Joe Bonamassa stopped into Normans Rare Guitars and this time it was for a very special occasion.

Joe’s trading in his Signature Gibson Les Paul Goldtop.

Yep. You heard us right. But why?

As Norm and Joe explain in this video live from Norman’s shop, Joe is buying some historically important guitars from the store. Norm requested that to act as a sort of replacement for them, Joe trade in one of his own guitars that has historical importance to Joe’s career.

And the Goldtop it is.

This Joe Bonamassa Signature Gibson Les Paul Goldtop is a crucial piece of Joe Bonamassa guitar-lore, and it is a guitar beloved by both Joe and his fans. This prototype guitar kick started the entire Joe Bonamassa guitar line. Thousands of Joe Bonamassa signature guitars have been sold to this day, making it a pretty successful prototype.

Back in the spring of 2007, Gibson came to Joe and said they wanted to make a Joe Bonamassa Signature Les Paul. Gibson wanted it to be a Goldtop because they were hoping to reignite the popularity of that finish.

The prototype JB Goldtop that Joe is trading in was used in the studio while recording The Ballad of John Henry. In many ways, this guitar is Joe’s pride & joy because it represents his journey as a blues guitarist. In addition to its use in the studio, Joe also played over 200 shows on this prototype.

Watch the video for the full story behind Joe’s Goodbye to the Goldtop!