Gallagher, Rory

The prodigious Irish bluesman knew his way around a slide – and the best gear to use one on

Speaking in 1987, Gallagher said: “A lot of the time I use slide tuning for rhythm parts. I play a lot of slide in regular tuning as well as open tunings. I’m still mad about slide, there are so many ways of progressing on it. Every now and then you buy a record by some country bluesman from the 30s who just wipes the floor with you and you have to start again! In my opinion, the p-90 is the best pickup for slide – it has the right overtones. The best slide guitar, unless you’re playing the Muddy Waters-style, is the old ’52 Goldtop Les Paul. You can play slide on any guitar, but to be serious about it you have a tough set of strings, otherwise you don’t get the full attack – you can’t dig in.”