“I made a deal, paid him in cash, and he died two months later. His last text to his daughter was, ‘I buried the money in the desert’”: Joe Bonamassa tells the story of the strangest guitar deal he ever did

Joe Bonamassa and his ‘Bolin Burst’ 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard.

Joe Bonamassa has one of the world’s greatest guitar collections, but tracking down his iconic 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard, the so-called Bolin ’Burst, led to what he described as “the strangest guitar deal I ever did”.

The Bolin ’Burst got its name from its long-running association with Deep Purple and Zephyr guitarist Tommy Bolin.