Noel Gallagher says the secret to Oasis' signature sound was 'awful' equipment
They couldn't afford anything better
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!”
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: