“A guy offered me way more than I paid – it was too hard to pass up. I let it go and immediately regretted it”: Phil X on the guitars he’s loved and lost – and how Eddie Van Halen taught him to “enjoy and ruin” the instrument

Phil X of Bon Jovi and the Drills smiles onstage as he plays a cherry red Gibson SG.

This month, Bought & Sold gets a power-up as the high-voltage Phil X joins Guitarist. He’s here to talk about his life in guitars, from the instruments he made his bones on to the Gibson signature guitar that has been long in development but maybe – just maybe – is about to be released soon.

The Bon Jovi lead guitarist will be answering the big philosophical questions, too, around electric guitar pickup preferences, and the value of a cheap electric guitar versus a budget amp. Let’s get started…