“Rory was a peaceful man, but I thought he’d thump poor Chris on the spot”: The story of Rory Gallagher’s 1959 Fender Esquire, the guitar crushed on a runway with a refinish job worth fighting over

Rory Gallagher's 1959 Fender Esquire.

Rory’s 1959 Fender Esquire, the earliest photos of which date from live gigs in Milwaukee, 1971, saw many changes over the years. A crude engraving on the guitar’s neckplate, still visible today, gives a clue to the guitar’s origins, reading: “Property Of Buzz Harding, Greensburg Kansas”.

But once in Rory’s possession it would never leave his side. In fact, the only time its place in his collection was in serious jeopardy was when it was crushed on a runway and then inadvertently refinished in a colour Rory hated. Donal Gallagher takes up the story.