Jeff Beck's “YardBurst” was recently taken out for a spin in Europe courtesy of Craig Ross – Lenny Kravitz's longtime guitarist and collaborator – after going under the hammer for $496,484 (£403,200) earlier this year.
That was just the beginning of the legendary circa ’59 Gibson Les Paul's new lease on life, facilitated by its current owner, Matthieu Lucas, from the high-profile Parisian guitar emporium, Matt's Guitar Shop. Just a few days ago, it was wielded by not one, but three luminaries from the modern guitar vanguard – namely, Marcus King, Drew Smithers, and JJ Julius Son from KALEO – at Colorado's Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
“It was a major event celebrating the release of KALEO’s Mixed Emotions album,” explains Lucas. “JJ, the lead singer of the band, is one of my closest friends, and when I saw Marcus King was opening, I grabbed my ticket and brought the YardBurst along to keep its story going at Red Rocks.”
Lucas is quickly establishing himself as a guitar matchmaker of sorts, having lent the YardBurst to Ross, but also entrusting Steve Jones’ Sex Pistols Les Paul to Yungblud, Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong, and Sum 41's Deryck Whibley just last year. This latest link-up is a continuation of his mission to “have the next generation of players bring the YardBurst to life”.
Blues- and Southern rock-leaning King brandished Jeff Beck's guitar for the first three songs of his set, “including The Well [from 2020’s El Dorado], and it was mind-blowing,” before handing it over to JJ., who used it on three or four songs, including one of Lucas' favorites, Hey Gringo.
“What was fascinating was how different their playing styles are, yet in each case, the YardBurst’s legendary tone really shone through,” he explains. “It just clicked every time.”
Despite the risk associated with having such prestigious guitars out on the road, Lucas isn’t interested in locking them up in a vault somewhere, never to be seen or heard again. As he aptly puts it, lending these legendary guitars to contemporary players is crucial to “carry the torch forward”.
“If you look at the music industry long-term, in 10 to 15 years – maybe even sooner – many of today’s legends might no longer be touring,” he asserts. “What better way to honor the past than by letting the YardBurst, which was once played by Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, and many others, live on through the hands of today’s artists?”
As for his shortlist of guitarists he'd like to see wield the YardBurst? “Eric Clapton would be a dream” and “Joe Perry would also be amazing – he loved Jeff Beck. Joe Bonamassa would surely pay a beautiful tribute too. Showing the guitar to Jimmy Page once more would be a huge honor.”
However, Lucas insists that “all guitarists are welcome to play it. Legendary instruments are meant to be played and to inspire future generations.” This writer will keep that in mind next time I'm in Paris!
