Fender Custom Shop unveils Gary Moore Stratocaster electric guitar

Introduction

Gary Moore was famed for playing guitars from all kinds of brands, from Gibson to Charvel and Ibanez, but during the 80s, his pride and joy was a 1961 Fiesta Red Stratocaster, which Fender Custom Shop has now got hold of and reproduced down to the last detail.

Custom Shop Master Builder and huge Gary Moore fan John Cruz is the man behind the instrument, and intends it as “the ultimate tribute to the man and his fans”.

Head on through the gallery for a closer look at the exhaustive treatment this Custom Shop model has received - there's no word on price or availability yet, but suffice to say, very few of these will be available.

Body

Moore's original '61 wasn't much different to stock Strats of the day - the pickups were low-output originals, and the pickup selector was a three-way, as opposed to the five-way, which was introduced in 1977.

The only mods were the addition of copper shielding in the cavity, and jumbo frets, which are present on this Custom Shop version.

Pickups

Cruz designed these Bonetone pickups to replicate Moore's low-output originals, with plenty of dynamic range and bell-like clarity. They're hand-wound by Josefina Campos.

Rear

Fender knows what it's doing when it comes to relic'ing, and the Gary Moore Strat's Fiesta Red finish is expertly imitated, with every scratch and ding in place, as well as buckle rash and hand wear.

Headstock

The headstock has seen its fair share of wear and tear - again, it's replicated to a T.

Headstock rear

John Cruz's signature adorns the rear of the headstock, complete with rusted tuning pegs and neck wear - it's worth noting that the fretboard has a 10” radius to replicate the effect of years of playing and refrets, too.

Hardcase

The attention to detail doesn't stop there: GM's Strat comes in a custom Cruz-designed Anvil case stencilled with Moore's logo, as well as recreations of the two straps Moore used with the guitar.

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism, and has spent the past decade writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as a decade-and-a-half performing in bands of variable genre (and quality). In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.