Joe Bonamassa: The 1958 Gibson Les Paul Special

For tabs and text of this video lesson, see the July 2024 issue of Guitar World -
bit.ly/GW2020w
TALES FROM NERDVILLE by Joe Bonamassa
TOOLS OF THE TRADE, PART 14
This month, Joe Bonamassa talks about one of his favorite guitar designs, the Les Paul Special. The one he's sporting for this column happens to be a 1958 model in “TV yellow”; this lime/tan-type color was used so that you could see the guitar on black-and-white television screens back in the 1950s, thus the color naming. The original models were painted white, but they soon discovered that, on B/W TV, the guitar body would miraculously vanish; all you could see was the fretboard, pickups and pickguard. Darkening the body to this unusual color solved the problem, and part of the iconic stature of the instrument was born.
#JoeBonamassa #lespaulspecial

[@hizo64HH]

Today is Joe's birthday! Happy birthday Joe!

[@stratman9449]

oh...i didn't know....cheers.

[@altaylor9186]

Happy Birthday Joe! Thank you for keeping the blues in motion. You are an inspiration to me and many more guitar players everywhere. Thanks again.

[@BossNotes]

Happy BDay Mr Joe Bonamassa ! 🎉

[@VonBluesman]

Happy Birthday. I hope you had a blast in New Orleans and return soon. Thanks. 👍🎁🎸😎✌️

[@matshanssen2070]

I was born in 1958 and as a guitarplayer and Gibson-fan, I would love to own this guitar. Deep sound. Round and warm. Great for blues. Would love to hear Scott Henderson play this guitar!☝️ By the way : a post- happy birthday, Joe.🎊

[@RoyceTeal]

Happy birthday J.B. , may you have many more! ❤

[@robb4340]

Happy Birhday Joe and Tnx For The Great Concert in Amsterdam a month ago!

[@Clayton-t5i]

Happy Birthday Joe, you are the best, period. Keep on rockin'

[@stratman9449]

happy birthday...Joe...the day after...haha...cheers.....nice LP...its "special".....

[@scottdrumm4828]

Love Joe B content !

[@charliejohnson1785]

Can’t wait to see you at the Ryman in August all the way from cape breton Nova Scotia

[@ivan_emege]

There are two construction differences between the Special and the Standart that no one ever comments on: the neck angle is lesser in the Special, almost flat as in a Telecaster. And the neck pocket is wider; the neck fit in the body with a long, fat and square tenon, with greater contact with the body than in the Standard.

[@JohnCampbelljohnBlues]

Interesting….the neck angle further supports the theory that the Les Paul Special was marketed as a competitor to the butterscotch (modern day term) Tele. Google says the Special wasn’t originally marketed as a “TV”. Having said all of that, I don’t dare claim to be more knowledgeable than Joe about the history of Fenders and Gibsons!

[@ivan_emege]

@@JohnCampbelljohnBlues In the 1955 catalog they present it as limed mahogany, although later they talk about the TV Yellow 1 pickup (Junior) model. In my opinion it is one of the best, if not the best, Les Paul of the golden age.

[@JohnCampbelljohnBlues]

@@ivan_emege Thanks for the info. This is the first I’ve heard of the reference to the “TV Yellow 1 pickup”. Any idea when?

[@brucesguitardemos8197]

That’s how a guitar should be play and sound ❤

[@MarkDaniels2787]

I have an Epiphone "tv yellow" les paul special i put a bareknuckle pig90 in the bridge a mojotone wiring harness. the middle position with the stock neck pickup is my favorite sound ive ever played. You can also get the neck p.u to almost do the neck p.u of a strat thing. If you don't believe me listen to the solo in "another brick in the wall"🎉

[@bierce85]

surprised to hear joe repeating the TV finish myth. That color (limed mahogany) was a trendy furniture finish at the time and used on some TV sets. Also, why would they put a special "television ready" finish on a guitar designed for beginners who weren't going to be on TV anyway?

[@TheOnlyAlexWhalen]

Mate, you may be the one to help me. I’ve heard this about the Special, that it was that color because it showed up better on black and white tv, for years, but I’m yet to see anyone play a TV yellow LP, on TV, in the ‘50s. Do you have any footage? I mean, I’ve heard people say that, if you were playing guitar on TV in the ‘50s, you probably weren’t playing a student guitar, which seems reasonable, but if there are a bunch of people playing Specials, on TV, in the ‘50s, I’d very much like to see it!

[@ivan_emege]

In relation to the name given to the color, I think that despite the ingenious name TV Yellow or Limed Oak or Limed Mahogany, Gibson only intended to make a Les Paul with the natural amber finish of some of his laminated maple hollowbodies of that moment, like the new thinline ES-225 or the jazz box ES-175.

[@MrMarkduke123]

Happy birthday Joe! Try turning off some of those vintage neon signs. 😮

[@danielrosocha3534]

LP 😍🥰😘

[@ivan_emege]

Reissues got a modern recalculate scale/frets location, so the intonation is perfect with a plain third string.

[@emdblues]

Not really perfect but much better. Still gonna change that bridge to Music City Bridge :)

[@ivan_emege]

Finally I put the Mojoaxe some weeks ago. Only for the peace of mind ;)

[@riffcodger]

Pen blwydd hapus blues man. Keep at it.

[@adrianoelvas4662]

The best Alive

[@VoxMax1200]

Happy Birthday! But what about the electrical grounding in that room? I've never heard so much noise on a single coil p'up guitar.😮

[@thegolfingmusician6345]

Love P90's. Railhammer Pickups builds a beautiful sounding hum canceling version called a "Humcutter" that I've stuck in a number of my guitars. Can't recommend them enough.

[@AuntAlnico4]

😂 you can't recommend them yet you put that set in multiple guitars !? I only used the railhammer pickups in one guitar but they sound awesome ! I can recommend them !

[@thegolfingmusician6345]

@@AuntAlnico4 You misunderstood. They are SO GOOD that I can’t recommend them enough. Sorry for the confusion.

[@simonsmith2642]

Mine came in Deep Purple! And yes I love Jrs and Specials. And the special is a bargain at today’s prices for a solid Mahogany USA made tone machine.

[@AuntAlnico4]

😂 $1600+ tax

[@simonsmith2642]

@@AuntAlnico4 I paid 800.. Cash. Only idiots pay retail. A decent mechanic, doesn’t use Harbor Freight tools.

[@GuitarZombie]

Chimy? refer to figure 2

[@felixflatterer6646]

if this b uttmuncher (and a handfull other bu t tmunchers) would not hoard thousands of amps and gits every pawnshop would have reasonable vintage stuff

[@vincentl.9469]

low to medium output humbuckers win over P90s- for me anyway ..