“I’m playing a nice old Gibson ES-335 through Lowell George’s Dumble amplifier…” Joe Bonamassa brings out the holy grail gear to explain how to get into a slow blues jam – and, crucially, how you can get out of it

Joe Bonamassa leans back as he takes a solo on a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard, in an afternoon show in Carpinteria, California, hosted by One805 to raise money for first responders.

One of my favorite things to play is a slow blues song, which is something I include in every performance. Each time, without really thinking much about it, I’m faced with two questions: 1) How does one get into a slow blues?, and 2) How does one get out of a slow blues? Sometimes, it’s harder to get out of it, especially when you’re caught up in playing widdly-widdly fast licks.

For today’s examples, I’m playing a nice old Gibson ES-335 through Lowell George’s Dumble amplifier, which was built May 8, 1976, by Alexander Dumble. It took me 15 years to track down this tube amp, and I’m about to bring it out with me on the road.