The 2016 Gibson USA Joe Bonamassa Les Paul “Tomato Soup Burst” is a highly limited signature model designed around Joe Bonamassa’s preference for early-1960s Les Paul feel, tone and styling.

Limited to just 150 examples, it combines a beautifully figured AAA maple top with a weight-relieved mahogany body, Slim Taper mahogany neck and dark rosewood fingerboard. A proprietary pair of Seymour Duncan 52-Nc and 53-Nc humbuckers provides the powerful yet articulate PAF-inspired character specified for this model.

Distinctive details including the Tomato Soup Burst nitrocellulose finish, mismatched amber and gold Top Hat knobs, vintage-style Keystone tuners and traditional ABR/Stop Bar hardware give this guitar considerably more personality than a standard production Les Paul.

This Pre-Owned example is offered in Excellent condition and includes a hardcase.

At A Glance

Key Detail	Information
Brand	Gibson USA
Model	Joe Bonamassa Les Paul
Year	2016
Finish	Tomato Soup Burst
Limited Edition	150 Pieces
Condition	Pre-Owned, Excellent
Included	Hardcase
Main Appeal	Rare Joe Bonamassa signature Les Paul with bespoke Seymour Duncan pickups
Best For	Blues, blues rock, classic rock, hard rock, recording and collecting

Pre-Owned Condition Report

Excellent Condition

This 2016 Gibson Joe Bonamassa Les Paul Tomato Soup Burst is offered in Excellent condition.

Excellent condition reflects a carefully owned Pre-Owned guitar showing only very light evidence of previous use while remaining particularly well presented and ready for serious playing, recording or collection use.

No faults, repairs or modifications have been supplied for this listing.

What’s Included?

✔ Gibson Joe Bonamassa Les Paul Tomato Soup Burst
✔ Hardcase

✘ No Additional Accessories Included

Condition Notes

This Joe Bonamassa Les Paul has been graded Excellent, making it especially attractive for a limited-production Gibson where overall presentation and preservation are important considerations.

Fair Deal Quality Control Assessment

This Pre-Owned Gibson Les Paul has been inspected and assessed by the Fair Deal Music team before sale.

Our checks include:

• Neck and bridge pickups tested
• Three-way pickup selector checked
• Individual volume controls tested
• Individual tone controls checked
• Output socket tested
• Frets inspected
• Rosewood fingerboard assessed
• Neck condition checked
• Vintage-style tuners inspected
• ABR bridge checked
• Stop Bar tailpiece assessed
• Hardware inspected
• Tuning stability checked
• Overall playability assessed
• Hardcase checked for basic usability

Service / Setup Work

All Pre-Owned electric guitars at Fair Deal Music are set up and checked before leaving the shop.

Our assessment includes:

• Action checked
• Neck relief checked
• Frets inspected
• Intonation checked
• Tuning stability checked
• Electronics tested
• Pickup output checked
• Bridge setup assessed
• Hardware checked
• General playability assessed

Please note that guitar setup can shift slightly during delivery because changes in temperature and humidity can naturally affect wooden instruments in transit.

Why Choose The Joe Bonamassa Tomato Soup Burst Les Paul?

Limited 150-Piece Gibson USA Run

Only 150 examples of the standard Tomato Soup Burst model were produced, giving it considerably greater rarity than a conventional production Les Paul Standard.

Proprietary Seymour Duncan Pickups

The Joe Bonamassa 52-Nc neck and 53-Nc bridge humbuckers were specifically developed for this guitar, delivering the strong midrange, clarity and dynamic response associated with vintage-style Les Paul tones.

AAA Flamed Maple Top

A highly figured AAA maple top gives the unusual Tomato Soup Burst finish plenty of visual depth and reinforces the premium character of the limited-edition build.

Slim Taper Neck

The early-'60s-inspired Slim Taper profile makes this model particularly appealing to players who prefer a faster, less substantial neck than the fuller profiles associated with many late-'50s-style Les Pauls.

Joe Bonamassa Control Details

The combination of amber and gold Top Hat knobs reflects the mismatched control arrangements found on some of Bonamassa’s own vintage instruments and gives the guitar an immediately recognisable signature-model detail.

Comparison Against Popular Alternatives

Joe Bonamassa Tomato Soup Burst vs Gibson Les Paul Standard 60s

A current Les Paul Standard 60s offers similar Slim Taper ergonomics in a regular production model, while the Bonamassa adds limited-edition rarity, an AAA top, proprietary Seymour Duncan pickups and several artist-specific details.

Joe Bonamassa Tomato Soup Burst vs Gibson Les Paul Standard 50s

The Standard 50s is better suited to players wanting a fuller neck and more traditional late-'50s styling, while the Bonamassa favours a slimmer early-'60s playing feel and its own signature electronics.

Joe Bonamassa Tomato Soup Burst vs Gibson Custom 1960 Reissue

A Custom Shop 1960 Reissue concentrates more strongly on historically accurate vintage recreation, while this Gibson USA signature model combines '60s inspiration with Joe Bonamassa’s own pickup, control and visual preferences.

Joe Bonamassa Tomato Soup Burst vs Epiphone Joe Bonamassa Models

Epiphone Bonamassa signatures provide a more affordable route into Joe-inspired specifications, while the Tomato Soup Burst is aimed at players and collectors wanting a rare USA-built Gibson from a highly limited production run.

Who Is It For?

Blues And Blues-Rock Players

The proprietary humbuckers and Les Paul construction provide the sustain, midrange authority and dynamic response that work particularly well for expressive lead guitar and driven valve-amp tones.

Classic Rock Guitarists

Twin humbuckers, traditional Les Paul controls and a stop-tail bridge make this an immediately familiar platform for rhythm and lead work.

Gibson Collectors

Its 150-piece production run and distinctive finish give the Tomato Soup Burst genuine collector interest beyond that of a normal production Les Paul.

Joe Bonamassa Fans

This is one of the more distinctive Gibson USA collaborations associated with Bonamassa, incorporating several details chosen specifically around his preference for vintage Les Pauls.

Studio Guitarists

The bespoke pickup pair offers enough warmth and power for thick rhythm parts while maintaining definition for layered lead and clean work.

Suitable Genres And Uses

• Blues
• Blues rock
• Classic rock
• Hard rock
• Southern rock
• Rock
• Lead guitar
• Rhythm guitar
• Vintage-style clean tones
• Overdriven valve amps
• Studio recording
• Rehearsals
• Live performance
• Gibson collections
• Joe Bonamassa collections

What Makes A Joe Bonamassa Signature Les Paul Different?

Joe Bonamassa is known for an extensive collection of vintage Gibson guitars, particularly Les Pauls, and his signature instruments typically draw on the characteristics he values in original examples rather than simply applying a signature to a standard production model.

The Tomato Soup Burst reflects that approach through its Slim Taper neck, nylon nut, vintage-inspired hardware, proprietary Seymour Duncan pickups, hand-wired electronics and unusual control-knob arrangement. The result is recognisably a Les Paul but with enough model-specific details to give it its own identity.

Looking for advice on choosing the right Gibson Les Paul, Joe Bonamassa signature guitar or limited-edition Pre-Owned Gibson? Our experienced team of musicians can help by phone, online or in-store.

Story & Context: Joe Bonamassa Tomato Soup Burst

Gibson released the Joe Bonamassa “Tomato Soup Burst” Les Paul in 2016 as part of its USA limited-edition programme. Rather than reproducing one particular vintage Les Paul, the guitar brought together several features inspired by Bonamassa’s preference for early-1960s Gibson instruments.

The unusual Tomato Soup Burst finish was created to evoke some of the brighter red burst finishes seen on original 1960 Les Paul Standards. Gibson paired that colour with a highly figured AAA maple top, giving the model a deliberately bold interpretation of the classic Les Paul burst.

Bonamassa also specified a slimmer early-'60s-style neck, proprietary Seymour Duncan humbuckers and an intentionally mismatched set of control knobs inspired by the practical modifications and irregular details found on vintage guitars he owns and plays.

Gibson limited the standard Stop Bar version to 150 instruments, making the model a short-lived chapter in the company's long history of artist collaborations and a particularly interesting Gibson USA Les Paul for Bonamassa enthusiasts and collectors.

Technical Specifications

Specification	Details
Product Type	Solid Body Electric Guitar
Brand	Gibson USA
Model	Joe Bonamassa Les Paul Tomato Soup Burst
Year	2016
Limited Edition	150 Pieces
Finish	Tomato Soup Burst
Finish Type	High-Gloss Nitrocellulose Lacquer
Top Material	2-Piece AAA Flamed Maple
Body Material	Mahogany
Weight Relief	Traditional 9-Hole
Neck Material	1-Piece Mahogany
Neck Construction	Set Neck, Mortise & Tenon
Neck Profile	Slim Taper
Neck Depth at 1st Fret	.800"
Neck Depth at 12th Fret	.875"
Fingerboard Material	Dark Rosewood
Fingerboard Radius	12"
Scale Length	24.75"
Number of Frets	22
Fingerboard Inlays	Trapezoid
Nut Material	Nylon
Nut Width	1.695"
Pickup Configuration	HH
Neck Pickup	Seymour Duncan 52-Nc
Bridge Pickup	Seymour Duncan 53-Nc
Electronics	Passive
Controls	2 Volume, 2 Tone
Pickup Selector	3-Way Toggle
Wiring	Hand-Wired
Capacitors	.022uF Orange Drop
Bridge	Non-Wire ABR
Tailpiece	Stop Bar
Tuning Machines	Vintage-Style Keystone
Hardware Finish	Nickel
Control Knobs	Amber & Gold Top Hats
Condition	Pre-Owned, Excellent

Power Requirements

No battery or external power supply is required for the guitar's passive electronics.

Connect the Les Paul to a suitable guitar amplifier, pedalboard, modeller or audio interface using a standard 1/4" instrument cable.

Why Buy Pre-Owned From Fair Deal Music?

Buying Pre-Owned can be the only practical way to access short-run artist models once the original production has finished.

For a guitar such as the Joe Bonamassa Tomato Soup Burst, the appeal goes beyond a discontinued finish. Its bespoke pickups, limited production and unusual specification make it fundamentally different from a current standard-production Les Paul.

At Fair Deal Music, our Pre-Owned guitars are individually checked and assessed before sale, helping customers buy limited, collectable and discontinued instruments with greater confidence.

Fair Deal Music Verdict

★★★★★ 5/5

The 2016 Gibson Joe Bonamassa Tomato Soup Burst Les Paul is a superb choice for players and collectors who want something considerably less common than a regular Les Paul Standard. Its AAA flame maple top, Slim Taper neck, proprietary Seymour Duncan pickups and striking finish give it genuine musical and collector appeal rather than relying on the artist association alone.

Best suited for: Blues, blues-rock and classic-rock guitarists, Joe Bonamassa fans and Gibson collectors.

Customers usually upgrade from: Gibson Les Paul Studios, Les Paul Classics, Epiphone Les Pauls and regular production twin-humbucker guitars.

Most commonly paired with: Valve amplifiers, boost and overdrive pedals, wah, delay and reverb.

Our tip: The bespoke Seymour Duncan pickup pair is central to this model's character, so explore cleaner and edge-of-breakup amp settings as well as saturated lead tones.

Showroom feedback: The combination of an unusual limited-edition finish, early-'60s playing feel and purpose-designed pickups gives the Tomato Soup Burst considerably more personality than simply being another Les Paul colour variation.

Why Buy From Fair Deal Music?

When you buy from Fair Deal Music, you're choosing one of the UK's most established, independent family run music retailers since 1987.

From our Birmingham showroom, our knowledgeable musician-led team helps players find the right equipment whether they're purchasing their first serious instrument, upgrading an existing setup or searching for something rare within the Pre-Owned market.

When you shop with Fair Deal Music, you can buy with confidence thanks to:

• Expert advice from knowledgeable musicians
• Carefully checked new and Pre-Owned musical equipment
• Decades of experience buying and selling guitars
• Large Birmingham showroom
• Secure online ordering
• UK delivery
• Friendly support before and after purchase
• Extensive experience with rare, limited and Pre-Owned instruments

For an unusual Gibson such as this Joe Bonamassa Les Paul, our team can also help with questions about condition, playing feel and whether its particular specification is right for you.

Trade In. Trade Up. Save More.

Thinking about upgrading? Your next piece of gear could cost less than you think.

We're always happy to consider part exchanges and trade-ins on a wide range of musical instruments and equipment. Whether you're looking to upgrade your guitar, amplifier, keyboard, drum kit or studio gear, your existing equipment could help reduce the cost of your next purchase.

Simply get in touch with our team for a no-obligation valuation, and we'll be happy to discuss the options available.

It's an easy way to unlock the value of the gear you no longer use while making your next instrument even more affordable.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the Slim Taper neck compare with a 1950s-style Les Paul neck?

The Slim Taper profile is noticeably less substantial than the fuller rounded necks associated with many late-'50s-inspired Les Pauls, making it particularly comfortable for players who prefer a faster neck feel.

What string gauge works well on this Les Paul?

A 10–46 set is a popular all-round choice for a 24.75" scale Les Paul. Players wanting a lighter feel can use 9–42, while heavier gauges may suit lower tunings.

Can this Les Paul handle higher-gain sounds?

Yes. The twin Seymour Duncan humbuckers work very well with overdrive and distortion while retaining enough definition for articulate lead work and complex chords.

Is the Tomato Soup Burst a Custom Shop model?

No. This particular Joe Bonamassa Tomato Soup Burst was produced by Gibson USA as a highly limited signature model rather than as a Gibson Custom Shop reissue.

Can it be used with modern pedals and amp modellers?

Yes. Its passive output works with traditional guitar amplifiers, pedalboards, multi-effects processors, modelling systems and compatible recording interfaces.

Can I request a closer look before purchasing?

Yes. For a rare Pre-Owned instrument such as this, our Request a Video Demo option is particularly useful if you would like to see and hear the guitar in greater detail before making your decision.