Johnny Marr’s 1953 Gibson Les Paul (1960 Conversion)

According to Marr, this Les Paul used to belong to Pete Townshend, who got it through Joe Walsh (The Eagles). As a fun history fact, Walsh also gifted Pete his Gretsch 6120 which he used on Who’s Next?, and he also supplied Jimmy Page with his legendary #1 Les Paul, which ended up being his main guitar with the Led Zeppelin.

Marr used the guitar during The Smiths’ 1986 tour, though, unfortunately, there isn’t enough video or photo material to determine how extensively he played it. He also used it in the studio on the songs “Panic,” “London,” “Ask,” and “Half a Person.”

Guitar With Noel

Sometime in the ’90s, Marr gave the guitar to Noel Gallagher, who went on to use it on almost the entirety of Oasis first album, Definetely Maybe.

As the story goes, Marr went to watch Oasis play before they were famous, and after the gig, Noel asked if he had any advice for him. Marr replied that the music was great but suggested that Noel should get another guitar. Noel explained that he simply didn’t have the money to buy one, so Marr decided to lend him a guitar.

I thought what guitar I could give him – I can’t give him one that’s too sort of dodgy or cheap. I’ve gotta give him a decent one. I had a sunburst 1960 Gibson Les Paul worth a fortune, and I got it from Pete Townshend.

Johnny Marr On Noel Gallagher

Even though the guitar was only borrowed, Marr never asked for it back, as it was clear Noel really liked it.

However, not long after, Oasis played a gig at Newcastle’s Riverside venue, where a member of the audience climbed on stage and apparently rushed at Noel. To defend himself, Noel picked up his guitar and used it to fend off the person, damaging the guitar to the point where it couldn’t be used for the rest of the tour.

So, once again, Noel turned to Marr for help, and Marr lent him another Les Paul—this time, his black 1972 Gibson Les Paul Custom, which he had previously used on The Queen is Dead.

Also, the Les Paul was fixed at some point, as Marr has said that Noel still has the guitar.

Noel still has the Les Paul. It was a 1960 sunburst that was given to Pete Townshend by Joe Walsh. The machine heads were replaced before I got it. I used it on “Panic” by The Smiths, as well as “London,” “Ask,” and “Half a Person.”

Johnny Marr

Noel shared his side of the story in an interview on That Pedal Show on YouTube, where he mentioned that Marr had actually sent several guitars to the studio where Oasis was recording Definitely Maybe. Among these guitars were a Rickenbacker 330 and, of course, this Les Paul. While the other guitars were returned after the session, the Les Paul remained with Noel.

Noel also mentioned that he took the Les Paul to a luthier shop in New York to get it repaired. There, he discovered that the guitar’s neck was not original (you can read more about this on Noel Gallagher’s gear page).