Rory Gallagher's Sound
The hardest-working blues-rock guitarist Ireland ever produced.
Raw, unpolished Strat through Vox AC30 and Fender Bassman combos
The rig
The gear associated with the sound. Each item opens a live Reverb search — vintage examples where they exist, modern equivalents where they don't.
Guitars
- 1961 Fender Stratocaster (stripped)Find on Reverb
- National Style O resonatorFind on Reverb
- Martin D-35Find on Reverb
- Fender TelecasterFind on Reverb
Amps
- Vox AC30 Top BoostFind on Reverb
- Fender BassmanFind on Reverb
- Ampeg VT40Find on Reverb
Effects
- Dallas Rangemaster treble boosterFind on Reverb
- Hawk boosterFind on Reverb
- Vox wahFind on Reverb
Pickups
- Fender single-coils, heavily wornFind on Reverb
Other
- Little to no pedal chain — treble boost into a small ampFind on Reverb
Why it sounds like that
A Million Miles Away
AC30 chime with treble boost, dynamic enough to move from clean verses to full drive with picking alone.
Bullfrog Blues (live)
Slide through an overdriven Bassman, deliberately dirty and un-tidied.
Shadow Play
Harder-edged 1970s rock tone with more compression but no loss of pick detail.
Similar sounds
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