“He was backstage in the Marquee cleaning off his guitar and said, ‘Look!’ The paint was starting to come away in chips – he was almost crying”: How Rory Gallagher's 1961 Strat got its now-iconic relic’d finish

Rory Gallagher's 1961 Strat is as distinctive as its player, with its worn, battered, and bruised finish making it one of the most instantly recognizable Fender Strats in the world. Over the years, there was speculation over whether the relic’d finish was intentional. However, Dónal Gallagher, the full-time steward of his brother Rory’s guitar collection, has set the record straight.

In the late 1960s, Gallagher had achieved enough success in Ireland with his blues-rock band, Taste, to springboard from Cork to London. At one of their shows at the famous Marquee Club in London's West End, Gallagher noticed that the paint on his guitar was chipping away.

“He was backstage in the Marquee and he was cleaning off his guitar, and he said, ‘Look!’” Donal recalls.

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“And he almost was crying – the paint was starting to come away in chips. And also, they gave you this silicon polish which, I'm sure would do [more] damage than it would [actually prevent something like this from happening] to the guitar,” Dónal Gallagher recalled in a Q&A ahead of Bonhams' Rory Gallagher guitar collection auction.

“But he was actually really upset about that. It was losing the paint. It was never intentional. Nor did he take a hammer, chisel, and a saw, as most people used to think. That's when it really started.”

As demonstrated by the number of guitars featured in this auction, Gallagher was a collector of all kinds of models. However, the Strat's unique look continues to capture fans' imaginations, making it as inextricably linked to Gallagher as his music and playing style.

Since news of its sale broke, this particular guitar has also been at the center of much debate, from a grassroots movement in Ireland raising funds to keep the guitar in the country, to Joe Bonamassa clarifying that he never intended to bid on it, and even to the involvement of Irish government officials.

Following the public discussion, Dónal spoke to Guitarist about why he decided to put this prized guitar up for auction.

For more information about the auction, which takes place on October 17, visit Bonhams.