“There is a difference in the tone compared with just the simple wrapover bridge, which resonates more in your body”: Why Rory Gallagher’s “Kid Gloves and Walkin’ Wounded” Gibson Les Paul Juniors were two of his best-sounding guitars

When Irish blues-rock icon Rory Gallagher’s guitar collection went under the hammer at Bonhams of London on 17 October, all eyes were on the fate of his celebrated ’61 Strat – which sold for £889,400 including premium and, happily, is to return to Ireland to be exhibited at the National Museum of Ireland after being bought by Live Nation Gaiety Ltd.

However, while the spotlight fell squarely on the Strat there were other guitars Rory used to blistering effect that deserve more attention. In the days before the auction, Guitarist was lucky enough to play two of the best: Rory’s two Gibson Les Paul Juniors – built in 1958 and 1959 respectively but separated by different body styles and, in the case of the single-cut Junior, a series of tour-focused mods.

Dynamic Duo

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The 1959 single-cut is notable for having what appears to be a gold Leo Quan Badass bridge (or a variation on that theme).

Steve Clarke, who prepared the guitar for auction at Bonhams, had this to say of it: “Those particular bridges, mid-’70s or something, were a nice replacement. They tilted forward a little bit, but they gave you the intonation that Junior-type guitars needed more – especially with the gauge of strings that were coming in.

“What I noticed with the Badass bridge is that when you thread a string through the front of the bridge and it comes out the back, it goes over the back lip of the Badass bridge before it makes contact with the saddles and, because of that, it’s almost like a tune-o-matic bridge and tailpiece all combined.

“There is a difference in the tone compared with just the simple wrapover, which resonates more in your body; I could actually noticeably feel that difference between it and the 1959 double-cut. They’re both completely different. They sound and behave differently because of these slight differences. And, of course, the double-cut will sound different for starters because it’s [made with] less wood.”

While preparing the Juniors for sale, Steve was able to take precise measurements of their relative weights, reporting that the 1958 single-cut weighed 3.5kg (7.76lb), while the 1958 double-cut weighed in, as anticipated, a half-kilo lighter at a very comfortable 3kg (6.74lb).

Steve adds: “Both the ’58 and ’59 have the original pots and wiring. The Sprague bumble bee caps are the paper-in-oil type with the small tube at one end.”

When Guitarist gave both to Barrie Cadogan – whose stellar playing has lit a fire under the music of Little Barrie, The The, Primal Scream and others over the years – to try out, we observed that the double-cut had a lovely woody expressive voice whereas the single-cut had terrific punch and a soul-searing voice that worked perfectly for slide. The latter should be unsurprising given Rory’s virtuosic touch with slide guitar.

Playing Rory Gallagher's Gibson Les Paul Juniors and Melody Makers With Barrie Cadogan - YouTube

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Final cut

Rory’s nephew Daniel Gallagher explains that one of Rory’s Juniors was used on the superb tracks Kid Gloves and Walkin’ Wounded from Rory’s final album, Fresh Evidence, though, alas, no record remains of which of the two Juniors made the cut.

Given both their historic connection to Rory and their intrinsic tonefulness as instruments, it’s unsurprising that these classic late-50s Juniors fetched final prices of £21,760 for the ’58 single-cut and £19,200 for the ’59 double-cut.
Guitarist would like to thank the Gallagher family and Bonhams of London for their generous help in producing this feature.