Noel Gallagher’s favourite electric guitar: “That guitar is priceless”
While guitar heroes come in many forms, one thing unites them: their preferred weapon of choice. Although many experiment with different manufacturers and models as they refine their sound, there’s usually one guitar they cherish above all others—even if it spends most of its time unused on the rack. This is a reality well-known to Oasis mastermind Noel Gallagher.
Like many guitarists, Noel Gallagher has played several iconic models throughout his career. Recently, he has gravitated towards various Jazzmaster models, whose offset design perfectly complements the atmospheric alt-rock and post-punk direction he explored on the High Flying Birds’ latest album, Council Skies. This record is arguably his finest work since his days with Oasis, showcasing a refined evolution of his sound.
A crucial element of becoming a guitar icon is developing a signature sound, something the Mancunian has certainly mastered. Known for his pure songwriting approach, the powerful resonance he created with stirring open chords, a Marshall amp, and a few effects pedals became the foundation for Oasis. In the early days, much of this was accomplished on his most legendary guitar—a sunburst Les Paul gifted to him by his friend Johnny Marr, who had written ‘Panic’ on it during his time with The Smiths. Marr, in turn, had received the guitar from Pete Townshend of The Who, adding even more legacy to its history.
This was the hallowed Frankenstein axe, which The Who guitarist had destroyed and put back together with newer parts on numerous occasions. On it, Gallagher penned two of his most culturally important compositions, ‘Cigarettes and Alcohol’ and ‘Slide Away’.
Over the years, Gallagher has also made the Epiphone Sheraton famous with the Union Jack painted on the front, which the company later replicated as the ‘Supernova’ model. He’s also utilised a 1960s Fender Telecaster that Johnny Depp gifted for his 30th birthday, an Epiphone Casino and an Epiphone Riviera. Acoustically, he’s regularly drawn upon the echo of the blonde Gibson J-150.
However, according to the Britpop legend, there is another guitar that he dubs “my favourite electric guitar”. He might now be playing a collection of Jazzmasters from both Fender and American luthier Bill Nash—with him swearing by the latter’s instruments —but there is still a particular model that holds a special place in his heart.
Gallagher explained all when speaking to Guitar Magazine in 2019. Believe it or not, the Mancunian revealed that he prefers guitars with simpler designs and configurations. Given his penchant for the gritty humbuckers of Gibsons and Epiphones, he’s also never been a fan of Fender Stratocasters and their famously clean tone, and once felt the same about Jazzmasters until he tried one.
“My favourite electric guitar I bought in the 90s,” Gallagher asserted. “It’s the 1960 Gibson 355 that I played in Oasis. I don’t play it so much nowadays because the music I’m writing is different and I’m looking for a different sound. But if push came to shove, that guitar is priceless for the amount of tunes that I wrote on it.”
Given that Noel Gallagher conceived such an extensive array of Oasis material on the ES, there’s no wonder he cherishes it so greatly. While you might argue that it coincided with the band’s output dropping in quality, there is no doubt that his fingers worked magic on its fretboard, with it synonymous with the likes of ‘Fuckin’ in the Bushes’ and ‘The Hindu Times’.
