Guitar World sat down with Bonamassa for a discussion that dug deep into guitars, music-making and his upcoming British blues-rock album. Additionally, he offered up a wealth of information that might prove useful to other guitarists looking to one day top a reader’s poll themselves — from how to go about constructing the perfect bluesrock lead, to what, in his opinion, “makes the difference between being a great musician and being a great artist.”

Guitar World: First off, let’s get a little more information on your upcoming album. For a guy who has always been extremely vocal about having cut his teeth on British blues-rock, this will be the first time you’ve immersed yourself in the style so fully.

Joe: Yes. I actually wrote most of the record in England, working with [former Whitesnake guitarist] Bernie Marsden and Pete Brown. And if you’re not familiar with Pete Brown, he was the poet that wrote a lot with [Cream’s] Jack Bruce for Disraeli Gears — stuff like “Sunshine of Your Love” and “SWLABR,” that really killer Sixties beatnik poetry. So I’ve immersed myself in my roots and it’s going to be really fun to do. And you know, Abbey Road’s a bucket-list item for me, as far as wanting to set up shop there and do a record.