Despite his affinity for buying legendary vintage gear, Joe Bonamassa says he’s not a big fan of auctions. But when a host of Gary Moore's equipment went up for sale this week, the bluesman couldn’t resist getting a slice of the action.
Moore – the late blues rock heavyweight celebrated for his flawless 1990 album Still Got The Blues, alongside his work with Thin Lizzy – is widely considered one history’s great guitar players.
As such, yesterday's (November 20) Bonham's auction understandably caught the eye of Bonamassa.
“I have never been a fan of grabbing a paddle and slogging it out, buying guitars and amps at auction,” Bonamassa writes in an Instagram post. “There are exceptions, though. Gary's playing and that album Still Got the Blues changed my life as a kid.”
Bonamassa's prize pick was Moore's 1989 Soldano SLO-100, a 100-watt tube amp with some serious bite. Though Moore opted for a Marshall JTM45 on clean with a Guv’nor distortion pedal on the Still Got the Blues LP, he pivoted to the Soldano for the following tour.
Here, he used the amp's clean channel only, with the Guv’nor once again doing the teeth-baring. The rig would remain in place for his tours in support of After Hours, which was released two years later.
As per Bonham's website, Bonamassa bought the amp for £19,200 (approx $25,100).
“Gary’s approach to soloing was like placing a brick on a car’s gas pedal,” JoBo said of his hero during a Guitar World lesson on his iconic playing style. “Like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix, he had infinite passion and musical ideas.”
However, while ‘Joe Bonamassa buys gear’ isn’t necessarily breaking news, it goes against his recent word that he was done splurging on big amps.
Bonamassa has bought some illustrious items over the years – the acquisition of the Tommy Bolin Les Paul is a personal favorite – but he surprised us all in June when he admitted to buying his pedals from Sweetwater.
Now, he’s teamed up with his favorite guitarist for a stunning tribute to B.B. King.
