Epiphone has officially announced the sixth signature model for Joe Bonamassa, the ES-355, as teased by the man himself earlier this year.
Based on Joe’s own ES-355 hollowbody archtop, the 355 features a three-ply maple/poplar//maple top and body in an Ebony finish, complete with multi-layer white and black binding.
The guitar’s mahogany neck features a SlimTaper-D profile with ebony fingerboard and a Graph Tech Nubone nut, while Bonamassa’s signature appears on the back of the headstock along with a ‘2018’ Limited Edition logo.
A pair of Alnico II ProBucker humbuckers also crop up: a ProBucker 2 in the neck and slightly overwound ProBucker 3 in the bridge - the same as in Joe’s ‘Amos’ Korina Flying V.
And, of course, there’s also a Bigsby B7 vibrato tailpiece with a Vibramate String Spoiler to ease string changes, while other hardware includes an ABR-1 LockTone Tune-O-Matic bridge and Grover Rotomatic machineheads.
“I have always loved the look and sound of black 355 guitars,” said Bonamassa.
“Epiphone once again has masterfully re-created a guitar initially built for me by the Gibson Custom shop that I used on my Live at The Greek Theater DVD at a price point that is totally affordable for players and collectors of great ES guitars. Thank you once again; it is an honor as always.”
This one will set you back $999, including a custom hardcase. Visit Epiphone for more info.
In other JoBo news, the hard-working guitarist just earned himself the top spot on this year’s poll of the best blues guitarists in the world right now.
