The Gary Moore Collection auction

Bonhams Rock Memorabilia Sale, Knightsbridge 28 June

Last year saw the first auction of guitars and amps from the private collection of the late Gary Moore, and this June there will a chance to bid on nearly 40 more from his varied collection of vintage and more contemporary gear.

Guitarist has been casting our eye over the lots, and with estimates ranging from £600 to £6,000, the items on sale are testament to how eclectic Gary’s tonal tastes could be, alongside some more familiar Gibson and Marshall classicism. A 2005 Line 6 Variax, 1995 Beltona Tricone and 1934/1935 National Trojan represent some of the more leftfield offerings, while an early version 1982 Fender American Vintage ’57 Reissue Stratocaster (pictured, estimated at £3,000 to £3,500) can be seen in the promo video for Out In The Fields, Gary’s 1985 hit with former Thin Lizzy bandmate Phil Lynott. It also made a return for the 1997 Dark Days In Paradise tour and on the song Business As Usual from the Live At Montreux, 1997 live release. The rare 1962 Gibson EB3 bass (pictured, estimated at £4,000 to £4,500) in the auction was actually used by the late Jack Bruce for recording sessions and publicity photos when he joined up with Gary and Ginger Baker for BBM.

Another Gibson, a 1990 Red Firebird V Reissue (pictured) was used in the studio to track Preacher Man Blues from 2008’s Bad For You Baby and on tour in Europe during 2009/2010 for the song Too Tired.

But it’s the Les Paul that Gary became synonymous with in his blues work, and there are a few up for grabs in the auction that saw use on the road. A 2007 reissue Les Paul Standard Goldtop ’57 VOS LPR-7 was used on the Close As You Get Tour in 2007/2008, while a 2008 ’59 Reissue was used on tour in Spain in 2009 for the encore of Parisienne Walkways. Another ’59 Reissue, nicknamed ‘Frankfurt’ after the city it was bought in on tour in 2009, was used during Japan and European tours in 2010 and can been seen in the 2010 Live At Montreux DVD.

Guitarist’s eye has also been drawn to the 1989 Soldano SLO-100 amplifier, used on 1990’s Still Got The Blues and 1992’s After Hours tours. It was Gary’s second model and primarily a backup, but it was used as the primary amp to record the Live Blues performance, filmed at The Garage in Highbury during 1993. Gary’s longtime tech and road manager, Graham Lilley, has provided details on the history of the lots and confirms that the amp was isolated in an offstage area for the recording to achieve a better sound for the mobile studio, rather than being captured in the small club.

The 1971 and 1972, Marshall 1992 MP Super Bass 100 head lots were originally used as the source for swapping out vintage spares to Gary’s favoured 1992, but these come intact including the original Bulgin mains connector socket. A more recent rarity is the unused Marshall 1962 Jaguar Bluesbreaker from 2002. It’s rumoured that only 30 of the 40 of these amps that were made were sent for retail, while the other 10 were presented to Marshall artists including Kerry King, Dan Hawkins and Gary.

Guitarist has heard that items could yet be added to the lots for the auction and we’d advise keeping an eye on our Facebook page for updates, as well as the Bonham’s site. And with the 100 per cent sales success of last year’s auction, it’s looking like this follow-up will attract similar demand.