If there's one word that describes Barrie Cadogan's playing, it's versatile. In addition to leading his own band, Little Barrie, the English guitarist has played with the likes of Primal Scream following Robert Young's departure, stepped into Johnny Marr's shoes in The The, acted as a sideman for The Chemical Brothers, and joined Oasis' Liam Gallagher's touring band, playing alongside John Squire of The Stone Roses.
Cadogan's latest role? Testing out the late Rory Gallagher's guitars before their much-anticipated auction on October 17. The Irish legend's 1963 Gibson Melody Maker is one that particularly attracts Cadogan due to its relative simplicity.
“I suppose it's not as cosmetically luxurious, but I guess that's part of the thing, why this sounds so good,” comments Cadogan.
Gallagher was a big fan of Melody Makers – even though they're largely considered budget guitars due to their stripped-down design and specs – and eventually owned four of them. His 1963 model, equipped with two pickups, four gold reflector control knobs, and a three-way selector, was purchased in London sometime in the ’80s.
“He seemed to get so much out so little, didn't he?” ponders Cadogan. “He probably would have plugged this in, and he could just do the rest, couldn't he? If it was a good sound straight away.
“It was only later on in his career, wasn't it, that his setup got a bit more involved but still not that intricate by today's standards. But through the ’70s stuff, it’s just so, so simple... All those sounds, all those different feelings, were just coming from him.”
Alongside the ’63 model, Cadogan also tests out Gallagher's 1959 and 1958 Gibson Les Paul Juniors, as well as his 1960 Melody Maker – which Gallagher primarily used for slide.
Fontaines D.C. guitarist Carlos O'Connell was also among the lucky few to try out Rory Gallagher's guitars, including his prized 1961 Strat, which recently found itself at the center of controversy.
