Gibson ES-355 (NG Signature Edition)

Photo: Gibson
Model: Gibson Noel Gallagher 1960 ES-355
Color: '60s Cherry
Year: 2022

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 Please do NOT publish this content elsewhere.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.
I appreciate your respect for the years of dedicated, freely available research! Thanks.

Used in...

- 2022-2023

- exact replica of Noel's Gibson ES-355 no.1

- it replaced Noel's original ES-355 no.1 during live performances, most of the time

- featured in the artwork for the Council Skies album
Details

An official Gibson Custom Shop replica of Noel's favourite guitar - ES-355 no.1 - had been rumored for quite a while. During the summer 2022 live dates it was unofficially confirmed when Noel was seen playing a red 355 that on closer inspection it was revealed to be an almost identical, newly built replica.

It probably was a pre-production example of the limited run which was officially launched on 30 August 2022: 200 pieces globally at a price of $10k.1
Needless to say, it was almost sold out before reaching the shops and scalpers immediately tried to make a profit by advertising it at even higher prices.

From the Gibson press release:

"This is THE guitar associated with Noel Gallagher since the late 1990s – we have taken our time over the details, we have worked closely with the artist and we have produced a truly remarkable recreation of the original [...]. This project has been a labour of love for over 10 years."2

Below are a few of the official Gibson pictures:3 
Noel received a definitive pre-production example of the guitar in early 2022, and it was immediately played in the studio during the recording of the album Council Skies.

In the making-of filmed by Anais Gallagher, Noel can be seen playing the Signature 355 when recording guitar parts for tracks I'm Not Giving Up Tonight, Pretty Boy and Council Skies.
Noel has stated that the replica is so good that he actually brings it on tour instead of the priceless original:4

"Fuck me, what a guitar! I've actually sent my main one back to storage, something I haven't done since the day I bought it... that’s how good it is!"

He played the replica throughout the 2022 and the USA 2023 tours; the original no.1 reappeared again at some UK dates in late Summer 2023.
A Signature ES-355 features on the front & back cover art for the album Council Skies. The photos were taken by Kevin Cummins in the exact location that used to be the centre circle of the demolished Maine Road stadium - now the middle of a modern housing estate.5
There is a very easy way to distinguish the replica from the original at first sight.
Just look at the Bigsby Vibrato:

- in the original no.1, the tremolo arm is held by a bolt with a Phillips/cross head

- in the signature version, the bolt holding the arm is flat without indentations

DISCLAIMER
This is a fansite. It is not affiliated with Noel Gallagher, his management or his record label.
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.
I appreciate your respect for the years of dedicated, freely available research!
Visit the “Info & About” page for contact details and more.

go back to the main guitars
GO BACK TO THE COMPLETE lIST
  1. https://www.nme.com/news/music/noel-gallagher-reveals-details-new-custom-gibson-guitars-3300779 ↩︎
  2. https://guitar.com/news/gear-news/gibson-launches-extremely-limited-murphy-lab-aged-noel-gallagher-es-335/ ↩︎
  3. Taken by the always fabulous Sharon Latham, I believe. ↩︎
  4. https://www.guitarworld.com/news/gibson-epiphone-noel-gallagher-signature-guitars ↩︎
  5. https://www.mancity.com/news/mens/noel-gallagher-on-new-single-and-how-maine-road-played-a-part-63821229 ↩︎

Leave a comment