“I’ve had so many people reach out wanting to know what it is and if we can build one for them”: What’s the story behind Noel Gallagher’s new Murphy Lab Les Paul? Gibson finally reveals all
Now Oasis’ hotly anticipated reunion is well underway, the details behind Noel Gallagher’s mystery Les Paul have finally been revealed.
Many gear oglers have been drooling at Noel’s high-end pedalboard, which was revealed via an Instagram post last month, whilst simultaneously scratching their heads as to what the story (ahem, morning glory) was behind the mystery Gibson Les Paul that has been a star performer during the band’s return.
After plenty of speculative guesses, Gibson EMEA’s Head of Commercial, Marketing & Cultural Influence, Lee Bartram, has now revealed all about the electric guitar, which has been in development for “at least 18 months.”
“It came from a conversation around creating a Les Paul that would accommodate P-90s at high volumes, without compromising on the sound and tone of the pickup,” he tells Gibson Gazette.
“At the time of initial designs, I had no idea what the guitar was intended to be used for. But, as development continued, it was important to create a guitar that would give different sonic layers to a lineup of three guitarists [with Gallagher augmented by Gem Archer, and Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs] playing to stadium-level attendances.
“The guitar needed to be loud and capture the vibe of those earlier shows, without compromising the output and tone of the pickups.”
Based on a 1960 Les Paul Standard (pickups aside) with a maple top on a mahogany body, it features a SlimTaper neck profile and Grover tuners. And yes, as many suggested, its ebony finish has been gone through a light aging process in Gibson’s Murphy Lab.
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“The pickups are Gibson Custom P-90s as stock, with no additional wiring,” Bartram adds. “Noel has a great understanding of what he wants from a pickup. He knows that Gibson invented the P-90, and we didn’t want to mess with a winning formula.
“Having aged nickel covers on the pickups is relatively unique, however, and something the Gibson Custom Shop spent a lot of time getting right. The results look great, and the pickups sound amazing at volume.
“Not knowing originally where that guitar was going to end up, it’s been quite emotional to see it being used during the biggest reunion tour ever,” he adds. The band played to 300,000 people across their five Manchester shows alone.
“I think it’s safe to say it has become the talk of the town every time it is used – I’ve had so many people reach out wanting to know what it is and if we can build one for them.”
Gallagher’s Definitely Maybe Les Paul Standard smashed its estimate when it sold at auction in September. More recently, one of the band’s engineers has explained how he ended up with the Wonderwall acoustic in the wake of a Gallagher brother bust-up.
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