“A dream guitar, a $5,000 price tag, and a master negotiator”:

How Joe Bonamassa helped Joanne Shaw Taylor secure a signed signature model — before keeping it for himself

Joanne Shaw Taylor’s story isn’t just about a rare guitar. It’s a tale of passion, friendship, persistence, and how dreams sometimes take an unexpected detour before becoming reality.

One of Taylor’s biggest musical inspirations has always been the legendary blues innovator Albert Collins — a player who redefined the sound and attitude of electric blues. So when Joanne spotted an Albert Collins Signature model — signed by the man himself — standing proudly in a New York guitar store, she simply couldn’t walk away.

There was just one issue.

The price tag read roughly $5,000, and at the time, that kind of money was well beyond her reach. That’s when she turned to a trusted ally — Joe Bonamassa, a guitarist known not only for his deep love of vintage Gibson, Fender, instruments, but also for his formidable negotiating skills.

“About 15 years ago, I flew to New York to hang out with Joe for a few days,” Taylor recalls in an interview with Guitarist. “He was rehearsing for the very first Black Country Communion show, so I went to see him.”

While in the city, she stopped by Manny’s Music — which was still operating at the time — and that’s where she saw it.

“They had an Albert Collins signature model, signed by Albert himself. It was priced at around five grand. I went back to Joe and said, ‘This is my dream guitar, but I don’t have $5,000.’”

Bonamassa’s response was direct and practical.

“He asked me what I did have. I told him I could probably pull together about four thousand. He said, ‘Alright, let’s go back together. They’ll probably want a photo of me, but I think we can make that work.’”

And so they returned to the shop.

Joe picked up the guitar, played it for a moment, and asked the inevitable question. The seller turned it around: “What will you pay for it?”
Bonamassa didn’t hesitate: “I’ll give you four grand.”

The deal closed instantly — with one small condition: a photo of Joe Bonamassa purchasing the guitar.

“We did the deal,” Joanne laughs. “And then… he kept the guitar for himself.”

Thankfully, the story didn’t end there.

About a year later, Joanne mentioned the situation to Joe’s father, Len Bonamassa. His reaction was immediate — and intense.

“Len was furious. He’s an upstate New York guy, and he said, ‘I can’t believe he did that to you. You’ve been such a good friend to him. I’m going to talk to him.’”

Whatever Len said clearly worked. The very next day, Joanne received a message from Joe:
“Remind me of your address.”

Soon after, the long-lost dream guitar arrived by mail.

Joanne Shaw Taylor and Joe Bonamassa first struck up a friendship in 2008. Over the years, they’ve shared stages multiple times, and Bonamassa even produced her 2022 release The Blues Album. Their friendship, however, got off to a slightly rocky start — when Joanne openly admitted she wasn’t exactly a Les Paul fan.

As this story proves, honesty, great guitars, and a little persistence often make for the strongest bonds.