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This was probably the biggest “hole” left to fill on the website. There are still a couple of iconic guitars to cover… they will come, have faith!

Despite being the most famous of all Noel Gallagher’s guitars, surprisingly little information has emerged about ES-355 #1. Everyone knows it’s a 1960 model, that he got it in 1996 or 1997, and that it’s been his favourite guitar ever since. That’s about it.

Over the last month or so, I decided it was finally time to put everything together: years’ worth of notes, books, video bootlegs, printed articles from 15 or 30 years ago, and plenty more. I’ve always had a bit of an obsession with 355s!

The result is a very detailed (but hopefully very enjoyable) reconstruction of the guitar’s history and peculiarities. The 58 footnotes (!) are perhaps the best testimony to the almost pathological level of research that went into creating this page.

As usual, if you have any hints, suggestions or corrections, please get in touch via email or in the comments section. The website was born and continues to grow thanks in no small part to the many fans who have shared whatever they knew.

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NEW PAGE: Gibson ES-355 TDSV (Cherry Red with Bigsby, #1)

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UPDATED PAGES: sticking with the 355 theme, the pages for ES-355 #2 and the NG signature ES-355 have also been updated.

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One less enjoyable part of putting all this together is knowing that some of this research will probably end up elsewhere without proper credit. It’s part of the game, I guess. I’m not trying to sound hostile or bitter, but it is a little sad to see people (and companies!) making money from work that has been made available for free, from one fan to fellow fans. Bootleggers do know a thing or two about that, don’t they?

Anyway, I’ll keep sharing everything I’ve researched and reconstructed. I’ve never been one for keeping interesting stuff to myself when part of the fun is sharing it with other fans. And completely free of charge, by the way: this website is not monetized and never will be (no ads, no sponsored content, nothing).

That’s the spirit I’ve always associated with the Oasis community, which I’ve been part of for more than two decades. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

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The Fender Jaguar isn’t a guitar you’d normally associate with Noel Gallagher. During the Who Built the Moon? era, he was much more of a Jazzmaster guy. Jaguars? Definitely not. That’s more of a Johnny Marr kind of guitar.

Even so, two Jaguars are among the most mysterious guitars Noel has owned. One was his main guitar at some of the earliest Oasis gigs in 1992, the other appeared at the Be Here Now artwork photoshoot in 1997, only to disappear without a trace afterwards. For years, some believed they were the same instrument, but thanks to a few recent events, it’s now possible to reconstruct the history of both guitars. A third Jaguar, an uncommon Crafted in Japan variant, was spotted on a couple of occasions during the 2000s.

By the way, the lovely Jaguar Mk.II Convertible pictured above (Noel bought it in 1997 but never drove it – even though it appeared in the Flying on the Ground video more than two decades later) was sold last year by a classic car specialist in Hampshire.

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NEW PAGES:

Fender Jaguar (Blue):
This is the Jaguar that Noel played for a short time in 1992. It’s actually a bit of a Frankenstein, assembled from a mix of vintage and 1970s parts. This page dives into all the geeky details, thanks in no small part to reader Rob and his sharp eye for obscure Japanese guitar hardware.

Fender Jaguar (Sonic Blue):
A genuine vintage model, seen only during the Be Here Now album photoshoot in 1997 and never again. A story has emerged that could explain its disappearance, even if the timeline doesn’t quite add up.

Fender Jaguar HH (Sunburst):
An unconventional Japanese variant featuring two humbucker pickups and a fixed stop-tail. It was spotted at Wheeler End studios during the 2000s and made a single known live appearance when Noel played it on New Year’s Day 2008.

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UPDATED PAGES:

Speaking of Jaguars, the page for the orange Johnny Marr Jaguar featured in the This Is The Place video has also been updated.

Other minor updates: Les Paul with P-90s, Cherry Sunburst LPs, 1978 Les Paul Custom, Jetglo Rickenbacker 330, Nash S-63.

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2025 has been an incredible year for oasis fans: easily the best we’ve had in the past two decades.

You may have noticed things have been a little quiet here recently. Apologies for the lack of updates on the website: work got in the way more than expected, and a few guitar-related projects kept me busy as well. You might enjoy what’s coming, though…

That said, the research about Noel’s gear behind the scenes has never stopped: a new round of updates is definitely coming soon in the New Year!

Thanks for reading and for sticking around. I hope you have a relaxing festive season and a great start to the year ahead.

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It looks like Gibson and Epiphone may be preparing to release some Oasis-related or Oasis-inspired guitars in the coming months. Clues have been floating around for a while, especially after some interesting instruments were spotted at the fan-exclusive exhibition held at the gig venues.

These won’t be ultra-limited, ultra-expensive models like the recent Gibson Garage Les Paul with P-90s: they’re more likely to be regular production models, similar to the Noel Gallagher Riviera released in 2022 and still available today.

Keep reading for hints and speculation… though the photos above might already give you a pretty good idea of what’s on the way.

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This update follows the previous one dedicated to Standing on the Shoulder of Giants – arguably the band’s most underrated era. The period between 1998 and 1999 remains poorly documented, so I’ve dug deep into 25-year-old news archives and fansites (thanks to the Wayback Machine) to piece together a detailed chronology of the Giants sessions and how they unfolded.

Alongside a few brand-new pages, many existing guitar backstories have been expanded with fresh details.

Below, you’ll also find what I believe is a fairly accurate recap of the key events between the final gig of the Be Here Now tour in March 1998 and the release of Standing on the Shoulder of Giants in February 2000.

For archival purposes, I’ve also included a collection of original news articles from late 1998 to late 1999: it’s fun to look back and read stuff from that era in hindsight.

Keep reading…