“Even today, that instrument is fascinating. I’ve passed it around and players of all sorts have all come to the same conclusion – there is something magic in that instrument”: Billy Gibbons on why Pearly Gates is one of the greatest Les Pauls of all time

Dusty Hill and Billy Gibbons tear it up as ZZ Top play the Aragon Ballroom at Chicago in 1980, with Gibbons playing his legendary Les Paul Standard, Pearly Gates.

Most of us can agree that it is not the instrument but the player that is the main ingredient in guitar tone. It’s how we play, not what we play, and that especially holds true for the greats.

We could play through Jimmy Page’s rig but who could phrase those notes with the same cavalier panache? Conversely, he could pick up any old piece of firewood with a pickup in it and make it sound godly.