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Epiphone Unveils Joe Bonamassa ’59 Les Paul Custom

4 November 2025
|In News
|By Audio Media International

Epiphone has announced the release of the Joe Bonamassa ’59 Les Paul Custom, a meticulous recreation of Joe Bonamassa’s famed “Black Beauty” — his rare 1959 Gibson Les Paul Custom guitar. Developed in close collaboration with the blues-rock virtuoso himself, the new model celebrates one of Bonamassa’s most cherished instruments while bringing vintage character to a modern audience.

Bonamassa’s original “Black Beauty” was a distinctive two-pickup version of the 1959 Les Paul Custom, differing from the typical three-pickup design of the era. It featured Grover Imperial tuners and a Bigsby vibrato tailpiece — elements that gave the guitar both its unique tone and unmistakable visual identity. Epiphone’s new recreation pays tribute to those details with a build that captures the soul of the original.

The guitar features a solid mahogany body finished in Antique Ebony, with aged multi-ply binding on both the top and back. Its mahogany neck is carved to a 1959 Rounded Medium C profile and paired with a bound ebony fingerboard adorned with pearloid block inlays and 22 medium-jumbo frets. The 60s-style Kalamazoo headstock bears the iconic Epiphone logo and Custom Split Diamond inlay, with a Graph Tech nut ensuring tuning precision and stability.

Powering the new model are a pair of Epiphone ProBucker Custom pickups wired through high-quality CTS potentiometers, offering a wide tonal palette that blends warmth, bite and classic Les Paul clarity. Gold hardware — including the LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge, Grover tuners and Bigsby B70 vibrato — completes the luxurious aesthetic.

Epiphone will produce just 1,000 of these guitars worldwide, available through Epiphone.com, Gibson Garage stores and select authorized dealers. An additional 300 limited-edition units, featuring an exclusive custom fretboard inlay, will be sold exclusively via the Joe Bonamassa web store. Each guitar ships in a hard-shell “Nerdville” case and includes a numbered certificate of authenticity.

Bonamassa, a four-time Grammy nominee and one of the most respected names in blues-rock, said the project was driven by a desire to make the magic of his original instrument more accessible:
“As a guitar lover and collector, I’ve always cherished the original,” he explained. “With this new model, Epiphone and I wanted to deliver that tone, that feel — and make it available to the broader community.”

With its blend of historical accuracy, premium craftsmanship and accessible price point, the Joe Bonamassa ’59 Les Paul Custom offers players a rare chance to experience a slice of guitar history reimagined for today.

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