A battered old guitar once owned by rock legend Gary Moore has been flogged for more than a quarter of a million quid.
The pink Fender Stratocaster, said to be one of the Thin Lizzy icon’s all time favourites, fetched a whopping £254,400 at Bonhams.
Built in 1961, the guitar is so well used that its paint has been rubbed away in places from years of heavy playing.
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Moore, born in Belfast in 1952 and widely hailed as one of the greatest guitarists in rock history, snapped up the axe in London around 1981, as reported by What’s The Jam.
Before the sale, its listing explained: “One of Gary’s longest-serving instruments and probably the second mostly associated with him, it has been extensively used in the studio and in live performance and he was often photographed with it.
“It was used most notably for his 1982 album, Corridors Of Power, especially the opening track on Side Two, Intro/End Of The World, featuring vocals by Jack Bruce, and for solo tours 1982/3 onwards.
“It can be heard on the 1990 Still Got The Blues album, for the tracks Too Tired and Moving On and was used for Gary’s appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival that same year.
“Gary played it at the Fender 50th Anniversary concert at Wembley Arena, September 2004, giving a blistering rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s Red House.
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“This important guitar came into Gary’s possession through a serendipitous shopping trip.
“He and Greg Lake had set out together in Kingston, South London.
“Gary recalled the event, ’we found it in a shop called Jon King Sounds.
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‘Greg tried it out but he didn’t like it because it had a few scratches on it – he likes his guitars to be real immaculate.
‘And I said, well, you’re not going to get one like this that is immaculate, they stopped making them in ‘62 and on most of them the paint’s worn off so you can’t get that particular colour.
“‘I said, if you don’t want it, I’ll have it, very calmly, trying to control myself.
“It’s great, it’s the best Strat I’ve ever had – it’s the best Strat I’ve ever played, I think.’
“Unsurprisingly, this guitar has undergone some changes in its lifetime.
“After Gary acquired it, the original frets were replaced with the larger Dunlop 6100 fret wire.
“According to Graham Lilley, Gary’s former guitar tech and road manager, the non-original neck pickup was rewound by Seymour Duncan in 1998.
“The middle pickup is a Lindy Fralin Blues Special but it is not known exactly when this was fitted.
“At the centre of discussions surrounding this guitar is the speculation about its original colour, now variously described as red or pink.
“Some have suggested it may once have had a sunburst finish, although close inspection reveals no evidence to support this.
“Further intrigue lies in the question of its date.
“While the guitar is frequently cited as a 1961 model, the neck is dated November 1960, suggesting it may have been assembled in the final months of that year or in the early part of 1961.
“Fender paid their own tribute in 2016 to both Gary and this guitar by its Custom Shop production of the Limited Edition Gary Moore Stratocaster, faithfully replicating the wear and tear to the guitar that makes it so distinctive.”
Moore, who died in 2011, was often called a virtuoso and inspired countless guitarists.
He was voted one of the greatest players of all time by both Total Guitar and Louder, while Bob Geldof hailed him as one of the great Irish bluesmen.
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