The Collection: Brian Ray

In this episode of “The Collection,” host Mark Agnesi travels to Palm Springs, CA to check out the epic guitar collection of Brian Ray. Brian spent 14 years as guitarist and musical director for Etta James, and over 17 years splitting both guitar and bass duties for Sir Paul McCartney.
Over the course of his 40 plus year career, Brian has amassed an incredible collection of some of the world’s rarest vintage guitars. Brian is such a fan of Gibson guitars, he even had a Les Paul shaped infinity swimming pool added to his desert home.
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[@thomasconrad2630]

That Pool needs a Bigsby diving board!

[@grooverstone9553]

thomas conrad oh my god YES 😍😍

[@npBOgory]

thomas conrad genius

[@SydneyDrums]

Haha yessss

[@daro9582]

How long did you think till you came up with this?

[@RobertBakerGuitar]

Please never stop making these!

[@gibsonguitar]

More episodes coming soon!

[@guitarmanz4879]

@@gibsonguitar Robert is constantly playing Gibson. You guys need to work with him!

[@paulcasilio1119]

Guitar manz Please might I second that. The dude abides to Gibson and it is worth a sit down, or stand up, with him.

[@MarioHernandez-zc7dv]

I've heard of you

[@idkhowtospell]

@@gibsonguitar gotta get vince gill on this. legendary things happening here.

[@RodClark]

Bless you GibsonTV for not bleeping out the f-words. We're all grown ups here.

[@matthewanddaliasteer7118]

Rod Clark not all of us

[@BurningCopies]

@@matthewanddaliasteer7118 then grow up

[@jamesbyersmusic]

What, do you mean F*nder? ;-)

[@NoQuadsNoMasters]

"That's the reddest fucking guitar I have ever seen......" best part of a KZbin video in fucking years.

[@slowfire69]

Kids where u at?

[@DB-uf6md]

And just like that, out of nowhere, Gibson decides to launch 1 of the best guitar related shows on youtube. Agnesi magic.

[@CaptainCraigKWMRZ]

The whole show I was worried that the grand finale would be Mark running over the entire collection with a bulldozer 🥴

[@IamtheActionman]

Much respect to Gibson for displaying Fender instruments on their channel.

[@artdonovandesign]

Excellent comment and observation.

[@brandoferg6460]

Are you 5? It’s a guitar show it’d suffer if it was just Gibson.

[@zezuntxiduntxi]

@@brandoferg6460 stop...

[@JorshWarshington1]

You'll shit yer pants when you see the Rick Nielsen episode

[@alwaysopen7970]

Where would all of the rock and roll Les Pauls be without a Fender bass?

[@theruley]

I appreciate that you showed more than just his gibson collection. Lots of cool guitars here!

[@willparker547]

Anyone wearing a fedora, jeans and flip flops at the same time is definitely living their best or worst life. This guy is living

[@tyates4398]

this is gold, im using this

[@spiritualcramp8000]

no one living a hard time wears a fucking fedora, the day you see a homeless wearing anything different then a beanie let me know.

[@bhotsnax]

It's a Trilby, not a Fedora. But yeah, for sure!

[@hippydippy]

Not like the guy hasn't worked hard to get there. He's just enjoying life. Try it.

[@williamsmith1744]

@@spiritualcramp8000 you must have never seen the incel redditors who wear fedoras

[@tswc42]

My anixity sky-rocketed when he was playing that Burst while sitting on a rock bench and right next to a rock wall.

[@graemero5532]

Yeh me too, especially the red firebird with perfect finish

[@SGspecial84]

It's just a fucking guitar.

[@snipershot1997]

SGspecial84 yeah...just a 350,000$ guitar

[@SGspecial84]

@@snipershot1997 For now...

[@damham5689]

And wearing the jacket with metal buttons sticking out all over it.

[@MrHattrick63]

I thought it said Brian May , lol

[@belo1971]

David Dale , Brian May would be more humble, less « American », less pollution ! Even if I love Mr Ray...

[@UmbertoRonco]

Me too hahaha

[@sickb2200]

This is much more exciting.

[@pedrotoledo2414]

Same here 😂

[@fokkwasabi]

same

[@rcdubya]

If you’re a guitar geek, this is such a treat!

[@cesarnunes2431]

Please the SLASH’S Collection

[@DAAN_MUSIC]

Yes!! Please 🔥

[@mikeymojo8299]

JESUS-H-CHRIST 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻😳😳😳 that collection is insane. Killer episode. That Pool is awesome Keep these episodes coming Mr Agnesi

[@scrap_iron_2264]

Mark Agnessi knowledge blows me away every time he makes a video. Dude is like an encyclopedia. Well done brother.

[@PeterSz73]

I grow fond of the guy because of that... his knowledge is insane

[@alexnelson8]

Didn’t he used to work at Norm’s?

[@scrap_iron_2264]

Yeah man, started Guitar of the Day.

[@GuitarlosCarlos]

BLAME IT ON NORM HARRIS

[@AlienSexGod]

Yeah he can prepare and read labels on cases. Good job!

[@Nicolas.440]

Kudos to Gibson for showing us the Fender et al. guitars as well. Class act

[@McDagger90]

I love how Brian Ray enjoys Mark playing some of the guitars. You can tell these guys genuinely love music

[@almightyguitarnerd]

Mark Agnessi is such a positive guitar geek. Love the drive that pushing him forward. Don't care about the shit he is getting

[@angusseletto1511]

He's a good guy,I can't understand the haters,except for jealousy,people have a go at Norm Harris too,the guy has a friggin Guitar store,what's to hate? Some people suck.

[@popcorny11]

@@angusseletto1511 I’m no “hater” cos I actually don’t even know why Mark is disliked. But just wanted to let you know that just because ppl don’t like something it doesn’t mean they are Jealous of it. What a childish assumption meant to fuel more hate.

[@w1third]

How bout that Les Pool, and the comment about the legal department.... at least they made a joke about it

[@leinie6683]

If he didnt say that, can you imagine how many times it would have been said in the comments?

[@AlienSexGod]

he said it because that's what they really are like. He is only joking about it now that there is so much negativity on Gibson's attitude.

[@bobby9727]

Gibson is killin it with this series,Love this and can't wait for the next collection.Thank you Gibson.Mark and of course Brian,oh yea that house and pool ROCK!!!

[@gwmendel]

i sat next to this gentleman on a quick flight from miami to nassau (he was playing with steven tyler for a hotel opening event) and he was the nicest, kindest, friendliest person you can imagine. i love recalling meeting brian ray and that short hop has stuck with me ever since.

[@danstout2338]

Good to hear. These guys who get the choice gigs seem to be stand-up cats. Rudy Sarzo comes to mind.

[@saltpeter7429]

@@danstout2338 Rudy is such a great guy. Have enjoyed every program on YT that he is on.

[@nickbruni8041]

Effing great episode ! Props to Gibson for allowing even competitor's axes to be shown ! Respect to Mark for his knowledge 🦉

[@brunosilviomartins]

Love that there's no shame in showing other brands. That's cool as fuck from Gibson and it shows that Gibson is not intimidated by other brands. That's the mark of a truly confident and cool brand. I'll be waiting for the next one! Cheers!

[@gearmeister]

lol... 😂😂😂... I'm wondering if there's any copyright issues with the pool? Maybe not without a broken headstock....

[@brunosilviomartins]

@@gearmeister well a headstock doesn't break itself... if you drop a guitar or leave it by the amp instead of leaving it in a 5 bucks guitar stand, guess what...? But hey let's all blame Gibson for our lack of care for our instruments 😂

[@gearmeister]

@@brunosilviomartins Definitely, this was an attempt at humor, I own several Gibson guitars & I've never broken a headstock😎

[@brunosilviomartins]

@@gearmeister yeah, me too! I'm a proud Gibson owner! And Fender! Les Pauls and Teles, that's my thing! But yeah, I think Gibson has been doing an amazing job lately. Going back to the roots, keeping it simple. And giving the modern stuff to those who like that kind of stuff. Quality has increased.

[@Shane-sf9pv]

Bruno Sílvio Martins they’re definitely taking steps in the right direction but a lot of people have made videos showing QC issues on new models, to the point where their Epiphone counterparts look more professional. I really hope that the issues have been resolved because I’m currently saving up to buy my first Gibson and I can’t wait.

[@ErraticFaith]

Aw I love Mark's reaction to opening cases lol. Gets me smiling every time. This series is just pure greatness. Keep it coming!

[@gibsonguitar]

More episodes coming soon!

[@corvuslaeus9540]

Honestly these new Gibson interviews and collection videos are my favorite music related media in recent memory. So well shot, no doctoring language, and just honest portrayals of ALL brands of instruments. THAT is what helps Gibson stand out.

[@gibsonguitar]

Thanks for watching

[@larryadams1873]

Gibson TV is the coolest channel ever! Brian is super cool and fellow guitar junkie. Mark did a killer job with this video! Really hope Gibson keeps this channel going for a long time.

[@gibsonguitar]

More episodes coming soon!

[@davidallen346]

it's gonna take at least 2 hours for me to watch the whole video , i have to re-watch every little parts over and over again lol

[@aaronparker1614]

Hats off to you Mark, for appreciating these guitars, preserving the history, and for giving us an inside look that we otherwise wouldn’t have had.. fine job

[@perryj8850]

I didn't things could get better after that pool. Boy, was I wrong!

[@WillyKidd]

This whole thing is just rad. Collection goals right there.

[@aguilarcast]

I don't know a thing about guitars but I really enjoyed listening to these guys and specially all he had to say about Paul...

[@Panhead49EL]

Just, wow. Some incredibly clean and unique pieces.

[@papersquares]

Mark's genuine enthusiasm for these guitars is great.

[@jacobmadonna1726]

Nice to hear Brian and Mark actually play these guitars! While I love seeing them, hearing them is what we all really love to see!

[@XLBiker13]

That was a GREAT guitar collection. Not only vintage, these are really interesting, unexpected guitars. A great mix. And it was so nice to see great guitars that weren't Gibsons on this show. Made me love Gibson even more than I already do. And you could tell Mark was back in his element. Great job.

[@kwp1977]

This was excellent. Best vintage guitar content I have seen since the first episode :)

[@ianto3540]

Dude it’s so cool to see Gibson show other branded guitars on their channel. Respect.

[@johnmirabile3535]

every star should act like Brian Ray...very humble, seems grateful, i just saw an Etta james show and there was this little blonde headed kid, with an LP calling the shots just realized its him! THIS GUY BEEN ROCKIN! WAY BEFORE I WAS BORN! GOD BLESS!

[@jeremywolstenholme9277]

I have a Gibson Les Paul Faded Special Doublecut 2005 Reissue,and I love it!

[@tmacdaddy46]

This is just nuts ! What a guitar adventure and cool shoot. I flipped out at least 5 times ... and how generous is Brian Ray with his collection, time and talent?!

[@gibsonguitar]

More episodes coming soon!

[@DannyStarr1976]

whoa great collection this guy has.. that burst is insane

[@VonBluesman]

Hearing a guitar on KZbin and your computer speakers does no justice to the way these vintage guitars really sound in person. I really wish these nonbelievers could hear vintage quality guitars played live so they could realize there is a major difference in tonality compared to new guitars. Brian has an absolutely stunningly phenomenal beautiful collection of guitars. Congratulations, these amazing guitars are in very well deserved accomplished caring hands. I am happy for you and thank you so much for sharing your guitars, life experiences, and your home. GOD bless you Brian. Thank you Mark for the great job you do. 👍🎸👏🙏✌️

[@dynjarren7523]

I have to hand it to this guy! He is living the Dream I wanted to. A Guitar 🎸 shaped Swimming 🏊‍♀️ Pool? That is so Cool! Then he has the 58 Les Pauls and an incredible Guitar 🎸 collection! Some guys know how to live! Very Nice! 😎👏🏻👋🏻🙏🏻🎸

[@davidlecours1023]

props for showing the other brands as well.

[@bluesbubba7429]

Hey Mark, I live out in Palm Springs; I grew up there, went to Palm Springs High School and all that crap and I'm still here. I've heard about this house. Great thing about the desert, you run in to a lot of artists. Pappy & Harriets in Yucca Valley always has stars walking in for a beer. It's one of Robert Plant's favorite places.

[@VERBANDTREM]

I forgot how much i missed hearing Mark play every day.

[@WWxeroWW.WERWKWWF__WPWWW.-_WWW]

Same

[@arturobelano6243]

Lemmo is better boys

[@SirVicc]

@@arturobelano6243 Lemmo is great, but I miss the mix of Agnesi's knowledge, playing, and t-shirts.

[@amazingpedalkits4274]

I saw Brian with Etta in 1976 when the band I was a roadie for,(stoneground winterland on youtube 1973) opened a new club in San Francisco.we opened and I'll never forget hearing Brian play blues! Just great! Etta was sweet to me also. 4 years ago I emailed Brian and he emailed back and was totally a cool guy! Great to see he's had a great career all these years later..

[@GuitarlosCarlos]

MJ Cox MJ STONEGROUND WAS COOL WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO SOUND ENGINEER, BASSIST BILL ASHLEY DID YOU EVER KNOW BILL? CARLOS GUITARLOS 90042

[@MarkPritchardGuitar]

I want that swimming pool!!! Awesome!!!

[@SnIpErX07]

Love how Gibson embraces other companies guitars as well as their heritage. This should be the way than making hate, a guitarist in their lifetime will definitely own a bunch of instruments to have a palette of tones.

[@liorauf]

First of all WOW!!! Mark enthusiasm and knowledge are unbelievable, to see his face every time he opens a case, you immediately feel his love and awe to the brand!!! Amazing collection, knowledge of a collector and an awesome pool!!! Well done guys 🤘🏻❤️

[@glynne.cicada]

Amazing!!! I've watched a LOT of Gibson guitar videos over the years & this is by FAR the coolest thing I've ever seen. 2 awesome dudes & all incredible guitars. Cheers!!! :)

[@robotsongs]

This was the best one so far, by a good mile. Also, props to you guys for allowing other manufacturers in (EVERYTHING'S BETTER WITH A HARMONY!). Great job, guys!

[@MickeyRichardson]

This is great - I can watch this stuff all day! Please keep up with more of these great videos.... and more guitar collections!

[@mizionov]

A terrific collection! Very impressive!!!

[@twantheunisz9281]

I always wanna see this guy play get back!

[@micktheman6]

I think that silver fox Epiphone was my favorite awesome to see that reissued

[@noahr4951]

This guys stuff is so pure. Very organic collection. Not like a rich dentist that just buys the flashy piece. It's easy to see this guy loves his gear.

[@sector7g930]

Genuinely love this "collection" series. Agnesi doing what he does best! Keep them coming.

[@ArmanBaig]

Thank you for this series gibson. I miss mark on norms GOTD, so it’s nice go see him geek out with all these cool collection.

[@alxdelrge]

This is killer guys. Great episode.

[@dr.buzzvonjellar8862]

Brian is an amazing player and musician. He’s a professional musical director, which is something young players need to know and understand. Imagine having a career playing with McCartney!

[@EarthAltar]

The sound coming out of that '59 burst was unbelievable. Like the Angels calling you home.

[@malcolmadams2105]

This is my favorite video on YT his house 🏡 his pool and god his guitars 🎸 his style mid-century modern amazing!” “His job ain’t bad either.”

[@BallparkGuide]

Outstanding series! Can't wait for the next episode.

[@stipeur]

Loving this series Gibson! Great job Mark!!

[@creamfalcon]

WOW! I've never seen a '59 that clean before. The colors, the sound! I'm floored by it and the sound. Thanks to Mark, Gibson and Brian for sharing this with us!

[@martinjacobs4272]

Oh! The es 1275 in maple finish was quite astonishing . I just marveled from start to finish the off beat color just so desireable.

[@dynjarren8355]

Anyone who builds a Guitar 🎸 shaped swimming pool is cool in my book! He is living the Dream! 👏🏻🎸😎

[@elnatanmori4435]

"Oh 57 ya, I get confused with the other ones" Me in the meanwhile saving up for a used epiphone..

[@ArtApart13]

This is awesome!Props to Gibson for showing other brands.

[@briankavanagh7191]

Notice how Brian carefully puts the cases down👍 Sounds like a nice man, so much so he allowed Mark to play the silver fox with a denim jacket with metal buttons on 😱

[@gavterrygt]

What a beautiful collection, and I love Mark's reaction to everything despite how many cool vintage guitars he must have seen in his career. Nice Lesley West reference too!

[@elisalazar3064]

Incredible!! Gibson keep it up! Love seeing some Gretsch, Fender, Harmony, Epiphone and Gibson Love!!!!

[@davidb.9429]

OH MY GOD!!! THAT'S HEAVEN MAN!!!🙌😍😍😍😍

[@jensenbell]

How can you ever top this episode?! This was truly mesmerizing.

[@dandelcastillo8176]

Wow! there are some great collections out there but whooo boy! the rarity of some of these gems drives me craaaazy.

[@ericfarrell1625]

That silver fox casino was awesome.

[@Ibaneddie76]

Freaking phenomenal episode! You guys are killing it with these collection videos and Mark is the perfect person for the job! Man Brian has the perfect guitar collection, he may not have hundreds of guitars like some collectors but the guitars he has are the absolute creme of the crop! So happy Gibson are back on the right track!

[@robinmorris5416]

Clicked for the pool, stayed to hear mark geek out over the sic collection. Mark really knows his guitars!

[@benjaminmartin4965]

I just love how Mark turns into a kid in a candy store on all these episodes. True passion!

[@CalliGom]

Brian Ray is such a killer dude! Great episode, keep'em coming GibsonTV

[@pomod]

Is there like a Mark Agnesi drinking game where you have to drink a shot every time he says "dude" or "killer"

[@vcr210]

Am so proud to have gifted Brian some things. He appreciates them, all musical instruments, and simple kindness in life. A great musician and solid human being.

[@SerxMusic]

This video is a drug!! fantastic place.. fantastic guitars.. AWESOME!!

[@MrRoach-yo3mz]

Brian Ray, A true badass guitar player!

[@poopskipper4070]

So happy to see Marc doing his thing here and totally in his element. This has to be the most epic collection I’ve ever seen so far but It goes with out saying there has to be a joe bonamassa episode of this series. I wonder what rarities he has that we don’t know about yet. Love ya Marc! Hope you keep doing cool stuff like this.

[@marianobosich2434]

Look for Nerdville here on KZbin, a half hour of him showing his treasures

[@landguitar]

I don't think you could do that in 30 or so minutes. Would have to be documentary length - and do you just do guitars, or include amps! He probably doesn't want to show some of the things he has or is purported to have... :+)

[@SgtJADAN200]

I remember seeing Paul McCartney like 5 or more years ago when he came to Pittsburgh. I sat on the left side of the stage where Brian’s tech was and I remember just geeking out over all of his guitars. To see this video is so cool

[@fretboarder4752]

What a stunning place to live..this is a great episode..

[@DragonCrestPC]

Wow had no idea Brian ray had a house ten minutes from me lol

[@A.D.D.O.C.D.T]

DragonCrestPC Go jump his fence and have a swim !

[@kenmiller9844]

I know I looked at that home when it was on the market 2 years ago. I recognize the fireplace.

[@Acroposthion]

@DragonCrestPC - The Desert sure is a harsh climate to keep guitars, yes?

[@DragonCrestPC]

@@Acroposthion Actually it's great hans, no shifts in moisture so my trussrods on my guitars almost never need adjusting lol ;) My guitars never go out of tune either.

[@brownsfan7753]

Thanks for the fantastic interview!!

[@BrainChowMein42]

Man my day was goin really bad till I watched this. Now I’ve had my SG fix. It’ll brighten any day!

[@bmorebob6624]

This is my favorite collection of guitars from this series. This guy has immaculate taste in guitars!

[@known4tone]

Fiesta Red Bass had Glenn Cornick stenciled on the case. He played Bass with Jethro Tull.

[@musicsucks5843]

Man, I missed seeing Mark nerd out on some vintage guitars

[@RSKL01]

I hope this turns into a series. The Gibson Rusty Anderson '59 335 model is seriously awesome!

[@PixieintheMainframe]

I learned on a Harmony like that - That made me smile. This is a fun series, so thank you.

[@Caarmelo]

Loving those videos !!!

[@BennyDIY-eu6wj]

awesome pool🎸

[@joshhatch3655]

HUGE respect Mark and Gibson for indulging in Fender guitars as well as the Gibsons; this show is killer!

[@SnIpErX07]

One of the coolest series. Looking forward to the next!

[@snapascrew]

17 years of being on retainer for Paul McCartney... he’s gotta be so loaded.

[@op-z]

in Paul's biography (Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney) there is a story about Wings band members, and about how little pay they got :/ , most pay they got was during the tours and when Japanese tour was cancelled due to a marijuana bust - Denny Laine had to leave the band... I'm sure these times are over, but with stories like Slayer's drummer getting 67,000 annual salary, you never know. This guitar collection is a great retirement safety net though! :D

[@regaltip8A]

@@op-z Yeah I think things have changed. Macca may have finally opened his wallet. Pity the Back To The Egg band got average money because as a band they would have made the current band look like a toilet. Laurence Juber Steve Holley Denny Laine let's not put them in the same sentence with his current band.

[@DENIEL381]

yes he is

[@dariene1926]

@@op-z bro his house is worth 1 million+ of course paul paid him handsomely

[@carlbaumeister3439]

In the early 70s, a lot of Paul's (and the other Beatles') money was still tied up in litigation, getting extricated from the band, etc. He was always telling the band that once his money was freed up, Wings' members would be getting more money. But it took too long for some members, apparently. I guess a few years ago, Denny Seiwell, Wings' first drummer, told Paul it was very difficult to work for so little money. Seiwell says Paul teared up, and wrote him a very handsome check.

[@wolfendoom7269]

Ain't superstitious is such an underrated tune

[@matthewtucker1699]

beck's entire career is underrated, such a shame

[@anthonyc1883]

"I said so one time before." Love ya, Rod

[@TheGuitarMan71]

Beck will always be one of my all time favorites

[@anthonyfox1436]

Says who

[@joeywho534]

Really tasteful collection. A touch of everything.

[@matttiernan3465]

Gibson...All guitarists have multiple brands in their collection and it will ALWAYS endear me to Gibson that you keep it real and allow other brands to be featured. Keep it up. Love this series.