I would love to get the ball rolling!
This was my safari tale for when I got my JB Les Paul and the Marshall half stack I play it through...nothing like a Joe safari but it was my little safari and it means something to me
I'm a crane operator, the mobile kind. The crane is mounted on a "truck like" unit, I travel with it from job to job as needed. So I get to travel with it a bit, rarely more than 3-4 hours from home though. In my travels with it I have only ever come across one guitar store that I actually had room to park it so I could go in to see what they had. So one day when I was in that town, I had some time to stop in (Summerside, PEI). Like many of you, I was just going in to see what they had. I was not looking for anything specific. But there it was, Joe! Hanging on the wall. It caught my eye almost instantly when I walked in, but just so you know...this store is not very big. You could see almost everything they had from the entrance.
The guitar was used. Not much though, well taken care of. Included the case and some of the case candy. It's a Gibson Les Paul Studio and it was in my affordability range. We're talking several hundred less than a new one. At the time a new one listed, locally and in Canadian dollars, $1400. I had a big problem though, it didn't matter how much I liked it or what the price was-I was driving my crane! There is barely enough room for my lunch can in that thing!
My job with the crane was waiting for me, I had to go, without the guitar. When I got back home a couple of days later, I contacted the store to see what we could do. I could drive there, but it was a couple of hours away plus a bridge toll (Confederation Bridge) and their hours were not the greatest for someone who works my hours. But...they were affiliated with a local store and agreed to ship it to them if I agreed to their asking price. I could pick it up there. Saves me 3-4 hours driving and $100+ in fuel and tolls. Done. It now has a new loving family, a Joe Bonamassa set-up (which I quite like) and a Joe Bonamassa signature.
As for the Marshall...
Yet another trip to PEI (Prince Edward Island) this time to Charlottetown. My crane was on a job site this time and I fortunately had a rental for transportation. Once again I hit all the guitar stores I could find, small towns so there are not many. One had this used Marshall half stack. The cabinet was a 1960 Lead and the head unit was a SS MG100 HDFX. No tubes, but I could live with that since I have a nice 2x12 tube amp at home already and the price was reflective of the lack of tubes.
But if I buy it, how to get it home? I told the guy I would take it, but only if he could get it into the trunk of my rental! How about that! It fit! With no room to spare. And it sounds great.
First song I played through my new rig was Django.
Steve
2011 Gibson Joe Bonamassa Les Paul Studio...among others.
Beacon Theater, New York, May 18, 2013/Keeping The Blues Alive at Sea, Feb. 17-21, 2015/3 Kings Tour, Bangor, ME, Aug. 12, 2015