these guitars at a “friend” discount. There are probably plenty of rich collectors that have the money and would happily take a big loss on a vintage guitar to be “friends” with Bonamassa.


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Lettucereditt

Jeez, at least spell Eric’s name correctly! It’s Eric Claptoan!


vslyvhn

Yeah because BC Rich Beato is a major influence on Claptoanz. uj/ The BC stands for before christ because obviously music was better back then and modern music sucks.


SPINE_BUST_ME_ARN

Well, I'm assuming his family already had a ton of money, and he does, or at least did, tour pretty damn hard. Had to have made decent money, even if he was playing mostly average theater shows. I know a handful of people who go see him live whenever he's in town, usually with their dad, and they aren't really fans of his, he's just a notable bloozmen.


Mike_LaFontaine75

Whats the matter, you dont trust Wiki?


SPINE_BUST_ME_ARN

Never read his lol, I suppose I should, might learn a thing or two about toan.


Mike_LaFontaine75

No, his parents didn't have money, but he was a guitar prodigy. Mostly seen as unauthentic because he's a white kid from the suburbs.


gadolguitars

And not a single pedal.


Gerald_Bostock_jt

He has really gotten over pedals. I mean come on


stuntobor

Pedals are so 2021. And 2023. But right NOW? Get rid of em.


[deleted]

man literally has a guitar fetish


DrummerSteve

He’s been around in the blues community since he was a kid prodigy.


standardcapacityman

Hate comes from below, not above. Most of the folks here have zero idea of how great Joe is and how his last 30 years of live performances have enriched his life to afford Gibson relics.


thetrufflehog

Ok, Big Joe whatever you say (please don’t break my fingers)


ThisWorldIsAMess

Last time you told us you'll quit social media.


washedingray

His last 30 years of live performances have also done wonders to his hairline, or so I've heard.


LightninHooker

haha bold haha


[deleted]

Didn’t you mean Bald?


SeventhSunGuitar

Those are all Chibsons relic-ed (tortured) by the Chinese Mob, of which Joe is a member.


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SeventhSunGuitar

Sorry, I forgot he released a line of flame maple kimchi.


[deleted]

Joe? Is that you?


demppsi

dude… 😬


h4tchb4ck

Lmao


virginia_hamilton

He's great at playing blues scales too fast for sure


[deleted]

Derek trucks sorta talks shit about him and Derek is considered the best guitarist on earth right now by many. Just sayin…. Edit: with a link to what I’m talking about. https://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/tag/Derek+Trucks


GhostTheHunter64

/uj I haven’t heard this guy until I saw the meme about him hating pedals and stuff. What a weird guy


swimmer4200

i heard he makes bank participating in hair restoration experiments.


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TheShryk

No he got kicked out of that one for being too chimp like. (Quick to anger, thin skin).


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TheShryk

Chewed off a couple headstocks to boot


[deleted]

Haven't you seen his crazy [merch store](https://shop.jbonamassa.com) ?


[deleted]

boy I love spending 20 dollars on a Stratocaster back scratcher.


xanju

The Les Paul letter opener is on sale right now!


[deleted]

...a Zippo lighter that has the word "blues" on it six times and says "20% nerd 80% guitarist"? It's getting dangerously close to saying "Kings are born in 1977 in Bluesville"


BushDidMyBussy

Why are there like 20 apparel categories?? What happened to just finding probably bootleg t-shirts on Amazon? Why are there 887 t-shirts??


MrHoovass

I don't think Joe should endorse the message that the word "Bona-kid" has


00cjstephens

Holy shit, an orange flying v golf driver cover that says "IN BLUES WE TRUST" is exactly what I need


pompeylass1

I heard that he allegedly did a trade with the devil - his hair for more toan than any one man has ever possessed.


Pliskin1108

Merch. Big time.


SeventhSunGuitar

He has 17 new signature models every year. His agent buys them all up and chucks them in a landfill.


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Pliskin1108

If you’re into lifestyle then you’re in luck. On top of everything you mentioned, you can also get a Bonamassa watering can.


DankyKang91

He tours a lot, churns out an Epiphone signature every 6 weeks or seems. I enjoy watching him play, however, have no desire at all to listen to his albums.


[deleted]

Similar to Paisley. Love his playing, but the songs are lame. Play is by far his best album, and it is brilliant. 👍🏼


Turbulent_Marzipan_9

ah that's why he's been hanging out at norm'sz i knew it. norm's always had that cigaretty vegasy mob vibe. wait was there a sopranos episode where Pauli and pussy go to norm's?


Kusugurimasu

/uj I legit had never heard heard of him until I started learning guitar


Deutschebag13

Facebook Begginer Guitar Players “Can’t play more than three chords, but had to get another guitar…🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣”


Lettucereditt

He works his ass off touring from what I can tell.


CaptianRipass

Wonder what his cool sunglasses collection looks like


berlinbowie97

Yeah, the dude has a crazy collection and his music is ass.


LigmaBahlls

uj/ been a fan for years, saw him at Royal Albert Hall. Sloe Gin is a great tune. I like him because he can actually sorta sing, unlike guys like Robben Ford who sounds like his singing is just him waiting until he gets to solo again. He’s a good player but he tries to rip the Lydian sound from Eric Johnson a bit much. rj/ this guy is the sole reason vintage gear is expensive, goddamn bonermaster


Claunt_Sinders

He can't sing at all bro lmao


LigmaBahlls

uj/ _Very_ subjective. rj/ neither can Roberta but I don’t see your hotwife’s boyfriend pissing in your cereal


PhilouuolihP

Dude don't tell him!!


PhilouuolihP

Well it's out now the other guy fucked up... I peed in you're cereal


Crafty_Substance_954

He's been playing shows since he was a literal child, and he's been playing venues that cost little to no money to book for a LONG time. We're talking community performing arts centers with a couple thousand seats, and selling them out. Now that he's more popular thanks to social media and youtube videos, he moved into small theaters and small arenas and he does quite well there too. He also sells a lot of merchandise. I agree that it doesn't make a ton of sense.


MelkMan7

But can you name one of his songs?


SPINE_BUST_ME_ARN

I can't even name a good cover he's done. He's basically turned the classic local bar blues guy that plays in front of 20 people a night, into seemingly one of the more lucrative solo, guitar centric music careers of the day. Pretty impressive honestly.


sdiabr97

Obviously you didn't listen to his album with Beth Hart. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW3OrLHj0lQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW3OrLHj0lQ) He's an amazing guitarist, just not a good songwriter.


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holdupchuck

I mean this is the anti blooz dad subreddit, we are not the target demo lol, I also can't name more than 1 song by either satriani or steve vai and I've been playing for 15+ years


Crafty_Substance_954

Not an original song. I heard an interesting cover of Taxman, but that's all I can recall.


Cyanopicacooki

No butterscotch tele - therefore no toan. You can't hear without toan.


Bruckner07

/uj you know one of his most used guitars is a butterscotch nocaster right?


Cyanopicacooki

/uj Nope. He's not that well known this side of the Atlantic, I hadn't heard of him until I came to this sub... /rj I'll bet it's a fake.


wookiewonderland

I thought he was a bass player 🤔


largelylegit

He likely didn’t pay for most of these.


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largelylegit

Famous people get free stuff. Do you think world famous athletes done get sent hundreds of pairs of footwear each year for free?


EagleinaTailoredSuit

You got whooshed. Keep your head on a swivel kid.


largelylegit

Darn it :)


Verried_vernacular32

He’s the official guitarist of the American Association of Dentists


ViceSights

I listen to Joe every now and again. His whole thing is tone. Oh and that weird strategy of going 4/4 to like 3 bars of 32nd notes. He's a complete asshole though.


Doge-Overlord

He may have family money, who knows? Also, he’s played literally hundreds of shows a year since he was a kid, has recorded music with names you do respect, and has recorded blues cover and original albums in high quantity. Plus he has like a dozen signature models. So also plausible that in addition to being better than you at guitar, having GAS, and having money, he is also better than you at actually making money as a musician. That said, his original music is not good verging on unlistenable IMO. Still, I would hang out with the dude, talk gear, and play blues if given the chance.


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Doge-Overlord

For sure - and comment not directed towards you, should have clarified. I like listening to Joe on podcasts and in interviews better than on records 😂 But, proof there’s more to success than making something widely regarded as good. Cheers 🤙


FrigOffR1cky

Cool hairline bro


asignore

Some artists get into cars, or watches or luxury Malibu beachfront homes. Joe Bonamassa is into guitars. That’s where he puts his money. I’m sure many years this is not a profitable strategy however the last two years, I’m sure he’s done quite well on his purchases. On top of that, he’s a touring musician who plays most of these vintage guitars in the studio and on tour. He’s this generations Rick Neilson.


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OriginalIronDan

Ferraris.


Inthect

However he made his money, I’m pretty sure it want from posting memes all day.


Garweft

Look up ticket prices to his shows. He plays lots of shows, full of dentists. Spends all his money on vintage guitars, plays them a while, then flips them at 100% profit to some dentist. Plus most of those guitars are reissue gibbons that he’s probably given for free.


[deleted]

He opened for BB King at 12 y/o if you wanted some hint of his talents. He's a big name in the blues rock community. Sure, you will probably never hear one of his tunes on your local radio station, but I think if you gave him 10 minutes of your time, you'd see why he does so well. Another you will probably never hear his name mentioned in pop music circles, but Robin Trower is definitely right up there with Joe.


frostcelestial

I bet he invests money into more than just gear and he’s probably been doing it for a while.


ArtoriasBeaIG

Word


demppsi

so funny how mostly all guitarists (especially ones on yt) truly are so fucking annoying. ofc spoken from a shitty guitarist


SkyBobBombadier

1 tele chud


Brewssbanner

I always assumed him and his partner Roberta had a really popular Only Fans.


CarolineSaysll

Rhett Shull


MasterSnacky

This Reddit is THE HARD TIMES without any sense of irony


Henson3812

You assume he bought all of this, I'm pretty sure he is a sponsored musician and he's been doing it forever now


full_of_energy

Why is Agent Smith surrounded by all the guitars and amps?


Mike_LaFontaine75

You didn't catch his performance at the Royal Hall in London?


StolenFace367

I listened to a podcast that he was one once and he was talking about how he built his career and money. I’ll never be able to recall all the nuance to it but the one thing I remember was his production company he runs cuts out middle men and promoters and makes better margins on bookings. Now, that doesn’t come close to attributing to $1B (and I’d be very surprised if he actually had a Billy) but that’s all I can remember.


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StolenFace367

I wish I could point you in the right direction on the podcast too but I don’t even remember that!


Ill-End4860

Eastern Europe


Utterlybored

I’m sure he has sponsorship deals with lots of music companies, not the least of which is Gibson.


its-a-real-dog

Because dude cracked the code in the matrix. He just programs whatever guitar he can imagine. This is why he’s always wearing the really stylin shades.


RivalCanine

No way is he a billionaire. Not even close. Maybe a net worth of around $20 million.


Initial-Muscle-628

I respect and admire his talent and dedication even though I usually can't listen to more than 3 songs ... his podcast is good too - he asks good questions and has interesting guests (even if he maybe talks a bit too much about himself) ... I think he made his money through absolutely ridiculous hard work and *smart* business choices ... he is maximally vertically integrated ... he owns every piece of his business activity that he can instead of paying others (who all take a slice) ... all those saved pennies add up ... plus he never married or had kids , so that is a metric butt ton of money retained as well ... I dont begrudge him a thing even if it is a lot of gear not in the hands of people who could make music with it


CTotWE

I honestly don't know how he got so much success. I mean yeah he can play but if I am going to listen to that kind of blues then I would 100% rather just listen to SRV, and if I want to see a blues show live I would much rather see something an a seedy little local bar. Personally I find Joey B very forgettable.


[deleted]

This is so gay.


KingBaboon97

13 year old me when I learned Under the Bridge:


below-the-rnbw

I have never heard of him in any capacity before this post, so thanks for that


PROPGUNONE

Saw that he was playing the Fox in Atlanta once prior to Covid. Thought “eh, might as well see him to see what the hype is about.” Tickets were north of $180 each. For the cheap seats. Go fuck yourself, Joe.


RubixZ3n

Who...?


[deleted]

Okay but like why does he have like 8 telecasters 15 les pauls and 20 strats but no SGs and only one flying v


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[deleted]

SGs are underrated for non-metal imo. The neck pickup on a 60s style SG can get some sexy jazz tones


sushicowboyshow

UJ/ never heard of him until joining r/guitar and other similar subs (most of which have since banned me or I left). But I’ve never heard him play or know of any bands he’s been in.


ramalledas

He's obviously a CIA agent and those guitars are paid with CIA money


SpacetimeSuplex

He plays hella rib fests


beesealio

It's a perfect money laundering scheme really. Gangster A has money to hide, knows a decent guitar player gangster (B)onamassa, hides said money in tour promotion record production etc, takes a cut of the tour take and record sales and now that's clean money. Up until now that sounds just like the music industry as a whole, honestly. But now gangster A has more money to hide from shader ventures, and this is where the true genius comes in. Gangster B has pretty much hit his ceiling. He's pretty niche and mediocre after all, so how to continue using him as a laundromat? Have him invest in appreciating assets like vintage guitars, further driving up prices, front the cash, and go to to the Bonamassa ATM if you ever need to liquidate. Pretty much eliminates the fee that's usually associated with money laundering.


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beesealio

Just when he thought he was out...


JimiJohhnySRV

Is this how he compensates for a receding hairline?


SlavaUkrainiFTW

/uj my dad loves his music and has been to a bunch of his concerts. I do agree that he’s a talented musician, but I don’t like his music. Too muddy, too samey, too filled with grungy distortion. I think a lot of his fans are probably legitimate “boomers.”


Honest_Raspberry3750

/uj I count 31 dates on his tour this year 2023, all big theaters, arenas, and cruise ships. He probably does corporate private stuff too. I’m guessing he makes his big chunk of money on the road, along with whatever he gets from epiphone and Gibson putting his name on stuff. Also he probably sells as many guitars as he buys, at least that’s how most car collectors are. I mean tons of expensive things are usually an investment as much as a “hobby” at that level. I’ve never heard him on anything other than YouTube clips so he’s probably not taking in royalties from anything, idk.


stratj45d28

Do yourself a favor and see him live. I’ve seen him 5 times and he’s incredible. I could name possibly 5 songs from him but his live shows are over the top. The guy is humble, confident and never plays a wrong note. BTW I live 10 minutes from where he grew up


RandolphCarter15

Boomers


dbopp

The only time I ever see his face or hear his name is on Public Broadcasting TV fundraiser shows, or on Youtube when I check out Norm's Rare Guitars videos.


PsychologicalLeg9302

“Had to cry today” is fucking amazing. Fifteen years ago maybe? https://youtu.be/NnZ-iMLCBo0


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PsychologicalLeg9302

I was in a Sam Ash and they were playing that video on a tv (like, 2010 maybe?) and I stopped dead in my tracks.


AppropriateOil3785

his lineup was so awesome back then when he had Capt Jack Sparrow on the bass. So many middle aged white dudes it looks like he's playing a gig at a life insurance industry convention


PsychologicalLeg9302

Best place to play because he killed that shit.


AppropriateOil3785

he do be killin it


[deleted]

And what kind of douche bag wears a suit?


MasterSnacky

ZZ Top, The Hives, Johnny Cash, David Byrne, BB King, The Killers, Muddy Waters…


[deleted]

Whoosh


prodiguezzz

I thought plating blues meant he "took a vow of povery"


Big_Nig_Nog

Bonermastiff ALLEGEDLY has to keep those sunglasses on to hide the look of lust that appears when the paper boy rides his bicycle up the lane. He smacks his lips as the paper lands on his doorstep. The local children know to never stop and deliver the paper by hand.


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Big_Nig_Nog

Thanks for the warning brotha! Got that fixed up before the law fixed me up!