Page 13 - Guitar Classics Magazine - The Les Paul Bible 2019

STAR GUITARS

decided to sell Spot, it was a done deal. Joe was very I still don’t believe! I’m not supposed to have that OPPOSITE Spot’s finish is
patient with me and he gave me a lot of time to cover kind of guitar yet. But the tone is very special, and beautifully preserved and the
it, because he knew that it was going to be one of my very different to other Bursts I’ve tried. The neck dark unfaded patch at the tail
end is what lends the guitar
dream guitars that I would keep and play. I think he pickup is very woody, it sounds almost like a Strat.”
its nickname
loved the way that we were as passionate about the We guess that this one’s not for sale, at any price,
guitar as he could be. and Matt confirms our suspicions. “The guy who will
“Every time I see Joe, when we talk about Spot, he buy this from me is not born yet,” he laughs. “If I
says: ‘Yeah, I still love that guitar.’ I don’t think he had to sell everything, I’d sell everything except that
regrets it, but he surely misses it… I think he owned guitar. It’s very special for me. I hoped to own it one
it for seven or eight years, it was in his rig for every day, but I didn’t think Joe was going to let it go.”
tour, every studio album, he composed a lot with it. That brings us to our next question: what does
It was a big part of his vintage-guitar career. a guitar collector do once they’ve found the one?
“The day I came back to France with the guitar, I “There’s always another Holy Grail!” Matt affirms.
immediately had to go to the French Alps for a small “It’s always very tricky, because if you’ve got the real
holiday and I couldn’t let Spot be at home… it was virus that I’ve got, it never stops! I was lucky enough
impossible for me. I sent Joe a picture of the guitar to play Rick Nielsen’s Explorer recently… it’s really
in front of the snow! But he knows it’s in good hands something! It has even more power than a Les Paul,
and it’s a very special guitar for me.” it’s a totally different experience. It’s like a lion that
The 25-year-old admits to now having played close hasn’t eaten for seven days!
to 200 original Bursts. In the light of his experience, “But you never know,” Matthieu reflects. “Some
we ask Matt what, even by the stratospherically high day you wake up and receive an email that changes
standards of 1958-’60 Les Pauls, makes Spot different. everything… it changes your year. Real geeks like
“With Bursts, they have so much personality, different us will never find the solution to our problem!”
energy and different character,” he explains. “It’s a
very personal thing. Having Spot is like a dream To see more of Matt’s guitars, visit mattsguitar.shop

THE LES PAUL BIBLE 13