DESERT GOLD

Back in 2019, with the sounds of the NAMM show still ringing in our tired ears, we visited Brian Ray at his home in Santa Monica to shoot some of the highlights of his outstanding guitar collection. But there was one instrument missing that day, and it was a big one: the battle-scarred 1957 Les Paul Goldtop he “rode hard and put away wet” at every show during the 14 or so years he spent as bandleader for the legendary soul and R&B singer Etta James.

It’s not like we need much of an excuse to check out an original 1950s Goldtop but when it’s a guitar as storied as Brian’s, it’s surely worth another trip. Fast forward 12 months to January 2020 and we find ourselves 100 miles east of LA at the guitarist’s desert hideaway in