Billy Gibbons is the undisputed boss. The boss of guitarists, with that sensual vibrato and thick, burrito-like tone he draws from his Les Paul. The boss of singers, thanks to that gritty, twang-laden voice. The boss of bandleaders, at the helm of ZZ Top, the trio that has remained together since 1969. The boss of style, too, with his innate sense of look and stagecraft. And finally, the boss of collectors: his warehouses house several thousand guitars amassed over the years. Rumor has it he owns one of every model, from every year, from all the major brands\u2014and it may well not be just a legend! Among the known gems of his collection are \u201cPearly Gates,\u201d his legendary 1959 Les Paul that has never left his side, a \u201954 hardtail Stratocaster often used as a complement, and countless custom instruments in the hot rod spirit (often matching his cars!).<\/p>\n
His career began in 1967 with The Moving Sidewalks<\/strong>, a Texas psychedelic rock band in the vein of the 13th Floor Elevators<\/strong>. The band opened for Jimi Hendrix<\/strong> before breaking up in 1969, the year Gibbons founded ZZ Top<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Initially, the trio played raw, traditional blues rock, before moving toward a more electronic approach starting with Deg\u00fcello<\/em> (1979). This evolution continued with the trilogy Eliminator \/ Afterburner \/ Recycler<\/em>: three albums where Gibbons\u2019 greasy blues merged with the era\u2019s synthesizers and drum machines. The blend won over a wide audience, thanks both to hits like Gimme All Your Lovin\u2019<\/em> and Rough Boy<\/em> and the band\u2019s memorable videos, omnipresent on MTV and in any solid American rock\u2019n\u2019roll playlist.<\/p>\n Later, ZZ Top returned to a heavier, more organic, fuzz-saturated sound. Gibbons multiplied guest appearances on other artists\u2019 records and even pursued a solo career. Perfectamundo<\/em> explored Cuban sounds, while Big Bad Blues<\/em> returned to his first loves\u2014somewhere between Muddy Waters<\/strong> and Bo Diddley<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Billy Gibbons\u2019 collection inspires, fascinates, and amazes\u2014so much so that it prompted a book: the famous Rock + Roll Gearhead<\/em> brings together many of his favorite guitars, accompanied by entertaining anecdotes. Whether in this book or on the walls of Matt\u2019s Guitar Shop, these instruments embody much of the American rock\u2019n\u2019roll ideal!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Billy \u201cBFG\u201d Gibbons is known for his incredible collection of great instruments. But even though ZZ Top has been touring for nearly half a century (or close to it), the thousands of concerts the band has played have not been enough for him to take all his precious custom guitars on the road. Therefore, when he chooses one, it has to be particularly striking. And when he chooses one for a live DVD, it has to be especially special.<\/strong><\/p>\n You might recognize this white Billy Bo since you\u2019ve probably seen it on the cover of the 2008 DVD, Live From Texas<\/em>, a ZZ Top concert best-of filmed at the Nokia Theater in Grand Prairie, Texas, on November 1, 2007. This DVD was a huge success, going multi-platinum and topping video charts in many countries. Throughout the entire concert, Gibbons plays this Gretsch.<\/p>\n It was specially made for him in Japan with a hollow body to make it lighter, then heavily customized. The ebony fingerboard was painted white for a \u201ctotal white\u201d effect, larger side markers were added on the fingerboard (essential when filming a live DVD to avoid fixing mistakes in the mix), and the incredible pinstriping was designed by Gibbons himself. Finally, the inevitable finishing touch for a guitar played live by ZZ Top is, of course, the \u201cBeer\u201d logo on the back, added by Gibbons\u2019s longtime guitar tech, Elwood Francis.<\/p>\n Like all guitars from Billy Gibbons\u2019s collection sold by Matt\u2019s Guitar Shop and purchased directly from Gibbons himself, this historic Gretsch is signed by the Reverend on the back of the headstock and comes with a signed certificate of authenticity, a photo of Billy holding the guitar, a photo of Billy signing the guitar, and a photo of Billy signing the certificate. This is our way of guaranteeing that you are truly buying his instrument.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":12013,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[358,361,352,353],"product_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-16689","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-guitars","7":"product_cat-electric-guitars","8":"product_cat-artists","9":"product_cat-sold","10":"pa_artiste-billy-f-gibbons-en","11":"pa_disponibilite-sold","12":"pa_marque-gretsch-en","14":"first","15":"outofstock","16":"shipping-taxable","17":"product-type-simple"},"yoast_head":"\n