Noel Gallagher says the secret to Oasis' signature sound was 'awful' equipment

They couldn't afford anything better

Oasis in 1994
Author: Scott ColothanPublished 19th Sep 2023
Last updated 19th Sep 2023

Noel Gallagher says that Oasis’ signature sound inadvertently came from the fact they couldn’t afford better equipment.

While many established artists purposely regress to achieve a raw DIY sound, Noel Gallagher says Oasis’ sound on 'Definitely Maybe' wasn’t a stylistic choice – they simply didn't have enough money to buy good quality gear.

Reflecting upon timeless classics like ‘Rock N’ Roll Star’, ‘Live Forever’, ‘Supersonic’ and ‘Slide Away’, Noel told Gibson: “The sound that everyone goes on about – the sound was born out of the fact that it was the only sound we could get out of the equipment that we had.

“Bone (Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs, Oasis guitarist) had one amp; it was a Carlsbro. If Carlsbro made amps, they’d be s---. And it was. It only had one sound, and that was, it was good when you turned it up full.

“I had a Vox AC 30 (guitar amplifier) that belonged to Mani (Stone Roses bassist Gary Mounfield) and that only sounded good if you turned it right up. So that was it.”

Noel continued: “Everyone went on about the f---ing sound and it was like, well, that’s that was it. You know, it was born out of the fact that the equipment we have was s---.

“The Vox we had was going through a PA speaker. It was awful, but you masked it all with volume. I guess that made me write Liam’s vocal parts in a higher register to sing over the racket.

“The sound was born, but it wasn’t something we studied at all. And if anything, we struggled trying to keep it once we became bigger, and had better equipment.”

Noel Gallagher conducted his interview with Gibson to celebrate the recent recreation of his beloved 1960 Gibson ES-355 guitar and the Epiphone Riviera he used during the mid-nineties.

“What a Guitar!” says Noel of the 1960 Gibson ES-355. “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!”

Noel Gallagher live in Bournemouth

On 31st July, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds played a one-off show for Absolute Radio at O2 Academy Bournemouth.

You can listen back to the show throughout September, featuring all 19 songs from Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds set, right here:

There are also five songs from the gig - 'Council Skies', 'Open The Door, See What You Find', 'We're On Our Way Now', 'The Importance of Being Idle' and 'Little By Little' - that can be watched on Absolute Radio's YouTube channel right here:

The real names of famous musicians including Liam Gallagher:

Mark Berry (Bez)


John Martin Maher (Johnny Marr)


Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (Lana Del Rey)


William Bruce Rose (Axl Rose)


Gerard Crosbie (Gerry Cinnamon)


Edward Louis Severson III (Eddie Vedder)


Farrokh Bulsara (Freddie Mercury)


Michael Peter Balzary (Flea)


Perry Bernstein (Perry Farrell)


Robert Deal (Mick Mars)


Frank Ferrano (Nikki Sixx)


Frank Edwin Wright III (Tré Cool)


Courtney Michelle Harrison (Courtney Love)


Georg Albert Ruthenberg (Pat Smear)


Chaim Klein Witz (Gene Simmons)


James Newell Osterberg, JR. (Iggy Pop)


Vincent Damon Furnier (Alice Cooper)


Saul Hudson (Slash)


Michael Ryan Pritchard (Mike Dirnt)


Ronald James Padavona (Ronnie James Dio)


Bree Joanna Alice Robinson (Brody Dalle)


Chad Robert Turton (Chad Kroeger)


Deborah Anne Dyer (Skin)


Nicholas Jones (Nicky Wire)


Amy Lynn Hartzler (Amy Lee)


William Perks (Bill Wyman)


Jeffrey Isbell (Izzy Stradlin)


Stanley Eisen (Paul Stanley)


Henry Garfield (Henry Rollins)


Richard Harrison (Rick Parfitt)


Vincent Neil Wharton (Vince Neil)


Stevland Hardaway Morris (Stevie Wonder)


Michael McKagan (Duff McKagan)


Ian Kilmister (Lemmy)


John Baldwin (John Paul Jones)


Joan Larkin (Joan Jett)


Keith Palmer (Maxim Reality)


Eric Patrick Clapp (Eric Clapton)


Susan Janet Ballion (Siouxsie Sioux)


David Robert Hayward Stenton Jones (David Bowie)


Richard Wayne Penniman (Little Richard)


John Simon Ritchie (Sid Vicious)


Paul Daniel Frehley (Ace Frehley)


Louis Firbank (Lou Reed)


John Graham Mellor (Joe Strummer)


Mark Feld (Marc Bolan)


David Howell Evans (The Edge)


Marvin Lee Aday (Meatloaf)


Steven Victor Tallarico (Steven Tyler)


John Michael Osbourne (Ozzy Osbourne)


John Francis Bongiovi (Jon Bon Jovi)


John Anthony Gillis (Jack White)


Paul David Hewson (Bono)


Reginald Kenneth Dwight (Elton John)


Gordon Sumner (Sting)


Robert Allen Zimmerman (Bob Dylan)


Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (Lorde)


Gary Mounfield (Mani)


Alan John Wren (Reni)


Quentin Leo Cook (Fatboy Slim)


Jake Edwin Charles Kennedy (Jake Bugg)


Roger Keith Barrett (Syd Barrett)


George Ezra Barnett Smitherson (George Ezra)


William John Paul Gallagher (Liam Gallagher)


Rory Charles Graham (Rag'n'bone Man)


Stephanie Lynn Nicks (Stevie Nicks)


William Michael Albert Broad (Billy Idol)


Steven Patrick Morrissey (Morrissey)


Leslie Sebastian Charles (Billy Ocean)


Paul Arthurs (Bonehead)


Graham McPherson (Suggs)


Stuart Leslie Goddard (Adam Ant)


Andrew John Hozier-Byrne (Hozier)


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