Epiphone Joe Bonamassa Lazarus 1959 Les Paul Standard - new JB signature guitar

[darkvoice]

Last time I looked, the "sold" listings seemed to all be in the $1k range, and chances are, a lot of them accepted offers below the asking price.

Now that it's apparently become official that no more Lazaruses are coming, there may be a bit of a bump, but I think the lemon burst 59s from Anderton's will prevent the Lazarus from going way up like some of the other Bonamassa runs did

I think Lazarus will go up in price, especially now when everyone knows there will be no more of them made. Most Bonamassa signature guitars now sell for substantially higher prices vs when they were released.

 

[rjwilson37]

I sold my Joe B. Black Beauty for $950 pretty easily. Was asking $1100 and did not get many bites, ended up taking a $950 offer. There are a lot of great choices right now for Epiphone with the Inspired by Gibson models that are top notch, so you have to get the right person to purchase a signature model.

 

[Steelryder]

It’s 2 Dec 22, bought an unplayed Lazarus, from someone who bought it originally and sat on it. Got it for above original retail, but not as much as others are going for. First impression on opening was the top is awesome but seemed very flat to me with the pseudo matte aged gloss. I could see it was a nice top that would pop with a bit of shine to it. So I spent two hours working on polishing the top, not to a high shine, but enough to draw out the 3D effect of the wood figuring when turning it under light. Looks much, much better IMHO, however the camera doesn’t quite catch it. Now for the sound; the burstbuckers sounds great, pots and tonal bandwidth are what you would expect from 50’s wiring. Perhaps the solid one piece neck has a desired effect on tone as well. I have a few other really nice Gibson Les Paul’s and this makes a nice add to my collection that didn’t break the bank. I too, am a bit of a loyalist on guitars and Americana, but this is tastefully done. I also realize I live in the 21st century and people around the world are making guitars with production processes that are shared and tweaked for quality and profitability. This is in the Gibson family of guitars and has corporate oversight. Still with that being said it is a nice tribute to the guitar restored by Joe. It has Gibson quality hardware, coupled with quality construction. It’s weight is almost identical to my LP Standard HP’s, and I like the feel of the neck and it’s playability. I originally thought if I didn’t like it after being curious I could sell it on and lose any money. I’ve decided it will stay. With 11 guitars in the stable and all the equipment to make any tone, and three amps. The only thing missing is better skills. So I’ve decided to continue focusing on building my skills, while enjoying these world class guitars. If you come across a Lazarus and have the extra scratch, go for it and see for yourself, you won’t be disappointed.

 

[DrBGood]

It’s 2 Dec 22, bought an unplayed Lazarus, from someone who bought it originally and sat on it. Got it for above original retail, but not as much as others are going for. First impression on opening was the top is awesome but seemed very flat to me with the pseudo matte aged gloss. I could see it was a nice top that would pop with a bit of shine to it. So I spent two hours working on polishing the top, not to a high shine, but enough to draw out the 3D effect of the wood figuring when turning it under light. Looks much, much better IMHO, however the camera doesn’t quite catch it. Now for the sound; the burstbuckers sounds great, pots and tonal bandwidth are what you would expect from 50’s wiring. Perhaps the solid one piece neck has a desired effect on tone as well. I have a few other really nice Gibson Les Paul’s and this makes a nice add to my collection that didn’t break the bank. I too, am a bit of a loyalist on guitars and Americana, but this is tastefully done. I also realize I live in the 21st century and people around the world are making guitars with production processes that are shared and tweaked for quality and profitability. This is in the Gibson family of guitars and has corporate oversight. Still with that being said it is a nice tribute to the guitar restored by Joe. It has Gibson quality hardware, coupled with quality construction. It’s weight is almost identical to my LP Standard HP’s, and I like the feel of the neck and it’s playability. I originally thought if I didn’t like it after being curious I could sell it on and lose any money. I’ve decided it will stay. With 11 guitars in the stable and all the equipment to make any tone, and three amps. The only thing missing is better skills. So I’ve decided to continue focusing on building my skills, while enjoying these world class guitars. If you come across a Lazarus and have the extra scratch, go for it and see for yourself, you won’t be disappointed.

Good job ! Gives it a certain vintage feel/look.

Some years ago, I went the other way with my Ultra. You are making me ask myself if I shouldn't dial back a bit of sheen to it.

 

[Steelryder]

Good job ! Gives it a certain vintage feel/look.

Some years ago, I went the other way with my Ultra. You are making me ask myself if I shouldn't dial back a bit of sheen to it.

View attachment 653682

View attachment 653683

To me, I wanted to see the depth of the figuring and see it dance. The shine brings that out. I am pleased with it now. Thanks for your feedback. I appreciate it! Yours would look really good bringing back a bit of shine.