Paul 'Guigsy' McGuigan played a Gibson les paul Triumph in Oasis's first video Shakermaker. Paul talked about it to Bassist magazine
"Noel told me to buy that Gibson bass originally, after he'd seen it in the shop," comments Oasis basser Paul 'Guigs' McGuigan. Yeah, he's a lad, that Noel Gallagher; you're never left in any doubt as to exactly whose baby Oasis is. Noel was the one who returned to kick the assembled ass of the original ragtag Oasis four-piece (nee Rain) which fancied itself as a band (with brother Liam on vocals) after world-hopping stints working as a guitar tech with fellow Mancunian combo the Inspiral Carpets. Noel was brimming with ideas, songs, indisputable confidence, not too mention the total megalomania required by any aspirant world-conqueror, demanding the very souls of the first version of the band with the legendary statement: "If you're in, you're mine, seven days a week, 24 hours a day and we're going for it big time..."
When Bassist ran a recent 'My Bass Is' feature on the rare-ish Gibson Les Paul Triumph basses ('It Takes Two, Baby'. Feb 1996), at the last moment we tried hard to think of a high-profile user as demonstration of the instruments in action, both for reference of looks and sound, but we drew a blank. The Gibbo Triumph never got the user kudos awarded to the lighter, funkier EB3, for instance, with its veritable user list. And so Bassist went off to be printed , then guess what? The very next day Oasis were on Top Of The Pops with bassist Paul McGuigan plugging away on a Les Paul Triumph bass...Well, not quite an LP Triumph, rather from the info Paul gave us, an Les Paul Professional, the very short-lived predecessor to the Triumph, visibly distinguishable from its forebear mainly by virtue of dot inlays, rather than block types. Instant user profile!
"We'd never seen one before," elaborates Paul, ensconced in the new A&R guitar and bass-lined suite at Fender's UK HQ, Arbiter's in Hendon. "I think it was £450 the shop wanted; I got it for £350. I think it's top. We've used it in the studio a few times and I've tried to use it on rehearsals, but it just doesn't suit, it's too boomy. It's good, though, I like it like that but it drowns other things out. I think Gibsons are a bit over the top with bass sound that way."
The bass pictured is clearly a Les Paul Triumph - the mention of the Les Paul Professional perhaps refers to a different bass?
Gibson Les Paul Triumph for sale
1969 Gibson Les Paul Recording Bass OHSC Mahogany On-Board Preamp, Stage Ready!
Andover, Massachusetts, 018**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$3500
Here??s a real rarity??not just a collector's piece but a working relic: an early-production 1969 Gibson Les Paul Recording Bass, built during the first very limited run at Kalamazoo. Original mahogany body (the heavier, denser tonewood used only in the earliest examples??later models switched to walnut). Serial number 988003 and no ??Made in USA?? stamp indicate 1969 manufacture date. This ... more
1970s Vintage Gibson Les Paul Recording / Triumph Bass Knob Clean
Kingston, Michigan, 487**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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Mike Watt??s 1969 Gibson Les Paul Bass
Cross Junction, Virginia, 226**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$6000
(bought from dirk vandenberg of guitar surfari. mike watts bass tech in San Pedro... more