The guitar most associated with Gary Moore is his 1959 Les Paul Standard (The Holy Grail), once owned by Peter Green. So it's no surprise that his signature guitar models have echoes of this holy grail model.
The first Gary Moore signature model was the Heritage Gary Moore model, appearing around 1990. It was a Les Paul style guitar with EMG 81 pickups. This model was followed by two Gibson signature models: the Moore signature Les Paul and the BFG. Both of these were stripped down lemon burst Les Pauls, with no body or neck binding, with Burst Bucker pickups (and a P-90 in the BFG model).
The next model, the Gibson Collectors Choice #1 1959 Les Paul Standard, was not strictly speaking a signature model. This guitar was a meticulous copy of the Holy Grail Les Paul, but the first 125 were specially aged and supplied with a certificate of authenticity signed by Gary Moore.
In 2013, two years after Moore's death, Gibson reissued his unbound Signature Les Paul, with some cosmetic features from the Collector's Choice #1 model (like the mismatched controls). This was the only one of his signature models that Moore never played.
HERITAGE GARY MOORE MODELHERITAGE made the GARY MOORE MODEL between 1989 and 1992. This guitar was based on the Heritage 150 model and production was limited to 150 instruments: the first 75 were finished in amber and the final 75 finished in almond sunburst. Moore was already player of Heritage guitars - with three H150s and a H140CM, when Terry Haselden (Heritage’s UK distributor) suggested a Moore signature model. Haselden designed the signature guitar in collaboration with Moore and supplied the signed certificates of authenticity. | |
GIBSON GARY MOORE SIGNATURE LES PAULGibson made the Gary Moore Signature Les Paul from 2000 to 2001. It was a standard production model, with no body binding, an AA flamed maple top finished in lemon burst (inspired by Moore's Peter Green Les Paul), 1959 profile neck and an unbound rosewood fingerboard. This was the first Gibson standard production model to feature BurstBucker pickups, on this model the pickups are exposed with a reversed zeba pickup in the neck position. I believe these were wired to reproduce the out of phase wiring in Moore's Peter Green Les Paul. | |
GIBSON GARY MOORE SIGNATURE LES PAUL BFGThe Gary Moore Signature Les Paul BFG is a stripped-down Les Paul, with no body or neck binding. This model has an uncovered Zebra Burstbucker 3 humbucker in the bridge, with a single-coil P-90 in the neck, all controlled by two top hat style volume controls and one tone knob. The traditional toggle switch has been wired to act as a kill switch, and a smaller toggle pickup selector switch in the place of the missing tone knob controls pickup selection. | |
GIBSON COLLECTOR'S CHOICE #1 1959 LES PAUL STANDARDThe Gibson Collector's Choice #1 1959 Les Paul Standard is an exact replica of the legendary 1959 Les Paul owned by Peter Green, Gary Moore and Melvyn Franks. This guitar combines the historically accurate details of a Custom Shop 1959 Les Paul Custom with the unique features of the "Holy Grail" like the deep-amber finished highly figured maple top, reversed neck pickups, missing silver inserts on the top two "Top Hat" control knobs and Bumble Bee tone capacitors. | |
GIBSON GARY MOORE LES PAUL STANDARDThe Gibson Gary Moore Les Paul Standard is a reissue of the 2000-2002 Gary Moore Signature Les Paul model. It was introduced in 2013, two years after the death of Gary Moore. This model has no body binding, an AA flamed maple top finished in lemon burst (inspired by Moore's Peter Green Les Paul), a 1959 profile neck and an unbound granadillo (cocobolo) fingerboard. It has two Burst Bucker pickups, on this model the pickups are covered unlike the first Gary Moore LP.The neck pickup is reversed in its mounting, in recognition of a similar modification to Peter Green’s Les Paul. |
Specifications:
Model | Image | Binding | Finish colors | Finish effects | Made in | Number of strings | Scale length | Finish material |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HERITAGE GARY MOORE MODEL 1990 to 1992 | body binding, neck binding | amber finish | transparent finish | USA | 6 strings | 24.75 inches scale-length | - | |
GIBSON GARY MOORE SIGNATURE LES PAUL 2000 to 2002 | - | yellow finish | sunburst finish | USA | 6 strings | 24.75 inches scale-length | nitrocellulose finish | |
GIBSON GARY MOORE SIGNATURE LES PAUL BFG 2008 | - | yellow finish | sunburst finish | USA | 6 strings | 24.75 inches scale-length | nitrocellulose finish | |
GIBSON COLLECTOR'S CHOICE #1 1959 LES PAUL STANDARD 2010 | body binding, neck binding | amber finish | sunburst finish, worn or aged finish | USA | 6 strings | 24.75 inches scale-length | nitrocellulose finish | |
GIBSON GARY MOORE LES PAUL STANDARD 2013 | - | yellow finish | sunburst finish | USA | 6 strings | 24.75 inches scale-length | nitrocellulose finish |
Model | Body material | Body shape features | Body style | Body top material | Pickguard material |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
HERITAGE GARY MOORE MODEL 1990 to 1992 | mahogany body | carved top, single cutaway | Les Paul-style body | maple body top | wooden pickguard |
GIBSON GARY MOORE SIGNATURE LES PAUL 2000 to 2002 | mahogany body | carved top, single cutaway | Les Paul-style body | flamed maple body top | - |
GIBSON GARY MOORE SIGNATURE LES PAUL BFG 2008 | mahogany body | carved top, single cutaway | Les Paul-style body | maple body top | - |
GIBSON COLLECTOR'S CHOICE #1 1959 LES PAUL STANDARD 2010 | mahogany body | carved top, single cutaway | Les Paul-style body | flamed maple body top | - |
GIBSON GARY MOORE LES PAUL STANDARD 2013 | mahogany body | carved top, single cutaway | Les Paul-style body | flamed maple body top | - |
Model | Bridge | Hardware color | Tailpiece | Tuners |
---|---|---|---|---|
HERITAGE GARY MOORE MODEL 1990 to 1992 | tune-o-matic bridge | chrome hardware | stop tailpiece | - |
GIBSON GARY MOORE SIGNATURE LES PAUL 2000 to 2002 | tune-o-matic bridge | chrome hardware | stop tailpiece | Schaller tuners |
GIBSON GARY MOORE SIGNATURE LES PAUL BFG 2008 | tune-o-matic bridge | chrome hardware | stop tailpiece | Grover tuners |
GIBSON COLLECTOR'S CHOICE #1 1959 LES PAUL STANDARD 2010 | ABR-1 bridge | nickel hardware | stop tailpiece | Sperzel tuners |
GIBSON GARY MOORE LES PAUL STANDARD 2013 | tune-o-matic bridge | chrome hardware | stop tailpiece | TonePros tuners |
Model | Fingerboard inlay material | Fingerboard material | Fingerboard position markers |
---|---|---|---|
HERITAGE GARY MOORE MODEL 1990 to 1992 | pearl fingerboard inlay material | rosewood fingerboard | trapezoid fingerboard position markers |
GIBSON GARY MOORE SIGNATURE LES PAUL 2000 to 2002 | - | rosewood fingerboard | trapezoid fingerboard position markers |
GIBSON GARY MOORE SIGNATURE LES PAUL BFG 2008 | - | baked maple | - |
GIBSON COLLECTOR'S CHOICE #1 1959 LES PAUL STANDARD 2010 | - | rosewood fingerboard | trapezoid fingerboard position markers |
GIBSON GARY MOORE LES PAUL STANDARD 2013 | - | cocobolo fingerboard | trapezoid fingerboard position markers |
Model | Neck material | Number of frets | Peghead (headstock) | Tuner layout | Neck joint | Neck width | Nut |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HERITAGE GARY MOORE MODEL 1990 to 1992 | mahogany neck | 22 fret | black face headstock | three-each-side | - | - | - |
GIBSON GARY MOORE SIGNATURE LES PAUL 2000 to 2002 | mahogany neck | 22 fret | - | three-each-side | set neck | - | - |
GIBSON GARY MOORE SIGNATURE LES PAUL BFG 2008 | mahogany neck | 22 fret | - | three-each-side | set neck | 1.69 inches wide at nut | corian nut |
GIBSON COLLECTOR'S CHOICE #1 1959 LES PAUL STANDARD 2010 | mahogany neck | 22 fret | - | three-each-side | set neck | 1.69 inches wide at nut | - |
GIBSON GARY MOORE LES PAUL STANDARD 2013 | mahogany neck | 22 fret | - | three-each-side | set neck | - | - |
Model | Pickup selector controls | Tone controls | Volume controls | Controls shape |
---|---|---|---|---|
HERITAGE GARY MOORE MODEL 1990 to 1992 | 3-way selector switch | 2 tone controls | 2 volume controls | - |
GIBSON GARY MOORE SIGNATURE LES PAUL 2000 to 2002 | 3-way selector switch | 2 tone controls | 2 volume controls | - |
GIBSON GARY MOORE SIGNATURE LES PAUL BFG 2008 | 3-way selector switch | 1 tone control | 2 volume controls | - |
GIBSON COLLECTOR'S CHOICE #1 1959 LES PAUL STANDARD 2010 | 3-way selector switch | 2 tone controls | 2 volume controls | top hat controls |
GIBSON GARY MOORE LES PAUL STANDARD 2013 | 3-way selector switch | 2 tone controls | 2 volume controls | top hat controls |
Model | Pickups brand and model | Pickups configuration |
---|---|---|
HERITAGE GARY MOORE MODEL 1990 to 1992 | EMG 81 pickup(s) | 2 humbucker pickups |
GIBSON GARY MOORE SIGNATURE LES PAUL 2000 to 2002 | Gibson Burstbucker pickup(s) | 2 humbucker pickups |
GIBSON GARY MOORE SIGNATURE LES PAUL BFG 2008 | Gibson Burstbucker pickup(s), Gibson P-90 pickup(s) | - |
GIBSON COLLECTOR'S CHOICE #1 1959 LES PAUL STANDARD 2010 | Gibson Burstbucker pickup(s) | 2 humbucker pickups |
GIBSON GARY MOORE LES PAUL STANDARD 2013 | Gibson Burstbucker pickup(s) | 2 humbucker pickups |