There’s been a host of big-name players auctioning off huge swathes of their guitar collections in recent years, but Noel Gallagher says he struggles to let go of his guitars. That makes the time he gifted one to an Oasis tribute band all the more special.
From Mark Knopfler and Jeff Beck to Gallagher’s good friend Johnny Marr, hundreds of guitars with great provenance have hit the auction block and fetched high prices recently.
But don’t expect Gallagher to follow suit, as he reveals on his recent appearance on Chicken Shop Date with comedian and host Amelia Dimoldenberg. That’s not to say he hasn’t parted ways with a few guitars in the past, though.
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“I’m a hoarder,” he admits. “[But] I’ve given a few away. I once gave a guitar to a guy who played me in a tribute band [called Noasis. We went to see them [and it was] sold out! I brought [a guitar] down and gave it to the lad.”
It’s a touching story, but there’s actually a little bit of backstory to it.
“We met Noel once,” a member of the band revealed on Radio X in 2022. “It was 2008 and [someone we know] had done some work on Noel’s house and told us where he lived.
“So when we were [playing] down in London, we went and knocked on his door like school girls. His wife answered, and we told her who we were. She said, ‘Oh, I know you! I’ll go get him.’”
Noel Gallagher appeared at the door, and was cordially invited to the show. His response? “No. I’m not interested.”
Perhaps then, the guitar was gifted as a way of admonishing guilt, or at least extended an olive branch to his riff-touting counterpart after the initial snub.
Gallagher played a big role in the auction of Johnny Marr’s gear recently, and in doing so, revealed the handy buying advice he learned from the Smiths guitarist that he still swears by today.
Gallagher has also revealed his hatred for playing lead guitar, but says he was forced to do it so he could join the band.
