This guitar belonged to Rory Gallagher, who used it from 1971 primarily as his slide guitar for live shows. Rory modified it several times. When he first acquired it, a single-coil pickup had already been added to the neck position, along with a 3-way selector switch, converting it to Telecaster specifications.
It was originally blonde, until an accident in 1972 on an airport runway, in which the guitar was thrown from the baggage carousel and then run over by a baggage car; all this happened before Gallagher’s astonished eyes.
After the accident, the guitar was repaired and repainted in the most damaged area. However, because a different type of paint had been used, the repair was very noticeable under different lighting conditions, so Rory decided to repaint it once more, this time in black.
The bridge saddles were replaced with steel ones, the neck was refrewed and relacquered. In 1976, a Stratocaster pickup was added to the middle position, and the neck pickup was replaced with another Stratocaster pickup. The 3-way selector switch was also replaced with a 5-way switch. These modifications were then reversed in 1987, returning the Telecaster pickup to the neck position and the original selector switch.
This guitar is treasured at La Roca Power Studio.
