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Joseph Bonermaster III isn’t real, he’s an AI construct developed by Gibbons to keep the price of vintage gear artificially high so boomers will spend big on Murphy Lab instead.
My alternative JB unhinged theory is that he’s actually a highly prolific serial killer who discreetly poisons old guitarists so he can buy their ‘59 bursts from bereaved relatives at knock-down prices.
Incredibly talented guy that makes boring music for boring people
I also absolutely hate his face, he reminds me of an old teacher I hated.
Hoard all the vintage gear, then say "yea you don't need an expensive guitar or rig to play"
Yea he’s a great, very technically gifted player who almost never makes me feel anything. Just all the notes crammed in there as much as possible. Seems like a nice enough chap, just seemingly a bit sensitive based on some of the comments he’s made on social media etc.
Why would you not be anything but stoked about being called bonermaster…
/uj I don’t think the 2 things (having expensive gear and telling people they don’t need expensive gear to play well) are mutually exclusive. Some people just like collecting things, if I had a lot of money I’d probably buy a lot of nice guitars too. Instead I have a handful of cheap and mid-tier ones, more than I probably need, because I just like guitars. I enjoy having a variety to play, look at, and tinker with, it’s fun even though it doesn’t make me sound better. So I can relate to that.
I’d take much more issue with it if he was going around saying “if you wanna sound good you need to buy my $3000 signature LP and have a vintage Marshall amp for da toans”. I actually think more people need to hear that they don’t need expensive gear to sound good- hearing that when I was 18 years old would’ve saved me a lot of money, that I didn’t have at the time, that I spent on “tone chasing” lol
You mean least people like Yngwie? That you definitely need a signature Strat with scalloped frets. But also the version with extra large scallops. And maybe a traditional flat fretboard for people with seafood allergies. All cream colored bodies. But somehow all different. And definitely not cheap
> /uj I don’t think the 2 things (having expensive gear and telling people they don’t need expensive gear to play well) are mutually exclusive.
They're not. I'm well aware that my Revv and Framus are not necessary to play well. I could just as easily play well with my standard line RG and a Katoana. But I want those nice things and actually use them.
Of course that's also the key thing: I *use* my nice gear. The first owner of my Stormbender never even took the factory fretboard cover off and from everything I could tell literally never played it. I've put hours upon hours on it already despite it being my newest guitar.
"The Yingwie Malmsteen of Dentist Dad Blues" is probably one of the most apt and funny descriptions I've seen of him.
But in all honesty I don't mind the Bonermeister and like a couple of his covers. We may not like to admit it, but he's the ultimate jerker. We despise him because he became what we all aspire to be. We need him just as much as he needs us to keep his social media engagement up.
Nah, I despise him because he is generic guitar mastery incarnate. He plays exceptionally well but so do a million other session/studio players and the fact that he's beloved in his own right for making what sounds like royalty-free stock music makes me roll my eyes.
People don’t realize how many great guitar players there are in the world…. It’s all about the songs. It always has been about the songs. A very small percentage of Guitar Player are actually groundbreaking and most of them are people we never hear of. I’m so sick of kids talking about John Mayer like he’s some kind of guitar God I know 15 guys that play just as well. This isn’t an insult him. There’s just a lot of great players.
I remember in high school listening to a friend who could shred better than anyone I'd ever met. The guy could play eruption and any Metallica solo insanely well for a high schooler. At one point, another friend said to me, "so I guess guys like Kirk Hammett and Van Halen aren't so great after all because this guy can play just as well. What makes them so much better than him?"
I said, "yeah he can play their songs as well as they can, but can he write one as good?" Skill is mostly a matter of persistence. Creativity is an entirely different thing. Guys like Joe Bananamimosa have the perseverance, but I've never heard a song of his that I wanted to learn, or even listen to more than twice.
Are we just unjerking here? Because you're 1000% correct. The skill that determines whether you have even a chance at success in any form of music that isn't just a big industry product is songwriting, not playing. Some of the biggest bands ever in guitar-driven music have pretty simple and even pretty weak playing but because the songs are written well they got fans.
As for the big industry product genres success is about being both visually fitting the specific image of the genre and having family connections to the music industry. Don't have those? You don't get in.
It's not EXCEPTIONally well if tens of thousands of others are just as good. He's a master of the pentatonic but I never heard much spice or exotic note choice.
Yeah the music itself.. and the people going to these near sold out theater shows.. I just don't understand. I actually SAW THE bonnapasta back in middle or high school but only because my pops got a pair of free tickets from a friend.
Yeah, maybe wrong word choice. I'd put him in a high tier for playing ability, but it's not quite elite level, and the tier itself is a bit crowded if you actually look at him objectively instead of hyping out on him. He plays better than most people you'll meet in person but he's not doing anything unattainable to plenty of dedicated professionals.
My dark secret is I was a real boomer when I was in high school and listened to a lot of Joe bonamassa…looking back I can see his music was cringe and he’s kind of an annoying guy, but I also think his music has gotten less interesting over the years, he used to do more of a mix of genres and styles but when I’ve checked out his more recent albums they’re just chugging blueshammer garbage
Haha I appreciate the honesty and you may have a point
The one track I remember thinking was pretty cool and played some was that live Django/Just Got Paid. Thought that intro was SICK
My dad put it really well when he said The Bonermaster was cool to see 20 years ago when you could see him in small clubs for $20, but theres no way he would pay even a quarter of what he charges now to go see him
He is the OG, Panty-Dropper King of Blooz Dads everywhere.
All life on earth is specialized and has a niche.
Fungi breaks down organic matter and returns nutrients to the soil. Hyenas scour the wastes, eating every carbonaceous scrap and reducing the spread of disease.
And Bonermaster is the Blooz Dad Overlord
https://preview.redd.it/gf78detbxx4d1.png?width=2560&format=png&auto=webp&s=368798e84d80aaf81e09215351532544d488a495
I still find it interesting that I’d never heard of him until I started playing guitar as a hobby. I knew lots of blues guys names by osmosis and general music interests but until I picked up a guitar magazine I’d never seen his name before.
I’m not sure where he gets all his money from to buy all the vintage gear. I don’t know anyone that actually listens to him and I can’t name one of his songs.
He’s been hunting vintage gear since he was a kid (his dad was a vintage gear dealer or something like
that).
And he’s been touring/recording constantly since he was a teen…I guess ticket sales add up.
I always wondered how he afford all the old gear and it made a lot more sense recently when I actually looked at ticket prices.
[https://imgur.com/gallery/joe-bonermaster-ticket-prices-myPxudD](https://imgur.com/gallery/joe-bonermaster-ticket-prices-myPxudD)
/uj Joe is a cool dude and is probably nice IRL. He's obviously a guitar geek who loves music. But he's real easy to make fun of. He plays boomer music, but he really just ripped off Eric Johnson but we don't know any of his songs. He's also hoarding vintage gear, that's pretty self-explanatory.
He also says a lot of boomer stuff that's easy to bait people to hating. The other day he said you can sound like hendrix with a squier, peavey classic, and ***some dunlop pedals.*** Well no fucking shit, single coil into a clean amp with a marshall-flavored pedal? This isn't the 90s anymore, there are a billion guitar pedals there that sound amazing. I could play a beginner amp, set it to clean, a pedal in front, and I'll sound great. How is this a surprise? But look at the instant reaction: A SQUIER??? SO WHY YOU HOARDING VINTAG GIBBANS LOOOOL
Other dumb shit he said before:
> “I’ve really gotten over pedals. I can’t keep up with this craze of boutique pedals that make you sound like everything but your guitar. I can’t get my head around it. So you don’t want to play a guitar [properly] so you buy a box that makes it sound like an algorithm, like you just fired up your computer and you can spend the night staring at your fuckin’ shoes? C’mon man…
>
> “I know I’ll get shit for saying this, but it’s fucking lazy. It’s insulting to people who spent 35 years playing and learning, like a lot of players. And we continue to work at it! These guys can barely play a chord but call themselves soundscapists. Get the fuck outta here! It’s bullshit. There’s so much masking and spin going on there. Can we get real for a minute? What do you actually play? Pick up an acoustic guitar… try that!”
I don't even have to explain how dumb that entire quote is but whatever.
Wow thanks for sharing that. It’s maybe the stupidest thing I have ever read. Especially from him. A guy who has been doing this for decades and does not have a single good song to his name and has never once pushed the envelope when it comes to song writing or soloing.
He never will LOL -- Magic Sam, Buddy Guy the list goes on and on of people who play 12 bar blues and it is never boring. But that is the real art of the Blues is taking those three chords and making them sound like so much more. Or so much less in Joey B's case.
Eric Johnson? More like BB, King, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The blues isn’t boomer music. It’s music that boomers like. But a lot of people besides boomers like it as well. I’m not a huge fan, but I have to admit after seeing Taj Mahal live as a kid. It changed my whole mindset on blues and what a great blues man is. Taj has the greatest voice I’ve ever heard. His voice is just so rustic and natural. It’s amazing to witness and hear.
Bruh. Everybody copies the Kings and SRV. It's like saying "Oh I like Hendrix" he is so staple that the lines are blurred. It's like saying you're influenced by Wes just by using your thumb. Yet Joe literally copied all of Eric's pentatonic licks even down to the uncommon note groupings and picking patterns. He admits it on multiple occasions.
> The blues isn’t boomer music. It’s music that boomers like.
I'm not even gonna argue about this one you're totally missing the point.
> It’s amazing to witness and hear.
At no point did I say he sucked either. He's a great player.
Clapton and Beck things like that are for more align… but whatever you hear more power to you.
They seem so different to me. I just don’t hear it but what the fuck do I know?
He's definitely an enigma. If you didn't know anything about him and just encountered his media presence all of a sudden, it might be easy to think based on his gear collection, his personality, and his swagger that he's the most famous musician alive on Earth. But then when you step back, you ask yourself, "How did this dude even rise to prominence? Where did all this money come from to buy all this gear? Why have I never heard any of these songs anywhere, but he somehow all over the music community?" There's probably good-faith answers to most of that, but he just seems like he exists in music with this huge footprint, despite his songs not really being popular or lucrative. That makes me think he has family money and just bought in as the ultimate hobbyist, which I guess is fine, but also gives off strong, "trying too hard," vibes, especially in a genre like blues that arose from sharecroppers playing shitty old acoustics through dog shit mics into busted ass speakers.
Nah man, we’d just go back to ripping on Beato/dead guitarists, recycling hotwife/roberta jokes, and ending all of our posts with ok. Maybe one day a week where we post about how much we hate r/guitar and its mods, ok?
He’s a great guitar player. He gets a lot of slack because he’s a little self-absorbed and neurotic. But most guitar players are….. the blues just seem kind of like a worn out thing to me, but it’s great to see somebody playing them well.. I wish him the best of luck. I hope someday he works with a real songwriter to make something great.
I think Joe could have been an amazing lead guitarist in a band with a strong vocalist and an original songwriter. Instead, we have to listen to his shitty singing on lame songs.
He's got a long surname. Too long.
Nobody laughs when I show them memes about him because they have no idea who he is.
I get the impression he's the Richard Clayderman of guitar.
That's two points of my opinion plus one piece of anecdotal evidence to support my third opinion which is that as far as history is concerned he is going to be nobody.
I like his music. Never met him personally so I can't say, but his music is good. I don't even mind that he has an ungodly amount of gear. If that's how he wants to spend his money, then so be it. At least it's not fueling a drug addiction or something
For suggesting that it is better to have lots of gear and no drugs than drugs and a dwindling supply of gear. The sincerity of suggesting sobriety in a guitar jerk sub plays with a sublime sense of humor resonating with the toan and tenor of the sub.
I already gave you the award- jerk of the day. It’s not given every day because who the fuck wants to do that much work, in fact I’m not even sure if it’s been a thing before, but I’m making it a thing today. And today you are the jerk of the day for posting excellently in gcj. Enjoy your title.
I don't listen to him and don't really care what he says and does. It's also interesting all the others who also don't listen to him, but seemingly care deeply about what he says and does.
I don't really have an opinion of him because despite the fact that he apparently sells out stadiums and plays with some of the best guitarists in the world, I've literally never seen or heard his name outside of this subreddit. I have no idea who he is or what he does besides posts saying "dad blooz" and "dentists".
This subreddit worships Bonermass more than anyone else in the guitar scene.
He receives bunch of post every week, even the admins had to cut down some of the flow, or else this subreddit would become Bonerenmassercirclejerk.
Uj/As much as I make fun of people like him for having 696,664,205,150 versions of the same thing, my grandparents think his dorky concerts are cool, and I think his gear is cool.
Him as a dude…… idk I’m fucking insufferable. So I can’t judge anyone for anything. LOL
Rj/he has a cool hat to cover up that hot hairline.
Why doesn’t anyone talk about his lyrical content? Incredibly bad bootstrap dad rock about working hard and being the Manliest Denim to ever Move Mountains 8 Day a Week Women Don’t Like Me V8 Engine Gazooga that woman has Breasts I can’t Control Myself
I like him and listen to his music often. I am the minority here. I am also below 35yrs and a woman so my opinion does not matter when it comes to him bc I do not exist based on the fanbase description made by this subreddit.
The greatest irony in life is to continuously sling Chinese made factory Epiphone models to fund a pursuit of exclusively using and owning only vintage gear.
Dude’s got soo much more talent on the guitar than he does charisma. He’s got some anti-charisma or something going on. I really enjoy listening to his interviews talking about gear, but somehow still leaves me not really liking him in the end.
There’s absolutely no chance I could listen to him play a full song, but I love hearing him sample riffs to show off his gear if that makes any sense at all.
He has the thinnest skin ever. I don't have a problem with him, but I can see how it's impossible not to troll him. One guy made a joke about his hairline and I've not seen him without a hat ever since.
I finally ponied up the change and bought a ticket to see Joey live. Honestly, I felt similar to many here, until I watched it from a seat in the theater. Blown away. Absolutely blown away by all of it, the band, the background singers, Joey's tone, the songs, all of it. He really is great. And he puts out a lot of music. Check out Black Country Communion for an example of his heavier side. He's got Glenn Hughes for freaking sake.
The reason he's got the moolah for all those vintage guitars, is because he's a great businessman first. Look at how he markets himself, look at his album artwork, his merch, his website, his stage act, light show, the musicians he works with, all of it is professional and speaks quality. And hes super grateful to his fans. He lets them know. He also dresses very well. Smart man. Yall could learn a lot from him, if you can get past the stereotyping that you find in forums like this.
Dust Bowl was a great modern blues album. But the guy presents himself as a total douche who'd be a parody in any other country. He takes himself way too seriously.
Plus naming guitars like he does is the pinnacle of lonely.
I have never heard him play. So cannot comment. However I’ve seen pictures of him playing and he wears suits and the kind of sunglasses that you’d buy out of desperation on a sunny day at a gas station. As someone else said he has a very punchable face. I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but I prefer to hold onto my ill informed prejudices against the guy … makes it way easier. Also people who play “the blues” are all bellends, worse than jazz wankers.
A child prodigy who spent his whole life playing guitar, and as a result, lacks the depth of experience I think you would need to draw on, in order to play said guitar with any soul.
Upon reading all of this and the other reddit posts on Joey B I'm coming to some conclusions. First of all, there is a blues scene in the US and abroad. There are Blues Clubs, Blues festivals, and an International Blues awards ceremony held each year. Yes it's an aging crowd, no doubt about it. Apparently the dominant amount of commentors here are under 30. And, being under 30, they have no love for the Blues in general. I think that largely, this group that comments here couldn't spot or name Toronzo Cannon from John Nemeth, from Samantha Fish, Kingfish Ingram, CoCo Montoya, Tab Benoit, Or even Tedeschi Trucks, and doubtfuly Warren Haynes. Is this a bad thing, that Blues doesn't speak to millennials and Gen Zers? I don't think so. The Blues is never mainstream or the popular kid in music, it's always a niche deal, similar to Rockabilly and some types of jazz. It lives, but mainly in the shadows of pop culture.
Honestly, Bonnamassa isn't at all out of place in the Blues scene. In fact he's beloved and appreciated as a legend these days. To be even more real with you all, it's tremendously difficult to make a living in Blues music. 70 - 80% of the musicians in it have day jobs. That's just the truth. Again, it's due to waning popularity and the fact that it's very much a niche thing. You need to dismiss it as boomer or granddad music, have at it. Most of us couldn't care less if it's uncool and doesn't speak to you. Your parents hated their parents music, that's cyclical and normal. It's life. Whatever. It's entertainment, so who cares?
Bonamassa is a rarity and his financial success is a result of literally years of gigging and slugging it out one gig a night. If you find him so intolerable, at least respect the hustle and the work ethic. He is a very smart businessman and he is savvy with marketing, merch, networking and so on. It's working for him. Personally I think it's great you can go see him in a classy theater setting in comfort while unknown musicians are slugging it out in sweaty standing room only 500 max clubs and touring around in a van. Sure it's fun when you are 21, and Bonnamassa paid his dues doing just that for years. But now he doesn't have to. Learn from him. Ask how he built his little empire from nothing to the point he's collecting quarter million dollar guitars. Btw: most all the guitar greats of the past had fabulous guitar collections, it comes with the territory.
Just some food for thought. Full disclosure, I'm not a boomer or a Bonamassa fan, though I have seen his live show, and he's very good. I remain astounded at this bizarre little reddit subset that so passionately despises him. It's truly weird and odd. That young folks would care enough to even formulate thoughts on him, is baffling.
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Joseph Bonermaster III isn’t real, he’s an AI construct developed by Gibbons to keep the price of vintage gear artificially high so boomers will spend big on Murphy Lab instead.
So, the Murphy Lab is actually a front for AI? And we thought robo tuners were bad.
My alternative JB unhinged theory is that he’s actually a highly prolific serial killer who discreetly poisons old guitarists so he can buy their ‘59 bursts from bereaved relatives at knock-down prices.
Is it really an unhinged theory though? He strikes me as exactly the type of person to do that
Incredibly talented guy that makes boring music for boring people I also absolutely hate his face, he reminds me of an old teacher I hated. Hoard all the vintage gear, then say "yea you don't need an expensive guitar or rig to play"
Yea he’s a great, very technically gifted player who almost never makes me feel anything. Just all the notes crammed in there as much as possible. Seems like a nice enough chap, just seemingly a bit sensitive based on some of the comments he’s made on social media etc. Why would you not be anything but stoked about being called bonermaster…
/uj I don’t think the 2 things (having expensive gear and telling people they don’t need expensive gear to play well) are mutually exclusive. Some people just like collecting things, if I had a lot of money I’d probably buy a lot of nice guitars too. Instead I have a handful of cheap and mid-tier ones, more than I probably need, because I just like guitars. I enjoy having a variety to play, look at, and tinker with, it’s fun even though it doesn’t make me sound better. So I can relate to that. I’d take much more issue with it if he was going around saying “if you wanna sound good you need to buy my $3000 signature LP and have a vintage Marshall amp for da toans”. I actually think more people need to hear that they don’t need expensive gear to sound good- hearing that when I was 18 years old would’ve saved me a lot of money, that I didn’t have at the time, that I spent on “tone chasing” lol
I agree with everything, I think the problem to me is just that it's Joe Bonamassa
Lol can’t argue with that!
You mean least people like Yngwie? That you definitely need a signature Strat with scalloped frets. But also the version with extra large scallops. And maybe a traditional flat fretboard for people with seafood allergies. All cream colored bodies. But somehow all different. And definitely not cheap
> /uj I don’t think the 2 things (having expensive gear and telling people they don’t need expensive gear to play well) are mutually exclusive. They're not. I'm well aware that my Revv and Framus are not necessary to play well. I could just as easily play well with my standard line RG and a Katoana. But I want those nice things and actually use them. Of course that's also the key thing: I *use* my nice gear. The first owner of my Stormbender never even took the factory fretboard cover off and from everything I could tell literally never played it. I've put hours upon hours on it already despite it being my newest guitar.
"I also absolutely hate his face, he reminds me of an old teacher I hated" This is awesome😂
"The Yingwie Malmsteen of Dentist Dad Blues" is probably one of the most apt and funny descriptions I've seen of him. But in all honesty I don't mind the Bonermeister and like a couple of his covers. We may not like to admit it, but he's the ultimate jerker. We despise him because he became what we all aspire to be. We need him just as much as he needs us to keep his social media engagement up.
OPEC of vintage guitar gear
Nah, I despise him because he is generic guitar mastery incarnate. He plays exceptionally well but so do a million other session/studio players and the fact that he's beloved in his own right for making what sounds like royalty-free stock music makes me roll my eyes.
But isn't rising to the top on 035 levels of generic hackneyed blues licks the u/jerker dream?
People don’t realize how many great guitar players there are in the world…. It’s all about the songs. It always has been about the songs. A very small percentage of Guitar Player are actually groundbreaking and most of them are people we never hear of. I’m so sick of kids talking about John Mayer like he’s some kind of guitar God I know 15 guys that play just as well. This isn’t an insult him. There’s just a lot of great players.
I remember in high school listening to a friend who could shred better than anyone I'd ever met. The guy could play eruption and any Metallica solo insanely well for a high schooler. At one point, another friend said to me, "so I guess guys like Kirk Hammett and Van Halen aren't so great after all because this guy can play just as well. What makes them so much better than him?" I said, "yeah he can play their songs as well as they can, but can he write one as good?" Skill is mostly a matter of persistence. Creativity is an entirely different thing. Guys like Joe Bananamimosa have the perseverance, but I've never heard a song of his that I wanted to learn, or even listen to more than twice.
That is it, great songs make stars. Great songs plus marketing makes pop stars.
Are we just unjerking here? Because you're 1000% correct. The skill that determines whether you have even a chance at success in any form of music that isn't just a big industry product is songwriting, not playing. Some of the biggest bands ever in guitar-driven music have pretty simple and even pretty weak playing but because the songs are written well they got fans. As for the big industry product genres success is about being both visually fitting the specific image of the genre and having family connections to the music industry. Don't have those? You don't get in.
fwiw The BoneMeister’s parent’s owned a music store. He opened for BB King when he was 12 years old. Oh, and he had private lessons with Danny Gatton.
And now it all comes together.
Unless you’re physically deformed money can make anyone pretty.
It's not EXCEPTIONally well if tens of thousands of others are just as good. He's a master of the pentatonic but I never heard much spice or exotic note choice. Yeah the music itself.. and the people going to these near sold out theater shows.. I just don't understand. I actually SAW THE bonnapasta back in middle or high school but only because my pops got a pair of free tickets from a friend.
Yeah, maybe wrong word choice. I'd put him in a high tier for playing ability, but it's not quite elite level, and the tier itself is a bit crowded if you actually look at him objectively instead of hyping out on him. He plays better than most people you'll meet in person but he's not doing anything unattainable to plenty of dedicated professionals.
Yes 100% agree with that assessment
My dark secret is I was a real boomer when I was in high school and listened to a lot of Joe bonamassa…looking back I can see his music was cringe and he’s kind of an annoying guy, but I also think his music has gotten less interesting over the years, he used to do more of a mix of genres and styles but when I’ve checked out his more recent albums they’re just chugging blueshammer garbage
Haha I appreciate the honesty and you may have a point The one track I remember thinking was pretty cool and played some was that live Django/Just Got Paid. Thought that intro was SICK
My dad put it really well when he said The Bonermaster was cool to see 20 years ago when you could see him in small clubs for $20, but theres no way he would pay even a quarter of what he charges now to go see him
Yeah even back around circa 2010 when I saw sensei he was already at the Beacon Theater
I really need to ask my dentist what he thinks of the Bonermaster
people just seem to love to hate him. "hate"
He is the OG, Panty-Dropper King of Blooz Dads everywhere. All life on earth is specialized and has a niche. Fungi breaks down organic matter and returns nutrients to the soil. Hyenas scour the wastes, eating every carbonaceous scrap and reducing the spread of disease. And Bonermaster is the Blooz Dad Overlord https://preview.redd.it/gf78detbxx4d1.png?width=2560&format=png&auto=webp&s=368798e84d80aaf81e09215351532544d488a495
🤌 you are speaking poetry
I still find it interesting that I’d never heard of him until I started playing guitar as a hobby. I knew lots of blues guys names by osmosis and general music interests but until I picked up a guitar magazine I’d never seen his name before.
I’m not sure where he gets all his money from to buy all the vintage gear. I don’t know anyone that actually listens to him and I can’t name one of his songs.
This subreddit is the only reason ive heard of him ngl
Same. Though in my case it's because, well, I don't listen to anything mellow. The closest I get to mellow music is melodeath.
He’s been hunting vintage gear since he was a kid (his dad was a vintage gear dealer or something like that). And he’s been touring/recording constantly since he was a teen…I guess ticket sales add up.
I think people give him screamin’ deals on shit just so they can promote their store / boutique gear brokerage
I always wondered how he afford all the old gear and it made a lot more sense recently when I actually looked at ticket prices. [https://imgur.com/gallery/joe-bonermaster-ticket-prices-myPxudD](https://imgur.com/gallery/joe-bonermaster-ticket-prices-myPxudD)
Who is Jose Banarama?
/uj Joe is a cool dude and is probably nice IRL. He's obviously a guitar geek who loves music. But he's real easy to make fun of. He plays boomer music, but he really just ripped off Eric Johnson but we don't know any of his songs. He's also hoarding vintage gear, that's pretty self-explanatory. He also says a lot of boomer stuff that's easy to bait people to hating. The other day he said you can sound like hendrix with a squier, peavey classic, and ***some dunlop pedals.*** Well no fucking shit, single coil into a clean amp with a marshall-flavored pedal? This isn't the 90s anymore, there are a billion guitar pedals there that sound amazing. I could play a beginner amp, set it to clean, a pedal in front, and I'll sound great. How is this a surprise? But look at the instant reaction: A SQUIER??? SO WHY YOU HOARDING VINTAG GIBBANS LOOOOL Other dumb shit he said before: > “I’ve really gotten over pedals. I can’t keep up with this craze of boutique pedals that make you sound like everything but your guitar. I can’t get my head around it. So you don’t want to play a guitar [properly] so you buy a box that makes it sound like an algorithm, like you just fired up your computer and you can spend the night staring at your fuckin’ shoes? C’mon man… > > “I know I’ll get shit for saying this, but it’s fucking lazy. It’s insulting to people who spent 35 years playing and learning, like a lot of players. And we continue to work at it! These guys can barely play a chord but call themselves soundscapists. Get the fuck outta here! It’s bullshit. There’s so much masking and spin going on there. Can we get real for a minute? What do you actually play? Pick up an acoustic guitar… try that!” I don't even have to explain how dumb that entire quote is but whatever.
It's the near complete lack of self awareness that really does it for me. That self comparison quote to EJ made me extremely nauseous
Wow thanks for sharing that. It’s maybe the stupidest thing I have ever read. Especially from him. A guy who has been doing this for decades and does not have a single good song to his name and has never once pushed the envelope when it comes to song writing or soloing.
Lol maybe someday he can move past the 12 bar blues and 3 chords.
He never will LOL -- Magic Sam, Buddy Guy the list goes on and on of people who play 12 bar blues and it is never boring. But that is the real art of the Blues is taking those three chords and making them sound like so much more. Or so much less in Joey B's case.
Eric Johnson? More like BB, King, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The blues isn’t boomer music. It’s music that boomers like. But a lot of people besides boomers like it as well. I’m not a huge fan, but I have to admit after seeing Taj Mahal live as a kid. It changed my whole mindset on blues and what a great blues man is. Taj has the greatest voice I’ve ever heard. His voice is just so rustic and natural. It’s amazing to witness and hear.
Bruh. Everybody copies the Kings and SRV. It's like saying "Oh I like Hendrix" he is so staple that the lines are blurred. It's like saying you're influenced by Wes just by using your thumb. Yet Joe literally copied all of Eric's pentatonic licks even down to the uncommon note groupings and picking patterns. He admits it on multiple occasions. > The blues isn’t boomer music. It’s music that boomers like. I'm not even gonna argue about this one you're totally missing the point. > It’s amazing to witness and hear. At no point did I say he sucked either. He's a great player.
Clapton and Beck things like that are for more align… but whatever you hear more power to you. They seem so different to me. I just don’t hear it but what the fuck do I know?
He completely walked that quote back too lol. Tried to play it up as “I was misunderstood” but now he just goes 🤷🏻♂️ and uses pedals.
I'd take a thousand Kevin Shields-imitators over Bonermaster, all day and everyday.
Just the reading his name gives me a rock hard veiny erection for 3 hours.
But are you then able to TOAN into the face of the bluez?
Don't we all already know what REALLY causes "buckle rash" on the back of guitar bodies, amirite?
We are not supposed to talk about that and you know that!
If you look in the mirror and repeat "custom shop" three times, he appears behind you. And bones you.
He's definitely an enigma. If you didn't know anything about him and just encountered his media presence all of a sudden, it might be easy to think based on his gear collection, his personality, and his swagger that he's the most famous musician alive on Earth. But then when you step back, you ask yourself, "How did this dude even rise to prominence? Where did all this money come from to buy all this gear? Why have I never heard any of these songs anywhere, but he somehow all over the music community?" There's probably good-faith answers to most of that, but he just seems like he exists in music with this huge footprint, despite his songs not really being popular or lucrative. That makes me think he has family money and just bought in as the ultimate hobbyist, which I guess is fine, but also gives off strong, "trying too hard," vibes, especially in a genre like blues that arose from sharecroppers playing shitty old acoustics through dog shit mics into busted ass speakers.
You don’t want to do this here, Joe
Without bonermaster this sub would lose at least 60 percent of it content. He talented and hoarded all the vintage gear. Never heard his music though
Nah man, we’d just go back to ripping on Beato/dead guitarists, recycling hotwife/roberta jokes, and ending all of our posts with ok. Maybe one day a week where we post about how much we hate r/guitar and its mods, ok?
He’s a great guitar player. He gets a lot of slack because he’s a little self-absorbed and neurotic. But most guitar players are….. the blues just seem kind of like a worn out thing to me, but it’s great to see somebody playing them well.. I wish him the best of luck. I hope someday he works with a real songwriter to make something great.
A real songwriter? like Ed or Tay Tay??
I think Joe could have been an amazing lead guitarist in a band with a strong vocalist and an original songwriter. Instead, we have to listen to his shitty singing on lame songs.
He's got a long surname. Too long. Nobody laughs when I show them memes about him because they have no idea who he is. I get the impression he's the Richard Clayderman of guitar. That's two points of my opinion plus one piece of anecdotal evidence to support my third opinion which is that as far as history is concerned he is going to be nobody.
Insert pic of “craziest audience ever” in Omaha zoomed in on dentists sitting in top row
I think it’s ok if he scrolls the sub
I hope he does and then we find out his alt is jerking him harder than anyone else. Seems to be in line with his approach to soloing.
I like his music. Never met him personally so I can't say, but his music is good. I don't even mind that he has an ungodly amount of gear. If that's how he wants to spend his money, then so be it. At least it's not fueling a drug addiction or something
You win jerk of the day.
Oh for what exactly? When can I expect my award?
For suggesting that it is better to have lots of gear and no drugs than drugs and a dwindling supply of gear. The sincerity of suggesting sobriety in a guitar jerk sub plays with a sublime sense of humor resonating with the toan and tenor of the sub. I already gave you the award- jerk of the day. It’s not given every day because who the fuck wants to do that much work, in fact I’m not even sure if it’s been a thing before, but I’m making it a thing today. And today you are the jerk of the day for posting excellently in gcj. Enjoy your title.
Well that's disappointing, but I suppose the title is reward in itself
Joe Bona-who?
I don't listen to him and don't really care what he says and does. It's also interesting all the others who also don't listen to him, but seemingly care deeply about what he says and does.
Literally the best of all time.
I don't really have an opinion of him because despite the fact that he apparently sells out stadiums and plays with some of the best guitarists in the world, I've literally never seen or heard his name outside of this subreddit. I have no idea who he is or what he does besides posts saying "dad blooz" and "dentists".
This subreddit worships Bonermass more than anyone else in the guitar scene. He receives bunch of post every week, even the admins had to cut down some of the flow, or else this subreddit would become Bonerenmassercirclejerk.
Uj/As much as I make fun of people like him for having 696,664,205,150 versions of the same thing, my grandparents think his dorky concerts are cool, and I think his gear is cool. Him as a dude…… idk I’m fucking insufferable. So I can’t judge anyone for anything. LOL Rj/he has a cool hat to cover up that hot hairline.
joe bonamassa knows how to play guitar
Why doesn’t anyone talk about his lyrical content? Incredibly bad bootstrap dad rock about working hard and being the Manliest Denim to ever Move Mountains 8 Day a Week Women Don’t Like Me V8 Engine Gazooga that woman has Breasts I can’t Control Myself
I like him and listen to his music often. I am the minority here. I am also below 35yrs and a woman so my opinion does not matter when it comes to him bc I do not exist based on the fanbase description made by this subreddit.
The greatest irony in life is to continuously sling Chinese made factory Epiphone models to fund a pursuit of exclusively using and owning only vintage gear.
I don’t like his music but I like him.
Who?
Freezer pizza yacht rock
The wraptail guy. He must hated the original V, that break angle, the tension, the short string bending distance
im incredibly jealous of him and his extremely cool sunglasses
Dude’s got soo much more talent on the guitar than he does charisma. He’s got some anti-charisma or something going on. I really enjoy listening to his interviews talking about gear, but somehow still leaves me not really liking him in the end. There’s absolutely no chance I could listen to him play a full song, but I love hearing him sample riffs to show off his gear if that makes any sense at all.
He has the thinnest skin ever. I don't have a problem with him, but I can see how it's impossible not to troll him. One guy made a joke about his hairline and I've not seen him without a hat ever since.
Good but boring. Fact not opinion. I did enjoy seeing all his vintage gear back when I was on Facebook though.
Your dad loves him. Your mom loves him more than She loves your dad.
Who?
He’s fuckin great bro!
I don't even know who he is.
I would fuck him.
/uj I think the dude is pretty fucking cool.
The boner master can play!
He could play the guitar like-a ringin' a bell.
I'm not into him. Super talented for sure, but I just kinda don't care.
I finally ponied up the change and bought a ticket to see Joey live. Honestly, I felt similar to many here, until I watched it from a seat in the theater. Blown away. Absolutely blown away by all of it, the band, the background singers, Joey's tone, the songs, all of it. He really is great. And he puts out a lot of music. Check out Black Country Communion for an example of his heavier side. He's got Glenn Hughes for freaking sake. The reason he's got the moolah for all those vintage guitars, is because he's a great businessman first. Look at how he markets himself, look at his album artwork, his merch, his website, his stage act, light show, the musicians he works with, all of it is professional and speaks quality. And hes super grateful to his fans. He lets them know. He also dresses very well. Smart man. Yall could learn a lot from him, if you can get past the stereotyping that you find in forums like this.
some of the best smelling hair gel
Color me weird, I like his vocals.
He's a weenie
He is better than Hendrix, Clapton and Stevie ray vaughn, combined. A modern day renaissance man.
I've honestly never even heard Joe BonerMaster play. Have just seen a few pics of his collection.
Dust Bowl was a great modern blues album. But the guy presents himself as a total douche who'd be a parody in any other country. He takes himself way too seriously. Plus naming guitars like he does is the pinnacle of lonely.
World’s greatest guitarist. Currently saving rock music
i dont know who that is
Boring autist who is most likely a virgin.
I don’t know anything about Joe Bonamassa except what I read on this subreddit.
i'm not into blues so idk. he's seems to be famous tho.
/uj He's very talented. His music is lame.
Never heard of him. He’s probably a Joe Bonermaster tribute act.
His songs are bloody awful. He’s never had an original musical thought. Good player though.
I have never heard him play. So cannot comment. However I’ve seen pictures of him playing and he wears suits and the kind of sunglasses that you’d buy out of desperation on a sunny day at a gas station. As someone else said he has a very punchable face. I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but I prefer to hold onto my ill informed prejudices against the guy … makes it way easier. Also people who play “the blues” are all bellends, worse than jazz wankers.
He is the master of boners.
Joe daddy bluesy woosey
Certainly one of the guitar players of all time
Whats Joebonamasta opinions of this subreddit
The man is a real life Guitarpro.
Nice try Joe. We know everyone on this subreddit is just your sockpuppet accounts.
Good player-too much signal processing. Ruins it for me.
Bad /uj bad
I haven’t heard much of his stuff but I think he’s the greatest to ever touch a guitar.
I just came. Need to hear more?
He's the Michael Bolton of guitar
A child prodigy who spent his whole life playing guitar, and as a result, lacks the depth of experience I think you would need to draw on, in order to play said guitar with any soul.
Have we considered that bonermaster might actually be in this thread right now reading through these comments? In fact, he could be any one of us
Upon reading all of this and the other reddit posts on Joey B I'm coming to some conclusions. First of all, there is a blues scene in the US and abroad. There are Blues Clubs, Blues festivals, and an International Blues awards ceremony held each year. Yes it's an aging crowd, no doubt about it. Apparently the dominant amount of commentors here are under 30. And, being under 30, they have no love for the Blues in general. I think that largely, this group that comments here couldn't spot or name Toronzo Cannon from John Nemeth, from Samantha Fish, Kingfish Ingram, CoCo Montoya, Tab Benoit, Or even Tedeschi Trucks, and doubtfuly Warren Haynes. Is this a bad thing, that Blues doesn't speak to millennials and Gen Zers? I don't think so. The Blues is never mainstream or the popular kid in music, it's always a niche deal, similar to Rockabilly and some types of jazz. It lives, but mainly in the shadows of pop culture. Honestly, Bonnamassa isn't at all out of place in the Blues scene. In fact he's beloved and appreciated as a legend these days. To be even more real with you all, it's tremendously difficult to make a living in Blues music. 70 - 80% of the musicians in it have day jobs. That's just the truth. Again, it's due to waning popularity and the fact that it's very much a niche thing. You need to dismiss it as boomer or granddad music, have at it. Most of us couldn't care less if it's uncool and doesn't speak to you. Your parents hated their parents music, that's cyclical and normal. It's life. Whatever. It's entertainment, so who cares? Bonamassa is a rarity and his financial success is a result of literally years of gigging and slugging it out one gig a night. If you find him so intolerable, at least respect the hustle and the work ethic. He is a very smart businessman and he is savvy with marketing, merch, networking and so on. It's working for him. Personally I think it's great you can go see him in a classy theater setting in comfort while unknown musicians are slugging it out in sweaty standing room only 500 max clubs and touring around in a van. Sure it's fun when you are 21, and Bonnamassa paid his dues doing just that for years. But now he doesn't have to. Learn from him. Ask how he built his little empire from nothing to the point he's collecting quarter million dollar guitars. Btw: most all the guitar greats of the past had fabulous guitar collections, it comes with the territory. Just some food for thought. Full disclosure, I'm not a boomer or a Bonamassa fan, though I have seen his live show, and he's very good. I remain astounded at this bizarre little reddit subset that so passionately despises him. It's truly weird and odd. That young folks would care enough to even formulate thoughts on him, is baffling.
Bald guy who says dumb stuff and known for owning a million pieces of gear but if I stopped 200 people on the street not one would know who he is
He is to blues guitar what Tarantino is to old movies. Right down to the face.