Chords for Me and my guitar interview with Joe Bonamassa / Bernie Marsden's '59 Gibson Les Paul 'The Beast
Tempo:
84.7 bpm
Chords used:
Gb
D
F
Eb
C
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
[D] Hi, this is Joe Bonamassa and welcome to Total Guitars, Me and My Guitar.
In this case, it's me and Bernie [F] Marsden's guitar, who's nice enough to loan me his lovely
59 Les Paul, serial number 91914, the legendary guitar that is the beast.
The last time this was on stage, Bernie was nice enough to loan it to me, so it's got
my setup and [Gb] my strings on it for this demonstration.
One of the most commonly asked questions I get from guitar players, other guitar players,
[Cm] is who does your setups?
How do you set up a Les Paul the way you like it?
And the answer is me.
We string them with a top wrap.
So these are Ernie Ball 11-52s, so it's a pretty [Eb] heavy string.
I believe it's one of the same gauges Paul Kossoff used, and it's a big string.
So, in order to make the guitar feel a little bit slinkier and not so difficult to play,
we borrow the [C] technique invented by Jimmy Page and Billy Gibbons, which is top wrap
over the stud, which lessens the angle over the bridge, so it gets a much nicer, [Abm] slinkier
feel, [G] but it also retains the big heaviness of the strings, so when you hit hard, you're
not playing out of tune.
The action, that's [B] something that everybody has to adjust themselves to taste.
Some people like it right on the fret, [Ab] some people like it a mile high.
I like it just before the string goes under my ring finger.
So it's pretty high, but it's not super high like a slide guitar player would want.
And simply you just adjust these two thumb [F] wheels, and intonation-wise, I'm a firm believer
if it's not broke, [N] don't fix it.
There's no such thing as a perfectly intonating guitar, and if there is, it would sound very sterile.
Part of it, you want to get it close, you want to make sure that your A here, 440, is
the same as your A here, 440.
And if you can get it close, I can assure you, no one will hear the difference at your
gigs or in the studio.
You just want to make sure the guitar plays in tune, and the guitar is properly restrung
regularly, and one of the most common things that makes a guitar go out of tune is strings
that are old.
Even if they're clean, old strings just do not hold tune and they don't intonate properly.
So cut them off, spend a fiver, and put your new strings on.
On the nut side of it, I'm a firm believer in using Big Bend's nut sauce, which is a
[Gb] graphite lubricant that basically allows the string to flow through the nut evenly while
tuning and while bending.
Because think about it, every time you bend a string, that string is moving through the
nut, [D] and if when you're not bending and you want just a regular string, [Eb] it has to go back
to the exact same place to create the amount of tension required to hold the pitch.
So that's very, very important because a lot of people go, my guitar doesn't stay in tune.
Well, start here, and these little tubes only cost 20 quid, and that's really one of the
greatest things you could ever do to your guitar.
Don't buy a new guitar, don't buy an old guitar, and immediately change the tuners.
Assess the situation on the tuners.
If they're tight [A] and they work, leave it alone.
Don't immediately buy a new Les Paul or whatever, and immediately change the pickups.
If you like the sound of the guitar now, [Gb] leave it because you may not get it back when you've
put in every aftermarket brand known to man.
Unless you want to try the Joe Bonamassa signature Seymour Duncans.
[C] Sorry, bad plug.
Pots, same thing.
Leave it alone.
Learn to love and enjoy the guitar.
Because if you bought it in [Ab] the first place, it means it's kind of done something for you
and you bond with it as a geek and a guitar really do need to bond.
And if something goes wrong, replace it.
If not, leave it alone and play it and enjoy it.
You want age, you know, don't take the sandpaper, just play it.
You'd be surprised how cool they look if you just play them for a year.
And use them but not abuse them.
Thank you very much.
This is Joe Bonamassa, roaming reporter at John Henry's, asking the tough questions,
who killed John Henry?
In this case, it's me and Bernie [F] Marsden's guitar, who's nice enough to loan me his lovely
59 Les Paul, serial number 91914, the legendary guitar that is the beast.
The last time this was on stage, Bernie was nice enough to loan it to me, so it's got
my setup and [Gb] my strings on it for this demonstration.
One of the most commonly asked questions I get from guitar players, other guitar players,
[Cm] is who does your setups?
How do you set up a Les Paul the way you like it?
And the answer is me.
We string them with a top wrap.
So these are Ernie Ball 11-52s, so it's a pretty [Eb] heavy string.
I believe it's one of the same gauges Paul Kossoff used, and it's a big string.
So, in order to make the guitar feel a little bit slinkier and not so difficult to play,
we borrow the [C] technique invented by Jimmy Page and Billy Gibbons, which is top wrap
over the stud, which lessens the angle over the bridge, so it gets a much nicer, [Abm] slinkier
feel, [G] but it also retains the big heaviness of the strings, so when you hit hard, you're
not playing out of tune.
The action, that's [B] something that everybody has to adjust themselves to taste.
Some people like it right on the fret, [Ab] some people like it a mile high.
I like it just before the string goes under my ring finger.
So it's pretty high, but it's not super high like a slide guitar player would want.
And simply you just adjust these two thumb [F] wheels, and intonation-wise, I'm a firm believer
if it's not broke, [N] don't fix it.
There's no such thing as a perfectly intonating guitar, and if there is, it would sound very sterile.
Part of it, you want to get it close, you want to make sure that your A here, 440, is
the same as your A here, 440.
And if you can get it close, I can assure you, no one will hear the difference at your
gigs or in the studio.
You just want to make sure the guitar plays in tune, and the guitar is properly restrung
regularly, and one of the most common things that makes a guitar go out of tune is strings
that are old.
Even if they're clean, old strings just do not hold tune and they don't intonate properly.
So cut them off, spend a fiver, and put your new strings on.
On the nut side of it, I'm a firm believer in using Big Bend's nut sauce, which is a
[Gb] graphite lubricant that basically allows the string to flow through the nut evenly while
tuning and while bending.
Because think about it, every time you bend a string, that string is moving through the
nut, [D] and if when you're not bending and you want just a regular string, [Eb] it has to go back
to the exact same place to create the amount of tension required to hold the pitch.
So that's very, very important because a lot of people go, my guitar doesn't stay in tune.
Well, start here, and these little tubes only cost 20 quid, and that's really one of the
greatest things you could ever do to your guitar.
Don't buy a new guitar, don't buy an old guitar, and immediately change the tuners.
Assess the situation on the tuners.
If they're tight [A] and they work, leave it alone.
Don't immediately buy a new Les Paul or whatever, and immediately change the pickups.
If you like the sound of the guitar now, [Gb] leave it because you may not get it back when you've
put in every aftermarket brand known to man.
Unless you want to try the Joe Bonamassa signature Seymour Duncans.
[C] Sorry, bad plug.
Pots, same thing.
Leave it alone.
Learn to love and enjoy the guitar.
Because if you bought it in [Ab] the first place, it means it's kind of done something for you
and you bond with it as a geek and a guitar really do need to bond.
And if something goes wrong, replace it.
If not, leave it alone and play it and enjoy it.
You want age, you know, don't take the sandpaper, just play it.
You'd be surprised how cool they look if you just play them for a year.
And use them but not abuse them.
Thank you very much.
This is Joe Bonamassa, roaming reporter at John Henry's, asking the tough questions,
who killed John Henry?
Key:
Gb
D
F
Eb
C
Gb
D
F
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
[D] Hi, this is Joe Bonamassa and welcome to Total Guitars, Me and My Guitar.
In this case, it's me and Bernie [F] Marsden's guitar, who's nice enough to loan me his lovely
59 Les Paul, serial number 91914, the legendary guitar that is the beast.
The last time this was on stage, Bernie was nice enough to loan it to me, so it's got
my setup and [Gb] my strings on it for this demonstration.
One of the most commonly asked questions I get from guitar players, other guitar players,
[Cm] is who does your setups?
How do you set up a Les Paul the way you like it?
And the answer is me.
_ We string them with a top wrap.
So these are Ernie Ball 11-52s, so it's a pretty [Eb] heavy string.
I believe it's one of the same gauges Paul Kossoff used, and it's a big string.
So, in order to make the guitar feel a little bit slinkier and not so difficult to play,
we borrow the [C] technique invented by Jimmy Page and Billy Gibbons, which is top wrap
over the stud, which lessens the angle over the bridge, so it gets a much nicer, [Abm] slinkier
feel, [G] but it also retains the big heaviness of the strings, so when you hit hard, you're
not playing out of tune.
The action, that's [B] something that everybody has to adjust themselves to taste.
Some people like it right on the fret, [Ab] some people like it a mile high.
I like it just before the string goes under my ring finger.
So it's pretty high, but it's not super high like a slide guitar player would want.
And simply you just adjust these two thumb [F] wheels, and intonation-wise, I'm a firm believer
if it's not broke, [N] don't fix it.
There's no such thing as a perfectly intonating guitar, and if there is, it would sound very sterile.
Part of it, you want to get it close, you want to make sure that your A here, 440, is
the same as your A here, 440.
And if you can get it close, I can assure you, no one will hear the difference at your
gigs or in the studio.
You just want to make sure the guitar plays in tune, and the guitar is properly restrung
regularly, and one of the most common things that makes a guitar go out of tune is strings
that are old.
Even if they're clean, old strings just do not hold tune and they don't intonate properly.
So cut them off, _ spend a fiver, and put your new strings on.
On the nut side of it, I'm a firm believer in using Big Bend's nut sauce, which is a
[Gb] graphite lubricant that basically allows the string to flow through the nut evenly while
tuning and while bending.
Because think about it, every time you bend a string, that string is moving through the
nut, [D] and if when you're not bending and you want just a regular string, [Eb] it has to go back
to the exact same place to create the amount of tension required to hold the pitch.
So that's very, very important because a lot of people go, my guitar doesn't stay in tune.
Well, start here, and these little tubes only cost 20 quid, and that's really one of the
greatest _ things you could ever do to your guitar.
Don't buy a new guitar, don't buy an old guitar, and immediately change the tuners.
Assess the situation on the tuners.
If they're tight [A] and they work, leave it alone.
Don't immediately buy a new Les Paul or whatever, and immediately change the pickups.
If you like the sound of the guitar now, [Gb] leave it because you may not get it back when you've
put in every aftermarket brand known to man.
Unless you want to try the Joe Bonamassa signature Seymour Duncans.
[C] Sorry, bad plug.
Pots, same thing.
Leave it alone.
Learn to love and enjoy the guitar.
Because if you bought it in [Ab] the first place, it means it's kind of done something for you
and you bond with it as a geek and a guitar really do need to bond.
And if something goes wrong, replace it.
If not, leave it alone and play it and enjoy it.
You want age, you know, don't take the sandpaper, just play it.
You'd be surprised how cool they look if you just play them for a year.
And use them but not abuse them.
Thank you very much.
This is Joe Bonamassa, roaming reporter at John Henry's, asking the tough questions,
who killed John Henry? _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[D] Hi, this is Joe Bonamassa and welcome to Total Guitars, Me and My Guitar.
In this case, it's me and Bernie [F] Marsden's guitar, who's nice enough to loan me his lovely
59 Les Paul, serial number 91914, the legendary guitar that is the beast.
The last time this was on stage, Bernie was nice enough to loan it to me, so it's got
my setup and [Gb] my strings on it for this demonstration.
One of the most commonly asked questions I get from guitar players, other guitar players,
[Cm] is who does your setups?
How do you set up a Les Paul the way you like it?
And the answer is me.
_ We string them with a top wrap.
So these are Ernie Ball 11-52s, so it's a pretty [Eb] heavy string.
I believe it's one of the same gauges Paul Kossoff used, and it's a big string.
So, in order to make the guitar feel a little bit slinkier and not so difficult to play,
we borrow the [C] technique invented by Jimmy Page and Billy Gibbons, which is top wrap
over the stud, which lessens the angle over the bridge, so it gets a much nicer, [Abm] slinkier
feel, [G] but it also retains the big heaviness of the strings, so when you hit hard, you're
not playing out of tune.
The action, that's [B] something that everybody has to adjust themselves to taste.
Some people like it right on the fret, [Ab] some people like it a mile high.
I like it just before the string goes under my ring finger.
So it's pretty high, but it's not super high like a slide guitar player would want.
And simply you just adjust these two thumb [F] wheels, and intonation-wise, I'm a firm believer
if it's not broke, [N] don't fix it.
There's no such thing as a perfectly intonating guitar, and if there is, it would sound very sterile.
Part of it, you want to get it close, you want to make sure that your A here, 440, is
the same as your A here, 440.
And if you can get it close, I can assure you, no one will hear the difference at your
gigs or in the studio.
You just want to make sure the guitar plays in tune, and the guitar is properly restrung
regularly, and one of the most common things that makes a guitar go out of tune is strings
that are old.
Even if they're clean, old strings just do not hold tune and they don't intonate properly.
So cut them off, _ spend a fiver, and put your new strings on.
On the nut side of it, I'm a firm believer in using Big Bend's nut sauce, which is a
[Gb] graphite lubricant that basically allows the string to flow through the nut evenly while
tuning and while bending.
Because think about it, every time you bend a string, that string is moving through the
nut, [D] and if when you're not bending and you want just a regular string, [Eb] it has to go back
to the exact same place to create the amount of tension required to hold the pitch.
So that's very, very important because a lot of people go, my guitar doesn't stay in tune.
Well, start here, and these little tubes only cost 20 quid, and that's really one of the
greatest _ things you could ever do to your guitar.
Don't buy a new guitar, don't buy an old guitar, and immediately change the tuners.
Assess the situation on the tuners.
If they're tight [A] and they work, leave it alone.
Don't immediately buy a new Les Paul or whatever, and immediately change the pickups.
If you like the sound of the guitar now, [Gb] leave it because you may not get it back when you've
put in every aftermarket brand known to man.
Unless you want to try the Joe Bonamassa signature Seymour Duncans.
[C] Sorry, bad plug.
Pots, same thing.
Leave it alone.
Learn to love and enjoy the guitar.
Because if you bought it in [Ab] the first place, it means it's kind of done something for you
and you bond with it as a geek and a guitar really do need to bond.
And if something goes wrong, replace it.
If not, leave it alone and play it and enjoy it.
You want age, you know, don't take the sandpaper, just play it.
You'd be surprised how cool they look if you just play them for a year.
And use them but not abuse them.
Thank you very much.
This is Joe Bonamassa, roaming reporter at John Henry's, asking the tough questions,
who killed John Henry? _ _ _ _ _ _ _