As the founding member, lead singer and songwriter of Portugal. The Man, Gourley has captivated his audiences with his distinctive vocal and innovative musical style. With a dynamic and eclectic approach to his craft, Gourley continues to leave an indelible mark on music through his genre-agnostic contributions and his commitment to driving meaningful transformation through activism.
Gourley has been influenced by his affinity for hip-hop and his exploration of difference music genres that have shaped his unique style and approach. His positive outlook goes beyond music, first by helping create the PTM Foundation — which focuses on building community resilience, empathy and awareness through music, stories, art, education and conductivity — and through the Frances Changed My Life initiative, which honors his daughter Frances and aims to provide support for other families dealing with rare disease diagnosis. Now, boasting a signature guitar bearing his name, Gourley aspires for his Broadkaster to become a go-to choice for musicians of all levels, providing an accessible entry point for players seeking to attain their desired sound.
“The first time I heard a Gretsch was when I walked into a guitar shop in Memphis and I know instantly that that was the sound I’ve been looking for this whole time. It was such a cool experience when I finally got to design my own,” explains John Gourley. “I knew I’d want to go with the Broadkaster shape and I specifically opted for Broadkaster pickups, though the standout feature for me is Bigsby. Choosing a thinner body was intentional; it grants me greater mobility on stage, providing a heightened level of control over the sound. As for the artwork, I’ve been following Cleon’s work in some form since I was a kid. He has so much influence on my personal style. His art represents humans. I love his honesty, his views and interpretation of the world.”
The Limited Edition John Gourley Electromatic Broadkaster was built for musicians from every genre in mind. The guitar boasts a double-cutaway maple body featuring a chambered spruce center block for enhanced resonance and tonal richness. It’s thin “U”-shaped maple neck features a 12”-radius laurel fingerboard, hosts 22 medium jumbo frets and pearled “cloud” inlays for a touch of style.
Equipped with USA Full’Tron hum bucking pickups, the guitar delivers a powerful and versatile sonic range. The control layout includes a master volume with treble bleed circuit, master tone, individual pickup volume control and a three-position pickup selector switch, offering precise tonal shaping. The Anchored Adjusto-Matic bridge ensures stable tuning while the Bigsby B70 vibrato tailpiece adds expressive pitch modulation. Additional features include a Graph Tech NuBone nut, silver sparkle binding, locking tuners, strap locks and nickel hardware.