California / S-Type / 2005 / Pinstripe / Guitar For Sale
Just like the Harmonia from the same Gibbons collection, this California guitar used to be Billy’s couch guitar, a very cool version of the Strat that he would pick up while watching TV, plucking away and stumbling upon the riffs of his last three albums. The Harmonia has a rosewood fretboard, whereas this California has a maple fretboard, bringing it closer to Gibbons’ preference when it comes to Strats.
Just like he did with Tokai in the nineties, Gibbons has picked up this California, what most guitarists would consider as a cheap Strat knockoff, and has made it worthy of his blues-infused fingers. Starting with a typical hot-rod inspired hot pink paint job, Gibbons has designed a unique pinstriping pattern that really makes that humble instrument much more striking. He then proceeded to complete the makeover by choosing a green pearloid pickguard that perfectly complements the pink of the body, plus blue, green and pink control knobs. The three pickups are DiMarzios: the DP403 Virtual Vintage Heavy Blues 2 at the bridge, the DP414 Virtual Vintage Solo Pro in the middle and the DP404 Virtual Vintage Solo at the neck, a model that is no longer made and is starting to gather some attention from collectors. A simple Strat turned into a screaming blues machine with hot rod looks to match, only Gibbons could pull that off.
Like all the guitars from the Billy Gibbons collection sold by Matt’s Guitar Shop and bought straight from the man himself, this hot California has been signed by the Reverend at the back of the headstock and it comes with a signed certificate of authenticity, a picture of Billy holding the guitar, a picture of Billy signing the guitar and a picture of Billy signing the certificate. This is your way of knowing you’re buying the real deal.
Matts Guitar Shop, France 
In a milieu where desirable objects are generally locked away in a safe or behind glass, Matthieu Lucas’ collection is a refreshing exception to the rule.
He represents a new generation of guitar lovers, for whom music comes first and the sound is more important than the serial number. Like any fine collection, Matthieu Lucas’ one has a speciality: he tracks down instruments that have belonged to artists, from Jeff Buckley’s Telecaster to Tal Farlow’s Gibson, not to mention Spot - one of the few sunbursts to be found in France and which belonged to a certain Joe Bonamassa.
Through perseverance, Matthieu managed to open doors that are generally kept well shut and gained access to instruments that were not even supposed to be sold. And true to the principle that the love of music comes first, Matthieu is not the type to prevent a guitarist from enjoying his or her prized jewels.
Out of that desire to share, he finally created the Matt’s Guitar Shop showroom, a special place for selling and trading that gives Paris back its reputation for excellence in the area of beautiful guitars. Inspired and inspiring instruments, which continue to bring beautiful notes to the ears of music lovers.
