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A one-of-a-kind Silver Sparkle Gibson Les Paul Florentine used and owned by Noel Gallagher during his time in Oasis. This guitar, described by Gallagher in a 1997 interview as "the best guitar in the world," was made specifically for him by Gibson's custom shop in 1997 and was used extensively during 1997 and 1998 for recordings and live performances.
The Florentine was used prominently during the recording of Oasis' third album Be Here Now, released in August 1997. The record became the biggest-selling album of that year, and the fastest-selling album in the UK in 1997. Gallagher subsequently used the guitar on the record-breaking Be Here Now world tour. The Florentine is one of his primary guitars from the Oasis era and is believed to be the most-extensively used and documented Noel Gallagher guitar outside of the artist's personal collection; hundreds of photos exist of Gallagher with this guitar.
Other notable use of the Florentine includes a rare solo set for the Tibetan Freedom Concert in New York; a concert at the Oakland Coliseum on 18 June 1997; The David Letterman Show; Saturday Night Live; and the BBC documentary Oasis: Right Here, Right Now. It was also used to record the track "Temper Temper" by Goldie.
A 1997 article on Oasis in Spin magazine featured Gallagher singing the guitar's praises directly:
"That's the best guitar in the world," says Noel Gallagher. "It's not one of the best guitars, it's the best guitar." The guitar Noel speaks of is his own-a Les Paul Florentine Diamond Sparkle. It sits in its open case like a diamond in a jewel box, and Noel stares down at it lovingly. It's covered in bright silver glitter. The guitar costs $3,590, but you can't buy one. It's custom made. "The thing about that guitar is it's got that extra..You know what I mean? When you've got everything turned all the way up, this one gives you more. It goes to '11'."
This guitar, serial number "7 9007", was part of a batch of instruments that Gallagher sold circa 2001 through the New Kings Road Vintage Guitar Emporium. The Les Paul Florentine comprises an ebony fingerboard, a distinctive silver glitter finish on the body, and nickel-plated hardware. Gibson's hallmark five-piece diamond-like pearlescent inlay adorns the black headstock (unique to custom models). It also features two volume knobs, two tone knobs, and a selector switch. A "U" Underworld sticker is adhered under the tailpiece, as placed by Gallagher circa June 1997; Underworld was a company that produced Oasis merchandise in the 1990s.
The guitar comes in its original protective case, featuring a white "Oasis" stencil and remnants of a "Metalheadz" sticker on the exterior. Metalheadz was a UK drum and bass record label founded by Goldie and Kemistry & Storm, so the sticker was likely added during the recording of "Temper Temper".
The guitar remains in very good condition, with light horizontal cracking to the body's varnish layer and some light wear to the nickel-plated components. There are some residue marks on the "U" sticker where a "Metalheadz" sticker was once placed over the top (sticker was retained and is present in the guitar case.)
In 2022, iconic Microdot photographer and designer Brian Cannon, who worked design for the original album, photographed the guitar with a red Matchless amp to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Be Here Now.
The guitar was a treasured possession in the previous owner's collection for many years and its history was documented in issue 455 of Guitarist magazine. A printout of information from Gibson on the guitar's history is included, which states "This guitar was indeed given by ER London to Oasis back then."
The lot is also accompanied by a handwritten note of provenance from Gallagher's guitar technician Jason Rhodes, a letter of provenance from New Kings Road Vintage Guitar Emporium, and an array of material featuring the guitar, including a custom-made booklet showcasing the guitar, magazines, newspapers, framed photographs, additional loose photographs and slides, and a framed Right Here, Right Now poster. Dimensions (guitar): 99 cm x 33 cm x 7 cm (39" x 13" x 2 3/4"); (largest framed image): 89 cm x 64.5 cm x 1.5 cm (35" x 25 1/2" x 1/2")
Contains electronics; see electronics notice in the Buyer's Guide.
Contains organic materials, see notice in the Buyer's Guide
Additional Provenance:
The guitar appears on the cover of Issue 455 of Guitarist magazine. This issue contains an eight-page spread detailing the history of the piece. A copy of the magazine is also included.
Noel described his Silver Sparkle Florentine as "the best guitar in the world" in the October 1997 issue of Spin magazine.
Gibson customer service have also identified this guitar in their database and confirmed that "The guitar appears to be original, the serial number refers in our database also to a Les Paul Florentine in silver sparkle, with nickel hardware and F-holes, made by the Custom Shop in 1997. This guitar was indeed given by ER London to Oasis back then". A printout of this information is also included.
Additional Information:
The additional material included in the lot is: a custom-made book containing images of the guitar, compiled by the previous owner; an image of Gallagher holding the guitar with the previous owner; four large loose photographs; 23 smaller loose photographs; two 35 mm film slides labelled "Oasis Exeter"; photographic evidence of Jason Rhodes writing his note of provenance; and a Total Guitar CD.
Also accompanying the lot is a large collection of literature: Be Here Now Live Tour '97 programme; an issue of Spin magazine published in October 1997; an issue of Select magazine published in August 1997; a copy of Oasis: A Year in the Life by Susan Wilson; a copy of The Oasis Chronicles by David Ritcher; four issues of Chartbusters Oasis poster magazines; Issue 8 of Oasis Uncensored magazine; an issue of Oasis Live magazine; an Oasis special magazine; an Oasis 1998 calendar magazine; two copies of Melody Maker; and a copy of NME.
Estimate: £200,000 - 400,000 † Δ
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