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While we wait for the official announcement of the regular-production version of Noel’s Les Paul with P-90s, let’s take a moment to understand what makes these pickups so special, and why guitarists still rave about this decades-old design nearly eighty years later.

I’ll admit, I’ve always been more of a humbucker person. But few things sound as glorious as a P-90 in the bridge position of a Les Paul running straight into a crunchy amp. That’s pure rock ’n’ roll!

And for the record, the one pictured above is my own replica of Noel’s recent Les Paul. More on that after the break!

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Here’s another one of those geeky deep-dives into guitar pickups. A few months back, I wrote an in-depth piece on the bridge humbucker in the ex-Johnny Marr Gibson Les Paul “conversion”. Now it’s time to look at the magnetic heart of the other legendary Les Paul – the black Custom from 1978.

For decades, this has been a mystery. Over the years, I wondered whether the pickups were uncovered Gibsons, Seymour Duncans, or DiMarzios, but no clear answer ever emerged…

Keep reading after the break!

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This article serves as a companion piece (or appendix) to the one analyzing Noel’s 2025 pedalboard.

A couple of weeks ago, a reader (thanks Jaiden!) sent me a photo of Noel’s rack unit. For those unfamiliar with this kind of stuff, a rack unit is essentially a portable road case that holds multiple pieces of gear (like power conditioners, signal splitters, preamps, and effects). Basically, it’s a sort of middle link between the pedalboard and the mixing desk.

It took a bit of work, but here you’ll find a detailed analysis of what each component is and what it does. Probably not quite as thrilling as the pedalboard itself, but still a very interesting read for the gear geeks out there.

Keep reading for the full breakdown of Noel’s Oasis Live ’25 rack!

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Following the deep dive into Noel Gallagher’s pedalboard, it’s now time to take a look at what Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs is using for the Oasis Live ’25 shows.

As expected, his setup is fairly minimal: Bonehead’s wall of sound doesn’t rely on an array of effects, but there are still a few interesting selections worth highlighting.

Keep reading for the full breakdown.

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After much speculation – sparked last year by a live clip from Noel’s studio shared by Goldie, which showed an early version of the pedalboard – we finally have a clear shot, this time from The Chief himself via his official social media. The familiar staples are present, and a few Oasis-era relics have made a surprise return.

Keep reading for the full breakdown.

LAST UPDATE: 12 August 2025

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Last night was a triumph – one that went well beyond most of our expectations. But after spending my evening (and much of the morning) over blurry YouTube footage, it’s time for a proper deep dive into the guitars that saw some action in Cardiff.

This post will break down the instruments used by Noel, Gem, and Bonehead during the show. There were some expected choices, but also a few surprises – and some detective work went into figuring out Bonehead’s new additions for the tour.

Keep reading after the break… if you’re not afraid of spoilers!

LAST UPDATE: 12 September 2025

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With just a couple of days to go, the official merch store has opened in Cardiff: among the items on sale is an old-school tour programme, designed by none other than Brian Cannon of Microdot, the iconic designer behind so much of the Oasis golden era.

A few photos of it have already surfaced online. Inside, you’ll find archival shots by Jill Furmanovsky and new photos taken by Brian himself. And right there on pages 2 and 3? A vintage pic of Noel… plus a list and photo of the gear he’s bringing on tour. And yes… there’s a new guitar in there that no one saw coming.

If you’re avoiding spoilers until the gig, fair enough – just stop reading now. But if you’re curious, keep reading after the break to check out Noel’s touring setup!

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With just a month to go before the first reunion gig, it’s hard not to start wondering what guitars (and gear) Noel will bring along for the ride.

Some picks are all but guaranteed, others are wishful thinking – and a few are deep cuts we’d love to see dusted off, even if the chances are slim. Noel’s not exactly known for wallowing in nostalgia… but hey, maybe a few rare gems will find their way back on stage.

Keep reading for some light-hearted, gear-nerd guesswork…

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This post came about after a little epiphany I had last week. I decided to dust off a guitar I hadn’t played in years – probably not since before the 2020 lockdown. Thanks to my relentless gear acquisition syndrome, it had been pretty neglected. Nothing major, but it desperately needed new strings, some fretboard conditioning, fret polishing, and, of course, a solid setup.

Once I sorted all that out, I plugged it into the amp, dialed in a crunchy, very Brit-sounding tone, and started strumming some chords. And… holy smokes! My subpar playing had never sounded closer to Definitely Maybe. How is that?

Only then did I realize something that should have been obvious – the guitar I was holding was equipped with a Dirty Fingers humbucker, famously (or infamously) known as Gibson’s highest-output pickup. And guess what pickup Noel Gallagher had in the Gibson Les Paul “conversion” that Johnny Marr gave him? Yep, a rather obscure variation of a Dirty Fingers.

Keep reading after the break for the usual geekiness…

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Everyone knows the story of the two Les Pauls that Johnny Marr gave to Noel Gallagher – the 1953 Sunburst conversion and the 1978 Black Custom (both extensively detailed in their dedicated pages). But there’s another Les Paul, arguably Johnny’s most played guitar (!), that also made its way into a few of Noel’s recordings.

The guitar in question is a 1984 Les Paul Standard in Cherry Red, fitted with a Bigsby B-5 vibrato and Seymour Duncan pickups. Over the last two decades, it has developed a cult following and earned the nickname “Meat Is Murder Les Paul“. Now, it’s been faithfully replicated in a limited run of just 20 pieces, available exclusively through the Gibson Garage in London.

Keep reading for a VERY detailed, in-depth look at this legendary instrument, which has shaped so many iconic tracks from Johnny Marr’s career with The Smiths and beyond…