Guitar Mags and a Rory Gallagher interview - help needed

guitars4you

Just had a good chat and update with Anysley Lister at the Oxford Guitar Show - I was selling few old USA Guitar Player mags and he asked this question 'Could I recall an interview with Rory Gallagher, so pre 1995, whereby he tried 5/6 new current production Strats in a shootout and had to comment on the playability, feel, tonal character etc ' - Was in a guitar mag

I'm an RG fan and can't recall it - Anyone can recall this and add their 10 penneth 

breadfan

I can’t pin down that exact “5 or 6 current-production Strats shootout” piece with confidence, but a few likely candidates and clues stand out from the period coverage of Rory Gallagher.

The strongest lead is probably Guitarist magazine (UK) in the mid-1980s. Rory did several gear-focused interviews with them where he discussed:

• differences between maple and rosewood neck Strats,

• fret sizes,

• pickup response,

• neck finish feel,

• modern vs vintage Fender production,

• and how newer Strats compared to his battered ’61.

One confirmed reference is the February 1985 issue of Guitarist, where he talks in detail about modifying and evaluating newer Fender Strats, including the 25th Anniversary model Fender gave him. (The Official Site of Rory Gallagher)

Another possibility is:

• Guitar for the Practicing Musician (late ’80s / early ’90s),

• International Musician & Recording World,

• or a Fender-centric “Strat Masters” special/interview feature that was later excerpted online. (The Official Site of Rory Gallagher)

What makes me think you’re remembering a real article and not conflating interviews is that Rory absolutely did speak comparatively about multiple Strats in exactly the way you describe. For example:

“I’m starting to use the ’57 model a lot more these days because it allows me to be a bit more precise.” (The Official Site of Rory Gallagher)

and:

“Rosewood necks always sound a bit more mellow than maple. … maple necks are more snappy.” (The Official Site of Rory Gallagher)

That sort of tactile/tonal comparative language is very much in line with a magazine “shootout” format.

A few other identifying details that might help narrow it down:

• Was it definitely all Fender Strats, or did it include Japanese copies like Tokai/Squier/Blade?

• Do you remember whether the magazine was UK-based (Guitarist, Guitar, International Musician) or US (Guitar Player, Guitar for the Practicing Musician)?

• Did the guitars include then-new American Standard Strats (post-1987), which would date it later?

If you want, I can dig deeper specifically through:

• UK guitar magazines 1983–1994,

• Fender Stratocaster specials,

• or archived scans/indexes for “Rory Gallagher Strat test/shootout/review.”

breadfan

That’s from ChatGPT!

HarrySeven

If it helps (unsurprisingly), I have a large archive of vintage music gear/guitar-related mags. I can have a trawl through if you need a specific edition?

TMA-1

First post, so be nice!  Yes, I still have a copy (I think) at home - from memory it's in a very early Guitarist magazine - 1989 as a guess.  It reviews the then new American Standard plus a few vintage Strats and RG comments on them all vs his famous guitar.  I'll have a look when I get back home as currently away sailing.  I saved this from new due to the RG content - the only Guitarist / guitar magazine I've ever kept.

Keefy

Is it one of these? I currently have them up for sale on Reverb but can dig them out tomorrow to check.

TMA-1

Edit to my earlier post - it's Guitar magazine (not Guitarist) and the details are Volume 1, number 9, "The ultimate Strat guide", with a piucture of RG on the cover.  I just did a google search for the cover and found it that way.

https://reverb.com/item/69293487-guitar-magazine-rory-gallagher-stratocaster-issue-1992-multi

Philly_Q

I was going to say it was an early issue of The Guitar Magazine, I remember it well...

... but @TMA-1 beat me to it.  That is indeed the issue.

They weren't new production Strats though, they were various models of different vintages, maybe including a couple of new ones.  I remember he liked a '70s one but thought the frets were too small, although he said might be able to get used to them.

guitars4you

Thanks guys for the info

I’ll pass it on to Anysley - He has some old copies of various mags but if he needs to buy an issue or two then I’ll see if I can help him 

Not sure if he dives into here or not sometimes 

Thanks as always 

mudslide73

Great work! I liked The Guitar Magazine, I remember that issue but I didn't have it (I might have read it in Smiths!).

guitars4you

That's the one - Thanks for your help - Will go thru' my collection to see if I have it - But in the meantime if anyone has it then let me know and I'll have to find a way to pass info onto Anysley - Thanks for your help

Fez

TMA-1 said:

First post, so be nice!  Yes, I still have a copy (I think) at home - from memory it's in a very early Guitarist magazine - 1989 as a guess.  It reviews the then new American Standard plus a few vintage Strats and RG comments on them all vs his famous guitar.  I'll have a look when I get back home as currently away sailing.  I saved this from new due to the RG content - the only Guitarist / guitar magazine I've ever kept.

Welcome @TMA-1 ; I take it your username refers to 2001 a Space Odyssey. Trivia time: When I lived in Kidsgrove in the early 80's one of my mates drummed for a band called TMA-1.   

Philly_Q

guitars4you said:

That's the one - Thanks for your help - Will go thru' my collection to see if I have it - But in the meantime if anyone has it then let me know and I'll have to find a way to pass info onto Anysley - Thanks for your help

I've certainly got it, but when I eventually start binning all my guitar mags I'm planning to keep the older ones because they have a sentimental value which the newer ones don't.

victorludorum

ChatGPT did well

guitars4you

Might explain why I can't recall it - Whilst I have issue #1 my collection starts in Vol 2 so I'm missing that copy - Anyone have one and wants to move it on then let me know - Thanks - Mark

digitalkettle

Keefy said:

Is it one of these? I currently have them up for sale on Reverb but can dig them out tomorrow to check.

I've got the one on the left...there's a feature on Keith Moore/More who may be owed quite a lot from this thread:
https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/291869/any-pop-songs-with-great-solos/p1

Guitarist mag had a few of his solo transcriptions around that time, iirc.
Sadly, Keith passed away in June 2023.

TMA-1

Fez said:

TMA-1 said:

First post, so be nice!  Yes, I still have a copy (I think) at home - from memory it's in a very early Guitarist magazine - 1989 as a guess.  It reviews the then new American Standard plus a few vintage Strats and RG comments on them all vs his famous guitar.  I'll have a look when I get back home as currently away sailing.  I saved this from new due to the RG content - the only Guitarist / guitar magazine I've ever kept.

Welcome @TMA-1 ;; I take it your username refers to 2001 a Space Odyssey. Trivia time: When I lived in Kidsgrove in the early 80's one of my mates drummed for a band called TMA-1.   

Thanks Fez, and yes, I'd read all the Space Odyssey books (all four!) and was trying to think of a Forum name, my choice being inspired I suspect by seeing HAL9000 being used on here... 

TMA-1

I've found my (slightly tatty) copy and the article gets RG to act as a guest reviewer for a variety of Strats.  

The article also lists the then market value of each guitar - which are interesting, given where we are today.  

The Strats were a 1958 maple neck sunburst (value £3,500 ~ £4,000), a 1962 Olympic White (value £2,000), a 1971 4-bolt CAR (value £950), a 1973 3-bolt 'natural' (value £550) and a then new 1991 sunburst Standard, RRP £654.  

The '73 came out very well, just edged by the '58 for 'best in test'. The '71 was agreed to be a disappointment by both RG and Dave Burrluck, who put the article together.  And as remembered by Philly-Q, Rory didn't like the vintage sized frets on the older guitars

Overall DB went for for the new guitar for  suiting 'current playing fashions' best, whereas Rory said he'd probably buy the '62, even though the '58 was marginally better...  

So now you know:) 

Aidanspaghetti

Also if any of ye remember, The Guitar magazine also had Scott Gorham in reviewing several Les Pauls too iirc?
I think I may have a copy in the attic....