Mark Agnesi From Gibson Guitar Talks With Derek Trucks

Gibson was onsite at Eric Clapton's 2019 Crossroads Guitar Festival in Dallas, Texas this past week and partnered up with our friends at Guitar Center to sit down and interview several of the artists performing throughout the weekend.
Mark Agnesi caught up with Derek Trucks to talk guitars and discuss what it's like to perform at such an iconic event.
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[@stratmad]

Such a humble guy, just like all the greats.

[@_RLP]

Derek is a very genuine individual and a great player. Cheers, dude

[@w13rdguy]

Mark: "What's it like getting the call from Clapton?" Derek: "Toured with Eric for a year already, so......." Priceless.

[@gordon-hensley]

yeah, love that -- just casually says 'yeah, i toured with eric for a year or so in his band"... what an incredible player and cool, humble dude

[@frankierodriguez8661]

a true gentleman and a wonderful guy Mr. Trucks

[@rodrossi9749]

This guy deserves a signature guitar more than most. Awesome player and well rounded, doesn't get any better!

[@Seanph25]

He has one :)

[@buckodonnghaile4309]

I first saw him sit in with the Allmans when he looked to be about 12 in 92 or 93(?) and it's great to see he's keeping the spirit alive. If you haven't seen him live I highly recommend it.

[@parkerfilms1]

He was born June, 1979, so 40 years old and a professional musician for 26 of them! From June, 1978 through June, 1979 there was something special about the water in the South: Sturgill Simpon (June, 1978), Jason Isbell (Feb., 1979), Derek Trucks (June, 1979).

[@RockHardRiffs]

If you haven’t seen any of the Crossroads concerts....you’re really missing something. From modern to old time to classic music. Fantastic! Love Derek Truck’s slide playing!

[@mikelawct]

Derek such a great player and nice person.

[@joes1804]

Greatest modern guitarist. Has the spirit of Duane guiding him along the way.

[@poodlenme]

Not really. He pales in comparison. He doesn't have the finesse of Duane.

[@joethompson2910]

Nah uhh... my little sister is wayyy better at hopscotch than your little sister and big sister put together... jeez, musicians come across like egotistical whimps sometimes...Duane was great and Derick is easily as great! Grow up boys..

[@soulrebelsailing4534]

Anyone who sees Derek play and says they are not impressed is obviously lacking a serious musical ear. Not saying you have to love his style or think he’s the greatest ever. But not impressed? Seriously? BB King says to him in a live performance that that’s about the best he’s ever heard it played. But hey maybe you have more experience and a better ear then him...

[@joes1804]

@@soulrebelsailing4534 right on brother, I saw him live last December and it took my breath away.

[@Grants_jams]

guitarsurfer2010 you’re a fucking pretentious moron

[@6412mars]

Derek is Awesome! Also great seeing Mark!

[@k31scout39]

Great to hear there’s another Crossroads!

[@buckodonnghaile4309]

I've been hooked since my wife bought me the Crossroads Festival 2004 DVD. JJ Cale and Clapton,can't go wrong there.

[@k31scout39]

I got them all! I’m a guitar nut and these Crossroad dvds are amazing.

[@rsviews2167]

I hope all these passionate souls meet in heaven and jam for us all for eternity.

[@vernonhoover1387]

Derek's a great guy.and he loves his Gibson!

[@garycoates4987]

derek is so damn cool an otherworldly good player

[@AldeanLeger]

Dude could cut Clapton with one note. Ask Eric what it's like to have the honor of hiring Derek LOL

[@MikeBikerKickstand]

Aldean Léger - fool’s game to quantify guitarists. It’s a personal preference thing when trying to compare musicians anyways. Besides, as good as Derek is, I haven’t seen any recent graffiti announcing him as a “God”. Just saying .... Lol.

[@SouravDas-ix6nn]

@@MikeBikerKickstand you also should check there is a dog peeing in same wall...

[@RoadsterRock]

I agree. never got the Clapton thing tbh. a great songwriter, but as a lead player? mmm, distinctly average! I'll probably get roasted for that, but it's how I feel, and I know plenty of good players who say the same!

[@adrianguggisberg3656]

@@RoadsterRock Aye, I'm sure you know plenty of better players than EC, and you're probably better yourself, eh? Well, I heard the lad play life back in the Eric is God day, and I was convinced he was god. He even sounded like god through the single pile of turds speaker in our Austin 1800 cranked to what was possible without setting the bloody car on fire. He basically invented the modern Gibson LP sound, and by doing so, brought the LP back into production and back to life. Being a great artist isn't just a question of technique and obvious complexity, it's on a less superficial level than that. This, however, doesn't mean I enjoy Trucks any less, and it doesn't reduce his accomplishments in any way. Art isn't sports, it isn't a competition. Btw, I had the privilege to see DT and EC perform live together. It never felt as though one outclassed the other. Quite the opposite was the case, I thought each brought out the best in the other.

[@edloomingly7204]

Seriously, the man is doing a job most of us would love to do, the internet needs to let him be

[@Niloy63]

I agree 100%. Holding someone to their worst professional moment is just asinine. Anyone here would hate to have the spotlight on them at their worst moment. It's not like the dude is a fraud or anything. He did a video that his bosses wanted him to do. Let it go and move on.

[@strings2wood]

@@Niloy63 The bosses made him do it.. or he IS a fraud! 'DOH!' Calling BS.

[@deanmccaskill5495]

Totally agree. I’d love for every judgemental asshole out there get their worst professional moment thrown up on KZbin for everyone to take a crack at. I think he’s a pretty cool guy personally. At least he loves guitar and rock and roll.

[@canucklehead0]

Mark, please continue to showcase players and events more, like you used to do with your show. Try and pull in great players from all genres, some examples would be folks like Samantha Fish, Mrs. Smith and Jared James Nichols. I think all are Gibson artists ( except maybe Mrs. Smith with Ibanez) but you get the point.

[@alejandrocisneros7442]

He's not in control. That's all Gibson. Dude fucked up by getting hired by a dying company. He was doing so well going solo interviewing young and upcoming players. Now he has to interview Gibson only players sad.

[@Seanph25]

@@alejandrocisneros7442 definitely not, he made the right decision. And Gibson is far from a dying company, they’ve been revitalized, listened to their fans, and are on the up and up. You’re just a mindless hater.

[@mikeymojo8299]

great interview. DT super chill dude, monster player.

[@jasondyeoriginalmusic3094]

Great musician 👍

[@kwp1977]

Great interview

[@vmat1000]

This was great. I was fortunate enough to see EC in '07, HP Pavillion, last gig of the tour with Derek. He was off to join The ABB in Sacto like a day or two later. I get what Mark said,,,JB and Derek. Amazing player. Wished he'd mentioned the amp, though i guess he figgerd we all knew Super with Pyles. Thanks, Mark !

[@juanjosue5943]

fabulous musician !

[@cherrypickerguitars]

I first saw Derek perform when he was 13! He’s been knocking me out ever since.

[@ShadeHope1969]

Thanx for the great interveiws Mark, Lovin it.

[@CJBlake-rf7mv]

Great interview Mark. Derek and Jeff Beck are the two best guitarists today

[@lukebmajesty2010]

Derek, growing up , I’m close to the same age as you are, give or take a few months, I’ll never forget opening up my favorite guitar mag and seeing an ad from Washburn🤘🏼beautiful guitar, but what stood out was a kid my age playing the fuckin thing 🤯, so I say to myself what’s he got that I don’t, keep in mind I’m 12 at the time, similar age✔️, nice guitar ✔️, talent possibly ✔️ but when that glass hit the frets...I understood why, thanks for all that you and yours have contributed to the purest art form there is music🤘🏻

[@cyrilm3496]

Nice and decent guy for such a genius

[@guitarlusteuphoria4507]

They let Mark out of hiding.

[@markjohnson8352]

Good to see you Mark. What an individual player Derek is. AWESOME. 🤘

[@jerryfraker377]

Blues power!!

[@eddygreen3631]

Where is Derek's signature model Gibson?

[@deesmusic9933]

Edward Green www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SGDTVECH-14--gibson-derek-trucks-signature-sg-vintage-red-stain

[@ALewis942]

I have one, stellar guitar, the vibrato cover really balances out the normally top heavy SG

[@guitarswh]

Yes. More of this and less marketing bs.

[@protestssopeacefulweneedad2017]

Technically this is marketing but the fact is that anything with Derek Trucks is pure gold.

[@guitarswh]

Marketing is showing a “new” or “improved” guitar that has just been renamed. The new Standard is the Traditional they’ve been making for the last few years with a few more finish options. Nothing new or improved about it. That’s marketing bs.

[@graemero5532]

Great player, thanks Gibson.

[@DavidLee-rx6uo]

Remember seeing him at 13 playing .

[@rstuartcpa]

I once sold a guitar to a 13-14 year old back in the early 90's. We had a little shotgun in Riverside (old neighborhood in Jacksonville) and this kid and his dad answered an ad I placed in the Times-Union offering my '64 Fender Duo Sonic for $400. It was that crazed and crackled yellow that arctic white fades into with a faux tortoise shell pick guard and had an original hard case. The kid tried to beat me up on the price and I held firm...told him I got it with paper route money when I was 14 years old and it was my baby. I remember him pulling out a bottle neck slide and his dad saying something about his uncle being a professional musician...he complained about not having an amp to pug into and that the strings were rusted...smart negotiator...I remember being impressed that the kid bought the guitar, shook my hand and handed me the money...I've always wondered if that bright and precocious kid was Derek Trucks.

[@derrickfphillips]

Robert Stuart I’m sure he’d remember if it was him. Find a way to ask him. Cool story. I’m from Jax. Remember Dons Pawn? Great store.

[@rstuartcpa]

Derrick Phillips Don’s Pawn was musty Fender Amp heaven. So much I wish I had picked up there while old Fenders were affordable. I mostly hung out at Chips. I saw Derek all the time, like at the Sushi place off of Old St Aug, but didn’t want to bother him while eating with his family. I think the castle in the sky may be better than knowing it wasn’t him.

[@bryonkidder6199]

Howz bout some Blackberry Smoke getting some luv from Gibson???? They're only the best band in town and around...lol

[@randysimmons9838]

Good to see mark again.

[@pascalgalipeau8760]

I wish they would have covered his guitar setup. I’d be interested to know what strings he uses, how high are the strings, pickups, etc. I’ve tried playing some of his stuff on my SG and was not happy with the sound. Anyone knows?

[@bryanevans2171]

Premier guitar did an episode of rig rundown with Derek Trucks and they talk about that kind stuff.

[@pascalgalipeau8760]

Thanks!

[@pascalgalipeau8760]

Island Gore 🙄 you don’t know what I do. Who are you to judge?

[@samuelrutherford8107]

Tell derek to do a show with josh smith please

[@um9272]

Nice to see mark, too !!!!!!!! I miss making tone on Norman’s fine guitars !

[@eddykidd]

It's true, Mark does does look like the NARC at the concert... whoever pointed that out, bravo!!! Sorry Derek, you're cool.

[@A14b19]

This is the mark we want . Welcome back man...

[@Tonetwisters]

Buddy Guy was one of the few players who chose a Stratocaster before I did! Drive past Derek and Susan's house all the time. Proud they are from Jacksonville. I recently got a VOS '64 SG Standard that weighs in at 6.9.

[@vinayakkrishnan1509]

Derek is a genius on guitars...

[@terrylwc]

Hey, lookGibson guy still has on his leather jacket.

[@garycoates4987]

he's gotta have his "cool rock guy" kit and uniform on 24-7

[@triplesevensix291]

He sleeps in it! He's an old school greaser man! I mean he's greasy man!! ;) Looks like he's been rubbing olive oil on his head.

[@Josh-iw2kw]

Why the inadequately sized couch with knee-to-knee contact...

[@alexo1998]

Agnesi gives new meaning to the word " Arogance"

[@markgillespie7591]

He's baaak!🕶

[@poodlenme]

Derek is becoming a SR guitar slinger

[@rongarza1974]

Wonder how much Derek's guitar weighs?

[@Saybleu]

Derek Trucks is in my top ten of all time guitar greats Duane will always hold my top spot.

[@randywhitaker8828]

Mark great interview. Great to see you again

[@keseysvenisonchili]

for a guy who uses probably the least amount of gear possible for playing live, I could listen to derek talk about guitars all fucking day

[@joeltaylor4821]

Good to see you again Mark! You rock.

[@dionr1168]

BOO THIS MAN!

[@protestssopeacefulweneedad2017]

Derek Trucks deserves praise not boos, unless you meant to say booze 😇

[@dionr1168]

@@protestssopeacefulweneedad2017 I was talking about Mark Agnesi.

[@Dubnot]

Real musician meets a stooge.

Uuugh! He’s back. And still hasn’t bathed or changed clothes.

[@strings2wood]

Hilarious!

[@prospectnyc]

2:05 to skip the non sense celebrity gossip and hear about guitars.

[@guitarocd9984]

Great interview Mark you always ask the best questions.

[@mjolnircarlssen4211]

Mark Agnesi creeps me out when he smiles. He looks totally stressed out. I suspect that he hates his new job.

[@poodlenme]

He's not good at it either

[@bezzarguy]

He looks wired to me.

[@maxmilian7447]

Crazy eyes

[@wildersparks9161]

Nah he’s always looked like that.

[@NinjerXp]

@@jws2 well he always has

[@lecroixband]

I used to love watching Mark demo on Norms...dont watch anymore, not the same without him, wonder why hes stressed? Read the comments...bet he does, Prayers for you Mark, it sad the mob mentality feeding frenzy, that is exhibited when theres blood in the internet waters ....

[@daw162]

The norms type of business (pulling available stock out of the open market and then just reselling it for a much higher price) isn't really that savory or value-added, either.

[@jacobcourseymusic6414]

The reincarnation of Duane Allman

[@EBrassfield]

Mark has a face made for radio

[@Starch1b2c3d4a]

This Agnesi guy... So obnoxious.

[@fequalsma8428]

Why does it looks like Agnesi has a 13 year old tied up in the closet with Bonamassa?

[@csb65536]

Derek Trucks is a pure class act! Great guitarist and man. Mark Agnesi is a no class puppet for the new (hopefully short lived) CEO for Gibson. We all had such high hopes for Gibson after they finely got rid of the last CEO who just about finished Gibson, but it looks like they jumped from the frying pan into the fire. They have made some stupid decisions when it comes to public relations. Threatening other guitar companies, destroying perfectly good half built ES guitars. What kind of company does this?

[@goldwold]

Mark you have been warned!!!

[@alwolf2325]

Cringe overload. Wow, Mark's got something seriously wrong with him.

[@GeoZero]

Thanks to Mark I got rid of all my Gibsons and will never buy one again.

[@paintnamer6403]

And here I thought it was the fragile head stocks and tuning problems!

[@protestssopeacefulweneedad2017]

Did you run them over with a steamroller or just pawn them?

[@strings2wood]

@Literally Shaking I authentically thought you were describing the interviewer.

[@mcafee1971]

Mark Agnesi is still employed with Gibson? He is so Creepy. After the Creepy video where he goes all Authoritarian about Authenticity was so Hate filled and Creepy.

[@poodlenme]

Mark are you tired of wearing that leather jacket yet? You are creepy.

[@Echocat59]

Gibson needs to fire this guy.

[@PARAMONARIOS]

Agnesi made me to hate Gibson brand! I hope Gibson goes out of business

[@gfreak007]

I came here just to read the comments.

[@rxdoctordaddy1795]

Superior guitars.