CERTIFIED BLUES

BORN INTO A MUSICAL FAMILY, BILLY GIBBONS WAS playing in bands by age 14 — first with the Saints, then Billy G and the Ten Blue Flames, the Coachmen and the Moving Sidewalks, who were signed and recording before Gibbons was 18. Of course, it was ZZ Top that brought the guitarist major success.

With a unique brand of down ’n’ dirty blues-rock, the Texas sent them into the musical stratosphere. As for tone, Gibbons’ 1959 “Pearly Gates” Gibson Les Paul and white-fur-covered Gibson Explorer are the stuff of legend, but, with a huge collection to draw from, you’ll see various guitars in his hands (including the Mojo Maker on the facing page). Still, a humbucker-equipped axe and a rich, tube-driven tone are a good start for a “ballpark” Gibbons sound. Amp-wise, the guitarist has used Fender tweeds and Marshall Plexis in his day, although he’s an enthusiastic fan of Magnatone lately. Skinny strings (as low as .07- or .08) and a Mexican peso coin for a pick are the icing on Gibbons’ harmonic-laden tonal cake.