"Most people who are real dyed-in-the-wool Gibson people, they'll say behind closed doors, when the internet's not watching, that their favourite pickup is a P-90": Joe Bonamassa introduces new Epiphone signature guitar with the 1955 Les Paul

Joe Bonamassa with the Epiphone 1955 Les Paul Standard .

Joe Bonamassa's release record for signature guitars with Epiphone is the mark of a player who knows great gear – they frequently sell out and punch way about their price points – still wish I'd bought the Lazarus Les Paul I reviewed. But was the best still yet to come? The new Joe Bonamassa 1955 Les Paul Standard that the Gibson Gazette has just showcased suggests that might be the case.

This is based on a rare Les Paul finish, but it's also about the pickups – many of you will already know that early Les Paul's predate the PAF humbucker pickups Gibson would go on to debut. Instead, they featured P-90s. And for some, that's when Gibson's pickups peaked.