Oasis guitarist and co-founder Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs has revealed he is utilizing his “original 1984 guitar” during the band’s highly anticipated 2025 reunion tour.
Arthurs had been performing alongside Liam and Noel Gallagher for several Oasis Live ’25 dates, prior to pausing his involvement to undergo treatment for prostate cancer.
Speaking at the launch of a special Bonehead edition guitar by manufacturer Epiphone, Arthurs noted that the instrument predates Oasis and has been in use “from the early rehearsals at the Boardwalk in Manchester all the way up to those historic shows at Knebworth and on into Liam’s solo career.”
“I’m still playing my original 1984 guitar on the Oasis 2025 tour, and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he affirmed.
Arthurs announced his cancer diagnosis on October 3, stating that he was “having to take a planned break for the next phase of my care” and would be “back ready to go in time for South America.”
The band recently concluded their Australian dates and is scheduled to commence the South American leg of their comeback tour in Argentina on November 15, followed by performances in Chile and Brazil.
Arthurs formed his first band in 1984, and in the late 1980s, he joined forces with Tony McCarroll and Paul ‘Guigsy’ McGuigan to establish the band Rain.
The trio dismissed their initial frontman and replaced him with Liam Gallagher, who proposed renaming the band Oasis.
Noel Gallagher joined the band shortly thereafter, and the five-member group soon embarked on their journey to global acclaim.
In addition to numerous memorable shows with Oasis, Arthurs also employed the guitar on the band’s seminal debut album, Definitely Maybe, and its subsequent release, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?.
A representative for the guitar brand stated that they had produced a Bonehead Riviera model because “very few artists embody the Epiphone ‘For Every Stage’ mantra more than Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs.”
“From early Oasis shows at The Water Rats in London to their era-defining nights at Knebworth, Bonehead consistently pushed his Epiphone Riviera to the limits.”
“The crowds may have grown, but the wall of sound was always there in front of them.”
“His solid, driving guitar work played a crucial role in shaping the band’s early sound, and his most iconic instrument was the 1984 Epiphone Riviera.”
The manufacturer has also launched a special edition of its Sheraton model with fellow Oasis guitarist Gem Archer.
Archer succeeded Arthurs in the band in 1999 and performed on their final three albums, before collaborating with both Gallagher brothers’ post-Oasis projects, Beady Eye and High Flying Birds.
“The Epiphone Sheraton first came into my world when I borrowed Noel’s for Oasis tours and recording,” he said.
“When I started playing with him again in the High Flying Birds in 2017, this was the guitar I asked if he still had.”
“I’m playing it again together with my signature model based on his ’66 original, on the Oasis Live ’25 tour.”
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