Exclusive: Full details of the black Gibson Les Paul Standard seen and heard at Oasis reunion shows
It was the moment every Oasis fan had been waiting for since the biggest reunion tour in British music history was announced last summer. July 4th saw Oasis take to the stage at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff for their first appearance on stage together since 2009, blowing away the cobwebs in emphatic fashion with a hit-packed set.
The Live ’25 tour continued in Manchester and now London, generating rave reviews from music fans and media alike. Thanks in no small part to the three-guitar wall of sound architected by Noel Gallagher, Gem Archer, and Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs, Oasis are on fire and sounding bigger than ever. But eagle-eyed guitarists in the audience have been quick to notice that one of Noel Gallagher’s main instruments for the reunion shows is a mysterious black Gibson Les Paul™ with P-90 pickups, which appears to be new to his collection.
Online speculation has been rife, so we spoke to Lee Bartram, the Head of Commercial, Marketing & Cultural Influence at Gibson EMEA, to bust a few myths and get the inside scoop on the design process behind Noel Gallagher’s new Les Paul.
Gibson and Epiphone have worked with Noel on several instruments over the years. What’s the story behind the black Les Paul, and did Noel always have it in mind for the reunion shows?
“We have been working on this guitar for at least 18 months. It really came from a conversation around creating a Les Paul that would accommodate P-90s (which Noel was playing a lot with NGHFB at the time, favoring Epiphone USA Casinos) at high volumes, without compromising on the sound and tone of the pickup.
“Aesthetically, Noel had an idea of what he wanted it to look like, and we tried out a few hardware, finish, and color options before landing where we did. Obviously, 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 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.”
Image: Noel Gallagher on stage with Oasis in Cardiff (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
What are the main specifications?
“The guitar is based on a 1960 Les Paul Standard, but with the humbuckers swapped out for P-90s, so it’s a great hybrid model. The SlimTaper™ neck profile is as per the artist’s preference, as are the Grover® tuners, which are present on all the Gibson models Noel plays. It’s got a maple top on a mahogany body, with the Ebony finish being Light Aged through the Murphy Lab in Nashville. Everything we build for Noel starts out as Light Aging, and he will then decide after playing it if he wants to add more aging or keep it as it is, knowing it’s more straightforward to increase the aging levels than decrease them. In this case, he wanted more on the body, neck, and back, which looks great on stage.”
Are the pickups and wiring stock? Or is there anything extra going on under the hood?
“The pickups are Gibson Custom P-90s as stock. Noel wanted to capture a very traditional P-90 sound with these, so there is no additional wiring. Noel has a great understanding of what he wants from a pickup and gives relevant feedback—excuse the pun! 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… mission accomplished!”
Presumably, it’s been a buzz to be involved in this project?
“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. We’ve received amazing feedback on the guitar, and 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.
“It’s great to see that people are just as passionate about guitar as ever before. For this guitar to be part of such a monumental musical event is a thrill, and knowing it was designed specifically for it makes it even better. The first time people saw the band together in 16 years was with a guitar that Gibson designed and built directly with the artist. That’s pretty cool.”
Visit the official Oasis website for Live ’25 ticket updates, shop the Epiphone Noel Gallagher Riviera, and watch the Noel Gallagher “Icons” episode on Gibson TV.
