Joe Bonamassa Plays 1919 Gibson Style U Harp Guitar — Video
Followers of Joe Bonamassa's Facebook page know the gear-loving guitarist likes to shoot quick, spur-of-the-moment videos backstage at his shows.
These videos usually show him playing rare, oddball or just plain insane stringed instruments. As evidenced below!
In one of his latest (although not the latest) backstage videos, Bonamassa is playing a 1919 Gibson Style U harp guitar.
"Some backstage fun with a 1919 Gibson Style U harp guitar," Bonamassa wrote on his harp-guitar Facebook post from March 3. "Please keep in mind it was recorded on an iPad and not in Abbey Road Studios. Enjoy!"
Harp guitars like this one (we're not sure if it belongs to Bonamassa, who has a lot of rare guitars—and a lot of rare-guitar-owning buddies, it seems) are early relatives modern doubleneck guitars, offering two stringed instruments in one, even though it's played as a single instrument. The top neck sports 10 sub-bass strings (earlier versions had 12 sub-bass strings).
For more information on these guitars, visit americanhistory.si.edu and harpguitars.net (You might as well try here too.)
Post by Joe Bonamassa.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month**
Join now for unlimited access
US pricing $3.99 per month or $39.00 per year
UK pricing £2.99 per month or £29.00 per year
Europe pricing €3.49 per month or €34.00 per year
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
“If you lined up Jimmy Page, Jonny Greenwood, and Will Sergeant, I’d pick Sergeant every time”: Courtney Love on why Echo & the Bunnymen's Will Sergeant is her “favorite guitarist on Earth”
“In the weeks leading up to the show, Deryck and I talked about our mutual love for the Sex Pistols. That’s when we planned the special moment”: Sum 41's Deryck Whibley plays Steve Jones’ Sex Pistols Les Paul at the band's last-ever European show