It might not come as a surprise that Joe Bonamassa – the man who dedicates his spare time to hunting down ultra-rare vintage gear – isn’t going to be jumping on the digital amp modeler hype train any time soon (read: ever).
The decorated bluesman’s current live rig includes a huge array of different tube amps, a smorgasbord of pedals, and, of course, some pretty monumental electric guitars, headlined by – but not exclusive to – the likes of his "Royal Albert" Les Paul and Bonnie Strat.
One could safely assume that the day JoBo's live rig includes a Quad Cortex or Line 6 Helix would be the day the apocalypse arrives. Still, he’s shed more light on his decision to veer away from these next-gen products, which are dominating the market.
“The cost of being in the guitar business and being in a band and out there on the road has gone up exponentially in the last 36 to 48 months,” he tells the No Cover Charge podcast.
“Amp modelers are so popular for this reason. You can take a Neural DSP, Line 6, or whatever, and a little Seymour Duncan power amp, and all you have to rent is a 4x12 cabinet. And that's a whole rig that fits into the front pocket of a backpack, and fits in the overhead [locker of a plane].”
He adds that there are “fragility issues” when it comes to transporting amplifiers, and fixing them can “eat into your money to the point you don’t cut a check.”
As such, Bonamassa is, unsurprisingly, in tune with the benefits that modelers bring to touring musicians, and especially those on a tight budget. So why won’t he follow suit in making the jump?
“Here's my thing. I'm terrible with technology,” he accepts. “I have this Tesla coil effect on digital electronics. I could shut my phone down with just my aura. And I have very little patience.
“If I'm going into a machine like a Fractal or whatever, I have to make decisions of what mic I want to use, what position of the mic I want to use, what cabinet, what version of the AC30 or Fender Twin, and all these parameters,” he continues. “I could just go up to a [real] Fender Twin and set it in three seconds.”
He is, though, self-aware enough to admit that these pieces of gear are impressive. He just doesn’t resonate with them.
“I'm a very one-dimensional type of artist,” he says. “I do what I do. I'm the bull in a china shop. I play too many notes. It is what it is.
“If you're a sideman or woman, then you have all the tones, but you have to be prepared to spend hours and hours and hours programming.”
Elsewhere in his podcast appearance, Bonamassa revealed that his viral Guitarist lesson was completely improvised. All he wanted was to end the day and drink a Martini.
