The Epiphone Joe Bonamassa 1955 Les Paul Standard is an inspired re-creation of the renowned guitarist’s rare, iridescent-finished axe he dubbed “The Brown Thing.” This solidbody electric guitar boasts traditional maple-over-mahogany construction alongside a rounded C-shape mahogany neck with a period-correct long tenon and an easy-playing laurel fingerboard. A set of P-90 Pro pickups infuse this Les Paul with an ear-grabbing, vintage-flavored bite that’s reinforced by high-quality CTS pots and Mallory capacitors. A LockTone Tune-o-matic bridge, stopbar tailpiece, and Epiphone Deluxe tuners with Keystone buttons round out the Bonamassa ’55 Les Paul Standard’s hardware. You also get a hard case emblazoned with Bonamassa’s illustrious “Nerdville” graphic. Suppose you’re a fan of vintage guitars with head-turning visual appeal. In that case, the Epiphone Joe Bonamassa 1955 Les Paul Standard is precisely what you need to satisfy your appetite when you’re craving something unique.

1955 Les Paul Standard — a.k.a. “The Brown Thing”

The Epiphone Joe Bonamassa 1955 Les Paul Standard was inspired by one of Joe’s rarer finds: a 1955 Les Paul Standard he nicknamed “The Brown Thing.” The original axe is a prime mid-’50s specimen, boasting typical Les Paul Standard specs, including P-90 pickups and a custom iridescent finish — a rarity at the time, as nearly all Les Pauls produced were Gold Tops. When asked about his ‘55 Les Paul Standard during a 2020 interview with Guitar.com, Joe stated, “It’s … a Les Paul Standard, just painted in a strange, unique color — this is why I do this … it’s all about finding preserved models of standard guitars or finding the odd fellow.”

Vintage-flavored Epiphone P-90 Pro pickups 

We have many fiercely loyal P-90 fans here at Music Experience. These guitarists know that P-90 pickups offer a unique tonal palette that is distinct from — and complements — humbuckers and traditional single-coils. Epiphone’s P-90 Pro soapbars are heavily inspired by Seth Lover’s original designs. These pickups are super-versatile and supply their own brand of grit — a bit brighter, leaner, and less refined than a humbucker and almost as hot. Hit your amp hard, and the P-90 Pros really wail. Plugged into a proper high-gain tube amp, you can elicit grind, sizzle, and bark that would be impossible to achieve with other pickup types. If you’re a Les Paul lover looking for unique mid-roads tones, the Epiphone Joe Bonamassa 1955 Les Paul Standard is one to keep your eye on.

Vintage-flavored Epiphone P-90 Pro Traditional Les Paul construction

The Epiphone Joe Bonamassa 1955 Les Paul Standard boasts traditional Les Paul construction, along with a couple of modern tweaks that today’s players are sure to appreciate. It all starts with a solid mahogany body, which provides you with a wonderfully resonant acoustic foundation. A maple top is also on hand, infusing the guitar’s acoustic tone with extra clarity, definition, and high-end snap. The guitar’s neck sports a rounded C profile, which gives it a substantial, hand-filling feel, along with a period-correct long tenon, which many believe is an essential part of what gives vintage Les Pauls their characteristic sustain. The Joe Bonamassa 1955 Les Paul Standard’s contemporary updates include a smooth-playing laurel fingerboard and a near-bulletproof gloss polyurethane finishickups We have many fiercely loyal P-90 fans here at Music Experience. These guitarists know that P-90 pickups offer a unique tonal palette that is distinct from — and complements — humbuckers and traditional single-coils. Epiphone’s P-90 Pro soapbars are heavily inspired by Seth Lover’s original designs. These pickups are super-versatile and supply their own brand of grit — a bit brighter, leaner, and less refined than a humbucker and almost as hot. Hit your amp hard, and the P-90 Pros really wail. Plugged into a proper high-gain tube amp, you can elicit grind, sizzle, and bark that would be impossible to achieve with other pickup types. If you’re a Les Paul lover looking for unique mid-roads tones, the Epiphone Joe Bonamassa 1955 Les Paul Standard is one to keep your eye on.

What Epiphone Says...

Renowned guitarist Joe Bonamassa has one of the world’s most enviable guitar collections. One prized instrument is a 1955 Les Paul Standard with a very rare Copper Iridescent finish that was originally created for display at the 1955 NAMM Show. As Joe noted, “From a distance, it looks brown, but in direct light, it has gold metal flake in the finish.” Epiphone’s Joe Bonamassa 1955 Les Paul Standard faithfully recreates this special guitar. It features the same Copper Iridescent color, a pair of Epiphone P-90 PRO pickups wired to CTS® potentiometers and Mallory™ capacitors, a Custom ’59 Rounded C neck profile, long neck tenon, and a “Nerdville” graphic hardshell case.