KILLING JOKE HAD recorded three studio albums before 1982 when Geordie Walker found the Gibson ES-295 hollowbody electric that became his main guitar. Ever since then, the ES-295 has played a prominent role on every subsequent recording he’s made, as it delivered exactly the sound he was looking for. “When you find something that you express yourself through the best — something that is completely your sound — why would you use anything else?” he said in the May 2016 issue of Guitar World.
Geordie uses very heavy strings but tunes down a whole step to DGCFAD to make the string tension more comfortable, with the added benefit of making the tone heavier as well. In addition to enhancing the guitar’s resonant twang, the ES-295’s Les Paul wraparound trapeze bridge allows Walker to create subtle vibrato effects by pushing down on the tailpiece to ease string tension, which he certainly does to great effect when it comes to the chorus of “Eighties.”