Eric Gales
BluesBlues-RockRock1990s–present

Eric Gales

Fender Stratocaster (played upside down, strung for left-hand) into a Fender or Marshall amp at moderate to high gain. The tone is aggressive and raw — not polished. The upside-down string configuration means the bass strings are closest to the floor, which some believe contributes to the unique string bending character.

Budget Rig Breakdown

Signal Chain

GuitarCV Strat
ODJoyo Vintage
AmpKatana 50
Squier Classic Vibe 60s Stratocaster — Guitar
Boss Katana 50 MkII — Amp
Estimated total~£477

Key Tone Tips

  • The upside-down playing gives a different string relationship — the low E string is closest to the ground and the high E closest to Gales's face. This physical inversion changes the natural string bending directions
  • Aggressive pick attack produces the character — Gales plays with conviction. A light touch produces a pale imitation. Commit to each note with physical force
  • Hendrix influence is direct — study Hendrix's chord voicings and apply them in the Gales context. The upside-down Strat approach creates a direct lineage
  • Pentatonic minor vocabulary with blues chromatic additions — basic pentatonic as the foundation, with chromatic passing tones and large bends for expression
  • Wide string bends using multiple fingers — bend with the ring finger supported by middle and index. Gales' bends are aggressive and accurate
  • The Tube Screamer runs at low gain, high level — pushing the amp rather than adding pedal distortion
  • Modern blues vocabulary — Gales synthesises classic Chicago blues, SRV, and Hendrix into a contemporary style without sounding retro
  • Volume dynamics within a phrase — loud on the initial attack, allowing notes to decay naturally. Do not sustain everything at the same level
  • Study his YouTube live performances — the energy and physical commitment of his playing is part of the tone and cannot be captured by watching only the guitar parts

About Eric Gales's Sound

Eric Gales plays a right-handed guitar upside-down and left-handed — following the Hendrix tradition — with a raw, aggressive blues vocabulary that places him among the most emotionally devastating blues guitarists of his generation.