Over 35 of Gary Moore's vintage guitars and amps up for auction
Introduction
Guitar legend Gary Moore had a formidable collection of gear, and over 35 of these guitars and amps will now be offered up for auction at Bonhams Entertainment memorabilia sale.
Among the items is a 1963 Fender Stratocaster - a gift from Claude Nobs, founder of the Montreaux Jazz Festival - as well as numerous prototypes of Moore's signature Les Paul, plus vintage Twin and Vibroverb amps.
Some of the gear up for sale was recently photographed and demo'ed by Guitarist - you can get up close and personal with these guitars and amps in our in-depth gallery.
We've presented a selection of the auction's highlights here, but you can view the whole lot at Bonhams. If you fancy a bid, the sale takes place on 29 June at Bonhams Knightsbridge.
Estimated: £8,000-12,000
1963 Fender Stratocaster
Body with non-original, clear-lacquered natural finish, three Kinman AVN pickups, three-ply laminated scratchplate, three volume/tone knobs and five-way selector, re-fretted rosewood fingerboard with dot markers, in rectangular, plush-lined Fender tweed case with various components.
A gift to Gary from Montreux Jazz Festival founder Claude Nobs in 1998. Seen on the live footage of the TV broadcast from the Fledah in Finsbury Park, London in 2001, and the Blues for Jimi DVD, filmed in London in late 2007.
Estimated: £5,000-6,000
1950s Fender Twin
Model 5C8, serial 0322, tweed case, two Jensen Alnico 5 12-inch speakers, top control panel with four Instrument/Microphone sockets and four control knobs.
Acquired in 1991. The tweed had been replaced prior to this and the handle is a possible replacement also.
Estimated: £8,000-10,000
1964 Gibson Firebird 1
Inked serial on back of headstock, 153314, 'reverse' mahogany body with sunburst finish, with replacement Seymour Duncan mini-humbucking bridge pickup, volume and tone bonnet knobs, three-ply laminated scratchplate, unbound rosewood fingerboard with dot markers, banjo tuners on treble side of headstock, in hard, rectangular plush-lined case with original pickup and replaced volume pot and Gibson strap.
Bought in 1994 for the short-lived BBM project, featuring Moore with the former Cream rhythm section of bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker.
Estimated: £2,500-3,000
2007 Gibson '57 Les Paul Goldtop VOS Darkback Reissue
Serial 771413 ink-stamped on back of headstock, bound body with carved top, four gold bonnet volume/tone knobs, three-way selector, two humbuckers, bound rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid markers, Gibson Deluxe tuners, in shaped, hard Gibson plush-lined case with strap.
Used on the 2007 album Close As You Get and seen in live performances on the corresponding tour.
Estimated: £2,500-3,500
Circa 1991 Fritz Brothers "Roy Buchanan Bluesmaster"
Telecaster-style, bound body with three-tone sunburst finish, three EMG pickups, five-way selector and volume/tone knobs, three-ply laminated pearloid scratchplate, unbound fingerboard, headstock with Roy Buchanan “signature,” Sperzel tuners, in hard, rectangular plush-lined case with strap.
Ordered from the Fritz Brothers workshop after Gary had borrowed a similar model from his Henley neighbour George Harrison for use on one track of 1989’s After The War album. It was used to play that track live and for some tracks on the After Hours album.
Estimated: £3,000-4,000
1964 Fender Vibroverb
Serial A03015, black tolex with blackface, one 15-inch speaker, front panel with Normal/Vibrato sockets, nine control knobs, 240/110 volt transformer bolted into chassis, complete with flight case.
Estimated: £4,000-5,000
2011 Gibson Les Paul Standard VOS Collector's Choice No.1, Artist's Proof No.3
Artist Proof #3 in silver pen to back of headstock, bound, carved, two-piece flame maple top with fine figuring, mahogany body and neck, four gold bonnet volume/tone control knobs (two with caps), two humbuckers, three-way selector, bound rosewood neck with trapezoid markers, Sperzel tuners, in hard, shaped lined Gibson case with completed checklist/COA/tags, with original delivery box.
Estimated: £2,000-3,000
2010 Gibson Firebird V
Serial CS003415 inked to back of headstock, non-reverse body with TV white finish, gold-plated hardware, three P-90 pickups, four volume/tone black bonnet knobs, three-way selector on three-play laminated scratchplate with Firebird logo, unbound rosewood fingerboard with dot markers, Grover tuners, in Gibson Custom hard, rectangular fitted case with maker's warranty and COA.
Estimated: £1,200-1,500
2009 Gibson Flying V '84 Reissue Star Ray guitar
Serial 011090694 and Made In U.S.A. 2009 impressed to back of headstock, all-black finish with star and sunray detailing, chrome-plated hardware, black bonnet volume/tone knobs, three-way selector, two humbuckers, unbound rosewood fingerboard, Grover tuners, in hard, shaped plush-lined Stagg case.
Estimated: £2,500-3,000
Marshall Model 1967 Major, circa 1968
Serial A03343, black tolex, Marshall logo to front, plexi front panel with four inputs and six control knobs.
Acquired for the BBM tour in 1994 and used on a handful of early shows, until replaced by regular 100 watt SLP59 Marshall amps. It has recently been at the Marshall factory, as part of their ongoing archive project.
Estimated: £1,200-1,500
2009 Gibson SG Zoot Suit
Serial 019790308 and Made In U.S.A. 2009 impressed to back of headstock, multi-laminate birch body in 'rainbow' finish, two coverless humbuckers, two clear bonnet volume/tone knobs, three-way selector, unbound ebony fingerboard with no markers, in plush-lined, shaped hard Gibson case with strap.
Estimated: £1,200-1,500
2009 Gibson SG Zoot Suit
Serial 019590605 and Made In U.S.A. impressed to back of headstock, multi-laminate birch body in red and blue, clear bonnet volume/tone knobs, three-way selector, two coverless humbuckers, ebony fingerboard, no markers, Grover tuners, in hard, shaped lined case with strap, completed pre-pack list and owner's manual.
Estimated: £2,500-3,000
2004 Gibson Les Paul '59 Standard Historic Reissue
Serial 9 4015 ink-stamped to back of headstock, carved two-piece flame maple top with sunburst finish, mahogany back and neck, four gold bonnet volume/tone knobs, three-way selector, two humbuckers, rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid markers, Gibson Deluxe tuners, in Gibson hard shaped, lined case with strap and maker's information and care guide.
A personal gift to Gary from a fan, presented to him at a show in 2007. It was used as the dressing room warm-up guitar on and off for the next few years, travelling as far as Japan, Korea and Russia in 2010.
Estimated: £2,000-3,000
2008 Gibson Les Paul Standard Hot Rod 58
Serial CS85752 ink-stamped to back of headstock, limited edition of 150, carved two-piece flame maple top with cherry red finish underscored with 'flame' detailing, four gold bonnet volume/tone knobs, three-way selector, nickel-plated hardware, two BurstBucker pickups, bound mahogany body, bound rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid markers, Gibson Deluxe tuners, in Gibson hard, shaped plush-lined case with strap, removed metal scratchplate, broken original toggle switch and owner's manual.
Estimated: £1,000-1,500
Warwick Thumb Bass
Serial 8675 87 impressed to end of headstock, natural finish body with thru-neck, two EMG pickups, three control knobs, angled tuners, in soft case.
Used for various home demos, it would also have been tried out by Jack Bruce while he and Gary were writing and recording home demos in 1993, which became tracks on the Baker Bruce Moore album, 'Around The Next Dream', 1994. Also seen/heard in live shows in 2006/2007, played by Pete Rees, Gary's live band bassist at the time.
Estimated: £2,500-3,000
2012 Gibson Gary Moore Tribute Model Les Paul Standard Initial Prototype
Serial 104120637 and Made In U.S.A. 2012 impressed to back of headstock, unbound well-figured, carved maple top with lemon burst finish, four black bonnet volume/tone knobs, three-way selector, two humbuckers, chrome-plate hardware, unbound rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid markers, Grover tuners, player's name to truss rod cover, in shaped, hard, plush-lined Gibson case and in original delivery box.
Estimated: £2,500-3,000
2012 Gibson Gary Moore Tribute Model Les Paul Standard Second Prototype
Serial 121420411 and Made In U.S.A. 2012 impressed to back of headstock, two-piece carved maple top in light burst finish, unbound, mahogany body, four gold bonnet volume/control knobs (two with caps), three-way selector, two humbuckers, nickel-plated hardware, unbound rosewood fingerboard with trapezoid markers, player's name to truss rod cover, Gibson Deluxe tuners, in hard, shaped plush-lined Gibson case with manual, in original delivery box.
Estimated: £1,200-1,500
National Model 1104 Town and Country, circa 1957
Serial X74338 stamped on plate to back of headstock, bound maple body with natural finish, back with plastic covering, two pickups, nickel-plated hardware, lower scratchplate with six volume/tone knobs and selector, bolt-on neck with bound rosewood fingerboard and parallelogram markers, in hard, shaped lined Stone Case Co. case with strap.
Featured in a photo shoot for promo pictures in 2008, for the 'Bad For You Baby' album, and used on flyers and posters for live shows in Europe during this period.
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.