George Gruhn on Mike Bloomfield's Guitars

Guitar expert George Gruhn discusses guitarist Michael Bloomfield's impact on the vintage guitar market, especially on the value of the Les Paul Standard "Sunburst."

[@joepalooka2145]

I agree 100% with George Gruhn. As someone of the '60s generation, I well recall Bloomfield with Butterfield Blues Band and then with Bob Dylan. He was a guitarist's guitarist, a musician's musician and hugely influential among the white rock and blues players both in England and the USA and Canada and elsewhere. He's not as famous today as Clapton and Hendrix and all the other big names, but for those who know about him he is right up there with all the greats.

[@chikkipop]

I've always wished I could find the person who has Michael's Les Paul, and convince him to part with it. We all have our dreams! ;-) Michael meant so much to so many of us who loved the guitar, and our first time hearing him was a life-changer.

[@michaelgreen5206]

Mike Bloomfield is one of the BEST GUITAR PLAYERS EVER PERIOD!!!!! Enjoy listening to him on Bill Graham's Live at The Fillmore West 1969 - Mike Bloomfield with Nick Gravenites and Friends. This is Mike at his peak playing, IMO. Miss him terribly.

[@johnballs729]

I have been a fews times at Gruhn music store,,it was just an amazing experience every times,,to see all thoses old fabulous instruments and hear some of the players trying thems.... And all staff so competent at giving you the historic of each instruments.

[@franklmac]

You are so right in your statments George. I first saw Mike playing a gold-top in 1966. I immediately went around all the hock shops looking for one. NO success. I finally found one (a 1959)in LA in 1968 for 750.00 but it was not a gold top. The finish of this sunburst had gone away and left was only the flame maple leaving the guitar, a blonde, with clear lacquer. You're right 750. was a lot of money in 1968 but I went to borrow the money at household finance anyway. When I went back on July 4, 1968 it was gone. I've always thought I was the the first if not the only Les Paul freak in those days. I own a 1988 sunburst and it sounds just beautiful. It can growl on the low-end and totally sweet on the high end. I just love it. Interesting that they were being collected even before 1966 when I first fell in love with them.

[@superfuzzymomma]

Damn - great story, Frank - and fascinating historical record also, Thank You!

[@We_are_the_light]

Thanks George

[@denAlexVA]

Numerous players in the early - mid sixties favored teles. Clapton played one as did Jeff Beck (Esquire). As to Sunburst Les Pauls, they could still be gotten reasonably cheap as late as 1973. I paid 900 for a 60" in excellent condition - matched flame top in 73'. You just needed to be lucky. I bot another one in 76' for 2 grand. Though you might not consider 900 bucks cheap.. A LP Deluxe was selling in the stores for 350 at that time! All 10 pounds of cheap wood and lousy pickups. In those days, it was who you knew! I recall when George sold a 59' in 76' for 2800. A record price, he told me that he was amazed at the price he got. But that one was a beaut! As to Strats, you could buy vintage maple necks cheaper than new ones. I bot a 54' in 73 for 300 bucks. 25 dollars less than a new one and the guitar was an 8 out of 10. I still own it

[@Riverdeepnwide]

Cool stories thanks for the memories Den. I was lucky to find a ‘57 Strat in ‘71 for $125. Fred Tavares initials with the date on the neck. Man was it beat though! Still got it too, it’s gonna outlive me. Hard to believe the really great guitars which passed through my hands in those days, and I let them all pass. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@ryansouthard4929]

Just got a Gibson Custom Shop Joe Bonamassa because the guy didn’t know what he had. Paid zero, just promised to play it forever. It was covered in dust, Indiana Jones style, epic

[@denAlexVA]

@@ryansouthard4929 Glad to hear that!

[@TonyLondonUk]

Amazing the fact that strats was illegal to import them to the uk I remember my uncle purchased 1 undercover for £500 back in the day, cliff richard was the first guy to bring strats into the uk he purchased 8 I believe have 1 to arrive in the uk there had been an embargo on buying guitars from the States from the end of World War II until that time. "Cliff ordered it straight from the factory," the electric guitar player said. "He bought me that first wonderful Strat, which I received in the spring of 1959." That was hank Marvin

[@denAlexVA]

@@TonyLondonUk Rory Galleger was the first Irishman to have a Fender Strat! A buddy of mine who was from London told me that!

[@itachisenpai6636]

Marvelous george gruhn. Thanks...!

[@mikemckenna6607]

Mikes tele playing changed everything.. And Butterfield too

[@locandro1]

Mike Bloomfield was the reason I bought a white Tele with a rosewood fretboard.

[@GearBoxTy]

Same here

[@locandro1]

@BLT That's awesome! Thanks for telling me!

[@claymationwaves]

i wish everybody was this guy

[@johnjozefowicz2022]

I Love these kinds of stories

[@grundid44]

No mention of the Duo Sonic with the copper pick guard he played before the Tele. He made that sound incredible as well. What a great loss to humanity. He was one of a kind. His finess will never be duplicated.

[@guitarsofold100]

@bloomsdico In pictures of Mike playing his Les Paul standard it appears that the fingerboard binding is missing in the treble side 10th fret up...... How did he manage to play it with out cutting his fingers to shreds. ??

[@billyboy1093]

You're right, I've seen many photos of the guitar, but I believe it was the 7th fret up. He probably filed the fret ends. There's also a split in the top just above the treble side tailpiece stud as well.

[@ireneruthfox]

Mike's Butterfield Band, " Tele" was a 1963 Rosewood fingerboard Tele. Not a 1952.

[@bloomsdisco]

His first Telecaster was indeed a 1963 model, as Dan Erlewine has shown, but Michael purchased it quite a few months before he joined Butterfield. After he traded it to John Nuese for the LP Goldtop in the fall of 1965, he had at least one and possibly more Telecasters that he used with the PBBB before he quit the band in February 1967. One of those he played at Monterey with the Flag, though he also used the 1959 LP Standard that he got from Erlewine in trade for the Goldtop. That's the one seen in the famous "Wine" clip.

[@TheHumbuckerboy]

I was hoping to see Mike's guitars here.

[@G8GT364CI]

Bloomfield was the most magnetic player in history. Still my favorite.

[@elmolewis9123]

Couldn't agree more with the comment that Bloomfield selling the LP gold tops and sunbursts. He's my #1 guitar hero still after all these years. Supersession put him on top (much like the Beano album for Clapton)

[@jamespollock11]

He did have a hit record. Super Session.

[@Banzo_]

Eh i wouldn't count that one. Fantastic album though.

[@oldgoldtopgoldtop6039]

I wanted ANY Les Paul in 67 or 68 and found a 55 goldtop in a jewelry/music store that I purchased (with my parents help) for $325. It was both Bloomfield (Electric Flag and Super Session) as well as Jimmy Page, who made me covet the LP. I still own the goldtop but it is now regrettably in rough condition having been quite abused in various traveling cover bands tol about 1980. But yeah, Bloomfield with his LP really haf a huge influence.

[@joepalooka2145]

Hey---- a question for George Gruhn---- regarding Bloomfield's Les Paul guitars--- how about one of the great mysteries of rock and roll history? Around 1970 Bloomfield was playing a gig at the Cave Nightclub in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. For some reason---- possibly due to his heroin addiction----- he abandoned the gig and left town. The promoter seized his guitars, one of which was a vintage Les Paul that Bloomfield had been using for a while. To this day that Les Paul guitar has never been seen again. Where is it? How much is it worth today? Would it be fair to say it could be worth around $500,000 or more in today's market?

[@Mpcoluv]

A Canadian collector had that guitar. In fact in the 1990s I believe it is pictured on a luthiers bench getting repaired. I think the luthier may have been the Bobburst guy....

[@JS-ol9ou]

Goes to show it’s not the dough you drop on some high brow guitar but what you can do with it that counts fellas

[@bassmickeyd]

Plus I remember hearing Mike, on record 65/66 and Eric, not really till Cream in 68. ... We all dream of the days you'd find a run down Pawn Shop and a mid 60's Strat for less than $200. ...

[@jonnyb2532]

George Gruhn . . . a man who knows the *price* of every guitar and the *value* of none of them.

[@frankdemaio6693]

What about Duane Allman playing a Gold Top and then later a Sunburst and a Tobacco Burst...Peter Green played the most famous Burst

[@bradc32]

i don't doubt George at all.he was there...never happened with the beat up mustang MB was playing for a while he was in between guitars

[@marlon1171]

I can’t believe this is georges....

[@dookieday1]

Then Hendrix came on the scene and the big guitarists of the time picked up the Stratocaster

[@SmelOdies]

dookieday1 Yes, and believe it or not the person to give Jimi his first Strat was Keith Richard’s girlfriend Linda Keith (you might remember her from the Hendrix movie) giving him Keith’s Strat presumably after Jimi first arrived in London.

[@G8GT364CI]

@@SmelOdies Les Pauls blow Strats away, actually so do Teles.

[@SmelOdies]

Bob Perhaps in some ways, not in others.

[@G8GT364CI]

@Spike Elwood Yeah, I suppose you're right. I just like the sound of Gibsons better except for certain things.

[@hiphopwong]

George Gruhn admits that Gibson owes just as much equity to MIchael Bloomfield, as Nike owes and is paying equity to Michael Jordan. There's really only one thing that sells guitars. Great guitar players!

[@quad1000]

this wasn't shot last year...that's for sure. '80s?

[@bloomsdisco]

This clip comes from a 1991 Homespun Tapes instructional video called "How to Buy a Vintage Guitar" with folk guitarist Happy Traum. Contact info is at the end of the clip.

[@manthonyiovine]

quad1000 mm

[@tomault3063]

first started.... sigh.

[@Riverdeepnwide]

Great comment section.

[@Red1Moon]

Unfortunately he was a junkie. Messed him up.