Gibson ES-355 TDSV (with Bigsby – no.2)

Model: Gibson ES-355 TDSV
Color: Cherry Red
Year: 1960 (serial: A34884)

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Used in...

- late '90s - 2009

- used as a spare of the main ES-355 during the last Oasis tours

- featured in some mimed TV performances

- sometimes played by Gem Archer between 2006 and 2009

- smashed by Liam Gallagher in Paris (August 2009) and subsequently repaired
Details

Yes, it's that one. "The guitar that broke up Oasis".

In the late '90s Noel bought it in a shop in the Paris borough of La Pigalle. By coincidence, it has a consecutive serial number to Noel's no.1 ES-355.

"I'm in a guitar shop, there's one of these hung up. So, I ended up buying this guitar. [...] My guitar tech at the time, for insurance purposes, had taken down the serial numbers. And he recognized that the one I'd just bought was the next one along to this [Noel's ES-355 no.1]. They were made on the same day by two different fellas at Gibson - and they couldn't have been any more different!"1

Noel described his no.1 ES-355 as "it's like one of my children", but he never bonded with the no.2:

"It was fu**ing awful. It was dreadful. The Bigsby was shite, the neck was shit, the tuners were horrible. [...] I couldn't get a tune out of it at all."2

This probably explains why it was very rarely seen out in the wild.

ES-355 no.2 can be easily identified because it has a "long" pickguard, as opposed to no.1's "short" pickguard. The two guitars may have been built during the transition time when both kinds of pickguards (long and short) were available to builders and were picked at random. Both of them were most likely built in October 1960.3

Also, #2 has a non-original plain black truss rod cover: an ES-355 TDSV should have one engraved with STEREO.

For more geeky details and a quick history lesson about vintage 355s, check out the page of ES-355 #1.
In 2002 it was played by Noel during a mimed TV performance of Stop Crying Your Heart Out4: it can be assumed that the band's main equipment was at a venue and they've mimed the song with backup gear.5 Check out the video in the footnotes: Noel's moves are hilarious.

One of the rare live outings of ES-355 no.2 happened on 2 November 2006, during an acoustic performance at the Koko Club in Camden, London: Noel played it for two songs, with Paul Weller on acoustic guitar.6 Gem Archer also played it for a few songs during the 2006-2007 acoustic tour.

It was used as a spare of Noel's no.1 in the last Oasis tours, and Gem used it again for Don't Look Back in Anger at some gigs of the Dig Out Your Soul tour.

On March 2009 it was played again by Noel on Top of the Pops: the band performed (mimed!) Falling Down. The pickguard was covered by a white sticker with the writing "BOO YOU KAPRANOS!" on it.7 Weird.

Later in 2009, for some unknown reasons, it featured mismatched knobs: two of the original reflectors for the bridge pickup control, and two amber bell knobs for the neck pickup.
On 29 August 2009, before the band's performance at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris, the guitar was damaged in the infamous argument between Noel and Liam:

"The final straw was he kind of "slung a guitar around the dressing room."8

The neck was completely snapped at the body joint and the body showed a few dents. And that was the end of Oasis.

In the early 2010s the guitar, still in Noel's possession, was restored by renowned luthier Philippe Dubreuille.9

At a later time (perhaps in 2018), it became part of the personal collection of Didier Duval.10

The guitar was sold - on behalf of Mr. Duval - on 17 May 2022 at an auction in Paris11 (ha!) for €385k.12

In October 2025 the guitar was auctioned again: this time, it sold for approximately €340k.13
Gem playing ES-355 no.2 at Wembley in 2008

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For informational and non-commercial use only. Please do NOT publish this content elsewhere.
If you share or use this information, please provide proper credit and link to the website.
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Visit the “Info & About” page for contact details and more.
Thanks!

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  1. That Pedal Show, 2023 ↩︎
  2. That Pedal Show, 2023 ↩︎
  3. The accurate dating provided here is derived from the specific features of the guitar and from the dating charts provided in Duchossoir’s Gibson Electrics: The Classic Years. For more details and info about 1960 355s, check out the page of 355 #1. ↩︎
  4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1Yi4tdlGBM ↩︎
  5. Thanks to ccd204p for the heads-up! ↩︎
  6. Thanks again to ccd204p! ↩︎
  7. https://oasis-live.net/shows/2009/2009-03-13a ↩︎
  8. https://www.musicradar.com/news/noel-gallagher-signature-gibson-es355-guitar ↩︎
  9. https://www.mylespaul.com/threads/noel-gallaghers-smashed-es-355.390660 ↩︎
  10. https://www.millesimeguitars.com/shop/sold/es355-1960-oasis-noel-gallagher-gibson ↩︎
  11. https://artpeges.com/sale/les-355-de-noel-gallagher/ ↩︎
  12. https://www.guitarworld.com/news/noel-gallagher-oasis-gibson-es-355-auction ↩︎
  13. https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/electric-guitars/oasis-1960-es-355-sells-at-auction ↩︎

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