Over his decades-long career, Vince Gill has proven himself to be a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to playing guitar, and his impressive collection of axes reflects that ability to settle into virtually any genre, style, or tone needed. Like most guitar collectors, Gill typically goes for what plays and sounds good. But there have also been times when he’s added a guitar to his collection for sentimentality’s sake. In the best-case scenarios, those play and sound good, too.
Videos by American Songwriter
Such was the case for Gill’s first Gibson Les Paul, a popular electric model featuring a single cutaway, rosewood fretboard, stoptail bridge, and humbucker pickups that make this a popular choice for players in all genres. One notable downside to the Les Paul is the price, which is what kept Gill (ever the humble guitarist) from buying one. “I couldn’t justify the expense because I don’t play a Les Paul that much,” Gill told Guitar Aficionado in 2017.
That changed when Gill’s brother-in-law from his first marriage to singer Janis Oliver approached him with an offer he couldn’t refuse. “We were great friends, and he owned this great 59 Sunburst [Les Paul] since 1959. He’d played it his whole life but got sick a couple of years ago. He called me and said, ‘There’s not much they can do for me. I’m probably not gonna make it. You’ve always been my favorite guitar player. Will you buy my Les Paul?’”
Vince Gill Got His First Les Paul in a Bittersweet Deal With His Brother-In-Law
When Vince Gill’s former brother-in-law first proposed that he buy his vintage Les Paul off of him, the country icon didn’t have a Les Paul in his collection. “But this one came along, and I said, ‘There you go.’ I got the one I was supposed to have,” Gill told Guitar Aficionado. “My friend played it for 40 years, and now it gets to live on and still make music.” Although it was a bittersweet deal to make, Gill knew how important it would be to his friend for him to have it. And Gill was right. Guitars are supposed to be played, and if he bought the 1959 Sunburst Les Paul, then it avoided a much sadder fate of sitting in storage, collecting dust.
Of the hundreds of guitars Gill has in his collection, only a handful are there because of sentimental reasons. His vintage Les Paul is certainly one of them. Another is a Martin 00-40 that used to belong to Chet Atkins. “That one’s real precious to me,” Gill said of the guitar he received shortly after Atkins died in 2001. Moreover, it’s a great studio workhorse. “I like recording with parlor guitars a lot. You’re going right into a microphone. So, they don’t have to be big and loud. I’ve got a lot of 00 and 000 everything.”
Gill has also gifted guitars for sentimental reasons, like the Gibson Nick Lucas model he bought for his wife, Amy Grant. “She really likes Gibson guitars. This one was built around the same year as her mother was born, so there’s a connection there. I like that kind of thing.”
Photo by Kyle Hoelzel/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.