by CHECK the bank balance. Talk to the manager. Sell the car, family, dog, whatever it takes – the largest collection of the late great Gary Moore’s equipment, guitars and artefacts are to go to auction.
Gardiner Houlgate auctioneers in Wiltshire, England, is set to sell off a range of guitars and amplifiers owned and played on by the legendary Belfast-born six-string wizard who rose to fame with Skid Row, Thin Lizzy and as a solo artist with a string of chart hits including two British Top Ten tracks.
Auctioneers have discovered that Moore hand-marked his amplifiers to indicate his preferred settings, adding a unique sense of time and ownership to each auction item – and no doubt added value to commission fees!
Amplifiers and guitars will be part of the largest collection of Gary Moore-owned equipment ever to go to auction since his untimely death in 2011 from a heart attack.
The sale will be staged on December 11 and will contain 87 lots including guitar pedals, synthesizers and the 2001 Gibson ES-335 featured on the cover of his 2006 album Close As You Can Get.
The 87 lots include Moore’s amplifiers, stage equipment, effects pedals, synthesizers and a range of guitars, including the 2001 Gibson ES-335.
Auctioneer Luke Hobbs said: “It was a little eerie to find the pen markings made by Gary Moore. They look like they could have been drawn on yesterday.
“The whole turn-it-up-to-11-thing has become part of popular culture since Spinal Tap, so it’s good to know that their real-life contemporaries like Moore treated their equipment with a little more sophistication.
“With such a wide range of items up for sale, guitarists and fans have a great chance to own a piece of Gary Moore history for a very affordable price.
“It’s very hard to estimate the total value of a collection like this but we’re thinking it’s in the range of £30,000 to £40,000.
“While Moore was most well-known in the UK, he was a big name in Europe during the 80s, so we’re expecting considerable international interest.”
Gary Moore had Top Ten hits with Parisienne Walkways and Out In The Fields along with close friend and colleague Phil Lynott, and latterly when he switched to Blues, he enjoyed worldwide acclaim with Still Got The Blues and Oh Pretty Woman.
He also collaborated with legends such as BB King, Jack Bruce and George Harrison.
One of his most memorable performances on the guitar came in a duet with BB King, playing The Thrill Is Gone – one of this author’s favourite moments from Gary’s career –
There are plans afoot to erect a fan-funded statue of Gary Moore in his native Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Sculpture Sean McCarthy from County Cork has been commissioned to do the work and it’s hoped a statue can become part of the landscape in Belfast by 2021.
For more information on the Gary Moore statue, visit http://garymoorestatue.com/
