Chris Buck has revealed he recently played one of the most famous Gibson Les Pauls of all time live on stage during an event that paid homage to its trailblazing owner.
The Les Paul in question is The Beast, a 1959 Les Paul Standard ’Burst that belonged to the late Bernie Marsden. With this particular electric guitar, Marsden – a founder of Whitesnake – crafted some of the most influential rock songs ever composed.
As Buck explains in a video on his YouTube channel, he and Marsden met a few years back, and the pair played together on numerous occasions.
The Cardinal Black ace also ended up befriending Marsden’s family, and stayed with them while he took part in the Bernie Marsden Guitar Mojo Experience.
Marsden passed away last year, but shortly prior to his death it was announced he’d be selling his world-famous Les Paul for more than $1,000,000.
Marsden eventually decided against parting ways with The Beast, meaning it has remained with his family. And, at a recent festival that honored Marsden’s memory, it was given to Buck for its first live outing in quite some time.
It was a special occasion, too. Buck played The Beast at the Steelhouse Festival, where Marsden had once won the hearts of gig goers by stepping in to save the day and fill in for an act that dropped out last-minute.
As such, the opening day of this year’s event was dedicated in honor of Marsden, with an all-star band comprising some of Marsden’s old collaborators leading the tributes with a setlist jammed with hits.
“I was incredibly flattered to be invited up for a couple of tracks,” Buck says of the experience. “But, incredibly kindly, a few weeks before the event itself I had a text off Fran, Bernie’s wife, asking me if I’d like to play Bernie’s ’59 Les Paul, aka The Beast.
“Aside from its inherent value as a guitar, it’s just a fantastic guitar with an incredible documented history as the guitar that birthed one of the most famous rock songs of all time in Here I Go Again.”
For the occasion, Buck used The Beast to play Place in My Heart and Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City, footage of which can be seen in his video.
“Honestly, it was a truly wonderful night and a little bit emotional,” he goes on. “In a bizarre twist of fate, Bernie actually passed away on the same day as my father last year, so I didn’t really have the chance to pay homage to Bernie in the way that I would’ve liked at the time, so this felt like the best possible outcome.”
In a 2012 interview with Guitarist, Marsden revealed the origins of his iconic Les Paul, which he purchased for just £600.
