Rory Gallagher: A Fender Esquire Electric Guitar, 1959,

guitar 38 1/4in (97cm) long

Footnotes

The first known photographs of Rory playing this guitar were taken in Milwaukee on 20th October 1971 and then at the Beat Club appearance in December, so it is likely that he acquired the guitar sometime in summer/autumn that year.

Although an Esquire model, Rory often called it a Telecaster as it was fitted with a neck pickup, thereby effectively converting it to a Telecaster. In an article entitled The Rory Story in Zigzag magazine, December 1971, Rory describes it thus: "The Telecaster is a 1953 Esquire - a guy phoned me up and told me he had one, so I tried it out, and sure enough - one of the real McCoys. I had to have new machines on it and it needs a new scratchplate."
Rory's inaccurate dating of the guitar is confirmed in a later interview in Guitarist Magazine, June 1987, when he states that the guitar is a top-loader, with the strings being anchored at the bridge, instead of going through the body. This only featured on Esquire models between 1958-1959, therefore giving an accurate date for the guitar.

When Rory first acquired the guitar it had a Blonde finish and a neck pickup already installed. Rory's first modification was to replace the tuners, installing a set of Kluson Deluxe tuners. The second modification occurred in a brief window in March 1972, between returning from a European tour early that month, and before starting a UK tour on the 8th March. Apparently, the guitar was run over by an airport trolley and was given to luthier Chris Eccleshall to affect some urgent repairs. He replaced the broken threaded thick bridge saddles with steel grooved saddles that Fender had introduced for the 1968/69 season and also replaced the old seven-screw, non-laminated decorated pickguard with a five-screw non-laminated white example. The upper bout of the guitar suffered damage, but Eccleshall was able to piece the body back cleanly as the breaks were clean, rather than crushed. There was no time for a proper refinish so he used a clear polyurethane lacquer which, however, appeared to have a greenish tinge when viewed at a certain angle.

The next modification took place in mid to late 1972, as can be seen in photographs taken by Michael Putland during the Blueprint album sessions in December for what would be Rory's 4th solo album. The fingerboard appeared to be new, a result of the sanding/lacquering required after the frets and nut had been replaced. During this process, the fingerboard radius was increased from 7.25inches, since the nut appears higher than usual. Following his return from a US tour that year, the guitar went back to Eccleshall, when the clear finish he had previously applied was replaced by the black finish seen on the guitar today.

The guitar became one of Rory's main instruments for live work, particularly for slide playing, and over the next five years or so underwent a number of pickup changes, reflecting Rory's continuing search for the 'perfect' sound. These included, in 1976, a Strat pickup in the neck position and another Strat pickup added to the middle position, with a five-way selector replacing a three-way. As Rory put it in International Musician And Recording World magazine in April 1977: "...it's grown from an Esquire to a Tele to a Tele-Strat."

The Esquire was eventually replaced by Rory's Gretsch Corvette in late 1978/early 1979 and remained unseen until around the time of the release of the Defender album in 1987. Gone were the two Strat pickups and it sported its original configuration. It was also fitted with a new back loader bridge with six holes drilled into the body for the anchoring string ferrules. Furthermore, a new five-screw pickguard appeared, and the five-way selector replaced by a three-way.

Defender was the 13th solo album by Rory released in 1987. Rory used the Esquire on Loanshark Blues for slide through the Fender Deluxe with a DOD Echo pedal. Rory recalled: "I like using my own echo on overdubs - I prefer to use effects when I'm recording, rather than put them on afterwards, as any time you touch your guitar, you get an extra noise you can't get later on."

Rory can be seen playing this guitar in 1977 at Rockpalast, Essen, Germany, with three pickups, before the middle pickup was removed. This particular show was broadcast across Europe to over 50 million homes. The guitar also features in many photographs.

"It's light, and I can see why Rory liked it... You can tell he wanted to play slide on it... He [Rory] was a working-class hero, that transcended just being Irish and transcended into a global thing...and that honesty and authenticity - you hear it in the music. He's an icon!"
- Joe Bonamassa, Guitarist Magazine, July 2024.

In July 2024, American guitarist and singer-songwriter Joe Bonamassa also played the guitar in an interview with Guitarist Magazine. To watch the full interview, view it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nQlUUegxcg

Live Performance
Rory Gallagher, Rockpalast, Essen, German, 1977, youtu.be/6qkr-XlNZKM?si=ZOe5d6IC28gzHMuF&t=2251.

Exhibition
'The UK Guitar Show', Olympia, London, UK, 2018.
'Born To Rock', National Museum of Ireland in Dublin, Ireland; Harrods, London, UK, 2006-2007.

Literature
'Gallagher', International Musician And Recording World, April 1977.

Full chronological details of the various modifications to this guitar are at: www.rorygallagher.com/1959-esquire.