Interview: Joe Bonamassa on playing Rory Gallagher's 1961

There’s now a theory that the less paint or varnish on a guitar, acoustic or electric, the better. The wood breathes more. But it’s all psychological. I just like the sound of it. ‘It’s also a good luck thing. It was stolen one time and it came back It’s kind rory gallagher guitar wiring
 of a lucky charm; the guitar is a part of me. BB King might have several Lucilles, but I’ve only got the one Strat. I don’t even call it a woman’s name. It’s what it is. I still play it every day, I just love playing it.” I believe that Rory’s guitar was rewired so that one tone control rolled off the higher frequencies on all three pickups (unlike the stock set-up where neck and middle have an independent tone control each, the bridge pickup is only controlled by the volume control.) I’ve been playing Strats for more years than I will admit to here and am used to the stock set-up, so that’s what I used on my Rory Strat.