Illinois Entertainer January 2019 | Page 46

By David Gedge BONAFIDE BONAMASSA The Standard Outfit Epiphone Limited Edition Joe Bonamassa ES-355 Standard Outfit Epiphone, one of the well-known lead- ers in affordable professional instruments announced their new Ltd. Ed. Joe Bonamassa ES-355 Standard Outfit, last month. It's the sixth Signature model with Grammy-nominated blues guitarist and vintage collector Joe Bonamassa. The Epiphone features the classic ES-355 semi- hollow body archtop profile with an ebony finish, gold hardware, ProBucker hum- buckers pickups, Mallory capacitors, a Bigsby B7 Vibrato, and Vibramate string spoiler, custom hard case, and hand- 46 illinoisentertainer.com january 2019 signed certificate of authenticity. Epiphone will also release the exclusive Ltd. Ed. Joe Bonamassa ES-355 Custom Inlay Outfit, featuring a “Joe Bonamassa” signature in Pearloid, available exclusively on shop.jbonamassa.com and limited to only 300 guitars. For nearly a decade, Epiphone and Joe Bonamassa have worked together to re- create some of Joe’s favorite vintage gui- tars that anyone can afford. This time, the new Ltd. Ed. Joe Bonamassa ES-355 Standard Outfit is modeled after Joe’s per- sonal ES-355 hollow body archtop built by the Gibson Custom Shop for his Three Kings Tour honoring B.B. King, Freddie King, and Albert King. “I have always loved the look and sound of black 355 guitars,” said Bonamassa. “Epiphone once again has masterfully re-created a guitar initially built for me by the Gibson Custom shop that I used on my Live at The Greek Theater DVD at a price point that is totally afford- able for players and collectors of great ES guitars. Thank you, once again it is an honor as always.” The new Epiphone Limited Edition Joe Bonamassa ES-355 Standard Outfit has a 3- ply Maple/Poplar/Maple top and body with an ebony finish combined with multi- layer white & black binding. The Mahogany neck has 24.75” scale with a SlimTaper-D profile with 22 medium jumbo frets along with an Ebony finger- board with pearloid block inlays and Graphtech Nubone™ nut. The Bonamassa ES-355 Standard Outfit is powered by ProBucker humbuckers with gold covers and Alnico II magnets, the same pickups Joe chose for his Epiphone Ltd. Ed. “Amos” Korina Flying “V” Outfit. Controls for each pickup’s Volume and Tone come with Black "Top Hat" knobs with metal pointers and include world- class Mallory 150 Capacitors along with a Switchcraft 3-Way Pickup Selector with an Amber Toggle Cap. An exclusive video featurette with Joe is available at Epiphone.com. The Bonamassa ES-355 Standard Outfit will be available in stores at an MSRP of $999. See your authorized Epiphone dealer for infor- mation. How Low Can You Go? Acoustic Amplifiers C- Series Bass Amps Acoustic Amplifiers announced their new C-Series B300C and B600C bass combo amplifiers. The amps pair the clas- sic, organic, soulful Acoustic tone with all the power and features that bass players need to tackle stage and studio gigs. Both models can pack large power output into a rugged and easily transportable cab- inet. The B300C delivers 300 watts to a 15- inch ferrite speaker, adding low-end tone using just a single driver paired with a piezo horn tweeter. The B600C feeds 600 watts into a pair of custom-voiced 10" ferrite speakers along with a piezo horn tweeter, providing more power plus and response to a 2x10" cabi- net. Also, both models can be used to drive additional external cabinets to expand the rig as needed. The Acoustic B300C is available for $449.99 and the Acoustic B600C for $549.99 at Guitar Center, Musician's Friend, Music and Arts, and Woodwind & Brasswind. For more information about Acoustic Amps, visit acousticamplification.com.