Rory Gallagher: A Dave Edwards Custom Stratocaster-Style Electric Guitar,

circa 1980,

Footnotes

Provenance:
Property of Rory Gallagher, then owned by U2, and later gifted to Sam O'Sullivan, the band's long-time crew member, by U2 in 2019.

When Rory Gallagher's iconic Fender Stratocaster was playing up during shows in 1979/1980, Rory would occasionally pick up his Fender Musicmaster or this Dave Edwards custom-made Strat.

Sam O'Sullivan was one of the original Cork (Ireland) crew hired by U2 in 1978/79, preceding the band's debut album Boy. This crew became known affectionately in the music industry as 'The Cork Mafia' – comprising Sam and fellow Cork man Joe O'Herlihy (who was sound technician for Rory Gallagher in the 1970s). This 'Cork Mafia' combo went on to become part of the stalwart road crew for U2 for many decades.

Sam was a very valued and esteemed member of the U2 family for almost 40 years. During this time, the band were always extremely generous in showing their appreciation of Sam's work with them. Throughout their years of work together, the band and their manager Paul McGuinness presented Sam with many gold and platinum discs as an acknowledgement of his work with them on all of their best- selling albums as Studio Manager. Sam also played percussion on several recordings and live performances with the band through the years.

On the occasion of Sam's 60th birthday in 2019 the band presented him with this Dave Edwards Stratocaster-style guitar, owned and used by Rory Gallagher from 1980 onwards.

In his message to Sam, Daniel Gallagher describes the guitar:
Glad you love the guitar... Attached is a shot of the show at the Ripley Music Hall in Philadelphia, September 1982. The photo was taken by a fan called John Hahn. Rory was always trying out different pickup combinations and setups on guitars. He'd get an idea like having two humbuckers in a Strat and work with Dave Edwards to try it out. This is one of their Frankensteins!

Around 1979 Rory's main Strat was playing up. He put a new neck on the guitar for a few years to let the original one dry out etc. So when the Strat was not working right during a show Rory would pick up this Dave Edwards Strat...to give the No.1 Strat a break.

The guitar has been solely in the ownership of Sam since receiving the gift, unchanged and as presented to him.

The guitar shows signs of heavy use, with wear on the back of the body and fret wear on the neck. Gallagher's relentless live performance style created much sweat, which was evident on his favoured instruments. That said, this instrument is in near perfect working order.

Also included is the original soft-sided Fender carrying case, which shows signs of heavy use but is intact. Rory is photographed with the guitar by Bob Hewitt (see catalogue listing). There are also photos showing Rory playing the guitar in concerts in Philadelphia and France in the 1980s - please contact the department to view these.