- 14 hours ago
Guitarist magazine's editor-in-chief Jamie Dickson, former editor Neville Marten and Claire Tole-Moir from Bonhams talk about Gary Moore's Gibson Les Paul - nicknamed 'Stripe' - on stage at The Gibson Garage in London on 10th October 2025. Filmed before the Bonhams auction on 20th November 2025, the discussion profiles Gary Moore's life as a guitar collector and highlights his love for Gibson guitars.
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00:00Few players are as ferociously talented and expressive as Gary Moore, who not only made his name with Skid Row
00:06and Thin Lizzy, but this incredible solo career.
00:09And we're extremely lucky to have two of his Les Pauls here tonight, courtesy of Bonhams of London, the auction
00:16house, who are currently organising a sale of the last and most treasured of Gary's guitars.
00:23And we're lucky enough to have two of them tonight.
00:26And we're also lucky to have Claire Tolmoyer, who is the head of science and popular culture at Bonhams, to
00:33come on and explain a little bit more about these two guitars.
00:36So please give Claire Tolmoyer of Bonhams a warm welcome to the stage.
00:48Hello.
00:51So just a little bit of backstory.
00:54Bonhams, this isn't the first sale of Gary Moore's guitars that Bonhams have dealt with, is it?
01:01No, we've been partners with the Gary Moore estate for 10 years, which is quite remarkable because I've been at
01:07Bonhams 11 years.
01:08So I think I've been selling Gary Moore guitars my entire Bonhams career.
01:11But yeah, our first sale was back in 2016.
01:15We then had other parts in 2017 and 2022.
01:19But this is it.
01:20This is the final encore coming up this November.
01:24And we have got some exquisite guitars from his collection, including this one and another one, which we'll be coming
01:30on to later.
01:33We've had 105 guitars over the course of 10 years.
01:37It was just when we were talking the other day, we worked out just how many he had.
01:40I think when you sell it in tranches, you don't really count how many, but it was quite remarkable to
01:47work out just how many he had.
01:48And of those 105 guitars, 60 of them were Gibson.
01:52So he really was a Gibson lover.
01:56And it's fantastic that we've seen so many different examples from Gibson over the years.
02:03I mean, it's interesting, isn't it?
02:04I mean, some players like Brian May is the obvious example, are sort of associated forever with one particular guitar
02:10that they do everything with that becomes inseparable from their image.
02:14But Gary was much more kind of wide ranging, wasn't he, in his choice of instruments?
02:18Yeah, definitely.
02:19He constantly tried to sort of go out of his comfort zone, try new examples, try and sort of test
02:27his sound and his tone.
02:28And I think that's why he built such a collection.
02:31He really was a boundary pusher.
02:34He didn't stick in one area.
02:36And I think that's reflective in his collection.
02:40And not only that is he he was a proper collector.
02:43He loved it, you know.
02:44And he got to collect at a time when you could collect or he could collect.
02:50He collected right from sort of late 70s right up until he passed.
02:56So it was a bit of a luxury for others.
02:59But again, it's quite rare that you see a collection of that size with so many vintage examples come onto
03:06the market.
03:06It's not so easy nowadays.
03:09So even for, you know, a musician of Gary's calibre is quite an unusual sort of breadth to the collection.
03:16Absolutely.
03:17We've got guitars in there.
03:18Well, I mean, in November we've got guitars from 1955 right up until 2012.
03:25So there's something for everyone.
03:27So perhaps we should introduce this guitar to the stage.
03:31It's one of the most familiar to Gary Moore fans.
03:33Tell us a little bit about this, Claire, please.
03:35So this is Gary Moore's 1959 Les Paul, a.k.a. Stripe.
03:42It's called Stripe because of its very distinct grain here.
03:47It wasn't called Stripe by Gary.
03:50He called it the LP2 or the other 59 Les Paul.
03:54We all know what he's referring to there.
03:56It was actually Tom Whitrock who had it before Gary who nicknamed it that.
04:03And it's, I mean, lots of people know it as Stripe, but it's such a distinct guitar.
04:09He got it in 1988 from Phil Harris and it basically became one of his main guitars since that date.
04:16He used it right up until 2008.
04:19It appeared on almost every studio album.
04:23And he toured with it as well right up until 2006 when he decided to retire it because it basically
04:29got too expensive to insure it on tour.
04:32So it stayed at home, stayed on the studio work.
04:35But it's the workhorse behind Gary Moore.
04:38It's a very important guitar to Gary and his collection.
04:43Yeah, it's really interesting, isn't it?
04:44I mean, I want to sort of go over to Nev here for a moment because you knew Gary a
04:48bit, didn't you?
04:49I did know Gary, yeah.
04:51I was lucky enough to interview him many times and we kind of got on as people.
04:57We were similar era people.
04:59I mean, our introduction to blues was identical.
05:02He told me exactly the same story that was my story, which a friend came around to the house with
05:07the Blues Breakers with Clapton, put the needle on.
05:11And that first lick on there, we both said, what the hell is that?
05:16And that was our introduction to the Les Paul and to Eric Clapton.
05:21And, you know, Gary loved Eric, loved Peter, who followed Eric in the Blues Breakers.
05:26And that's why he bought Les Pauls.
05:28That's why Mick Taylor bought Les Pauls.
05:31I mean, what I find interesting, but also kind of entirely logical about the guitars that Gary had is that
05:38they're not absolutely pristine, you know, collector's pieces because they have been used actually in anger on the road and
05:46so forth.
05:47And this is a kind of an example of that.
05:49I was just thinking that sat there.
05:51I was looking at the one I'm about to bring on stage, looking at all these.
05:54They're pristine.
05:55But this one, you know, he travelled the world with it.
05:58It's been everywhere.
05:59It's so used.
06:01It's so loved.
06:01If it could talk, if it could tell you the stories of all those tour moments.
06:06And I think that's what you kind of want from a celebrity piece, an associated celebrity piece.
06:13You want it to have that wear.
06:14And it really was the sort of go-to guitar.
06:17And this is it.
06:18Yeah.
06:19I mean, straight away, you can see that it's got Grovers.
06:22And this is the sort of classic upgrade.
06:25I mean, obviously, the Clueson Deluxe is the plastic crumbles and all the rest.
06:29What do you see as the functional upgrade that was being sought there?
06:33Well, I mean, to my shame, and any guitar repair from my vintage, I put Grovers on so many Gibsons.
06:40And to my utter disgust, I've ruined it.
06:44And my own 6335, I put shallow tuners on them.
06:49But the old Cluesons weren't great.
06:52They did get very loose.
06:54Mine got very, very loose.
06:55And it just wouldn't stay in tune.
06:57So I put shallows on it.
06:59And that was the standard thing.
07:00Everybody thought, back then, we weren't messing guitars up.
07:04We were upgrading them.
07:05It wasn't a, we weren't destroying things.
07:11Any one of these guitars now, if you put Grovers on that, you'd probably take, I'd shudder to think what
07:17you take off is value.
07:18But that's not how we thought back then.
07:20And we thought we were making a musical instrument better.
07:23And that's why they did it.
07:25I mean, this is quite an interesting subject for, you know, auction houses.
07:28Because, you know, there's a market for pure collector grade guitars, which are perfectly original in every respect.
07:34And there's another one for guitars played for years by much-loved musicians.
07:39Do they overlap like a Venn diagram?
07:41Or how does that work?
07:43I think you just have to pay attention a bit more.
07:46Because you expect to see it how it was put out by the factory.
07:50And then you look a bit closer and you see what the artist did to it.
07:55And suddenly you're dealing with something totally custom, totally unique.
07:58And totally in line with that person, that musician.
08:02And, for instance, this one, you know, it is modified.
08:05But this is what Gary wanted.
08:06This is how he got those sounds and tones on all the albums you know and love.
08:11Because it's totally custom to him.
08:14It's totally unique.
08:15And it just makes you pay attention a little bit more.
08:19Well, absolutely.
08:20I mean, what I find interesting about Gary is he loved, clearly, the heritage of his heroes.
08:26And the heritage of iconic brands like Gibson.
08:30But he was also quite a pragmatist as well.
08:32So, I mean, you know, he would mix and match vintage stuff with brand new stuff, wouldn't he?
08:37Oh, he totally would.
08:38I mean, Gary would just as happily play a brand new Les Paul 335 Explorer, you know, straight off the
08:48shelf.
08:49I remember going to seeing him up in Sheffield on a big rock tour.
08:55And he was playing a white Explorer, not high-end one, just a basic one with open top pick-up,
09:02straight off the shelf, made it sing.
09:04He wanted that look.
09:07So he probably went to the shop and bought it.
09:10He used to like buying his guitars.
09:12So, yeah, he would be very pragmatic.
09:15I remember sitting with Gary in Trevor Horn's, he sounds very posh, doesn't it, in Trevor Horn's house.
09:22He was doing an album there in Trevor Horn's studio.
09:25And we sat late at night, and we sat there with both custom shop Les Pauls.
09:31Gary was just as happy playing a custom shop Les Paul, you know, who wouldn't be.
09:35They're lovely guitars.
09:36But, you know, he didn't have to be a quarter of a million pound vintage Les Paul.
09:42He, as you say quite rightly, Jamie, he was a pragmatist.
09:45But he would select a guitar that worked for him.
09:49I remember asking him once what made him, what made a guitar good for him.
09:54He said, go into a shop.
09:55He lived in Hove, near Brighton.
09:57He said, go into GAC.
09:59Sadly, much missed GAC.
10:02And he said, I'd pick up a guitar, not plug it in.
10:05I'd play it, and I'd know if it was a guitar that would work with me.
10:11And it was as simple as that.
10:13Yeah, and what do you think his kind of cardinal qualities were as a player?
10:19What was his strongest suit as a player, and why did it match so well with the Les Paul?
10:23It was kind of what Ainsley alluded to earlier on, and it was the dynamic range.
10:31Gary would turn a Les Paul down to one on the volume control
10:36and tease out the sweetest, cutest, most loving, tender notes.
10:43And then, within a minute, he's flat out, right at the top of the neck,
10:49blasting out like 30-second notes to the dozen.
10:53And that's what he had.
10:56But he had a touch.
10:58He had a brilliant touch on the guitar.
11:03Very few people had that level of touch.
11:06It's a beautiful, beautiful musical.
11:09I remember sitting with Gary that same night in Trevor Horn's house,
11:13and he was piddling about playing some jazz chords.
11:17And he started to play.
11:19There's a track on Larry Carlton's, one of his first albums,
11:23that's called Room 335.
11:24It wasn't called that.
11:25It was called Larry Carlton.
11:26But there's a track on there called, it was only yesterday,
11:29a beautiful ballad with its descending minor chord thing.
11:32And he was playing the chords and the lead at the same time.
11:37And I said, why don't you do something like that on one of your albums?
11:41He said, my fans wouldn't like it.
11:42I said, I think they would.
11:45Yeah, absolutely.
11:46He was so, I remember watching him with Coliseum 2.
11:50Or was it Coliseum?
11:51No, Coliseum.
11:52And he was jumping up and down.
11:56He'd play these stupendous runs.
11:59And he'd jump up and down and he'd land on his feet
12:02and on the perfect note at the same time.
12:04I'd never heard him play a bum note.
12:07Yeah, which is incredible, isn't it?
12:09To be so in the music and yet so kind of footsure.
12:13He didn't know what was going on in those songs.
12:15It was chordally and harmonically.
12:18But his head was intuitive and playing the right notes.
12:24I'll never understand why.
12:26Yeah.
12:26Well, that's real deep musicianship, isn't it?
12:29Yeah.
12:29Where it's just instinctive.
12:31I mean, this final encore sale is quite interesting
12:34because it's not only some of the most significant guitars
12:39that Gary owned,
12:41but it's got something broader to it as well.
12:44I mean, you've got like sort of stage clothing,
12:45you've got effects.
12:46And what's the sort of breadth of what's appearing in the sale?
12:49Yeah, so this really is the last part.
12:52The final encore is the most prized guitars from the collection.
12:56These are the ones that have been most dear to the family
12:58and have wanted to hold on to for the longest,
13:01including this one.
13:02We've got 30 guitars coming up,
13:0520 of which are Gibson.
13:07Like I said, ranging from 1955 right up to 2012.
13:11We've got Les Pauls.
13:13We've got SGs.
13:15We've got Explorers.
13:16We've even got a Les Paul Jr.
13:18that was owned by Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols before Gary,
13:21which I kind of love.
13:22It had a whole punk era,
13:24you know, punk life before Gary took it
13:26into the sort of heavy metal, heavy rock era of the 80s.
13:29So there's really something for everyone.
13:32Lots of different price points.
13:35Guitars ranging from 2,000 up to 200,000.
13:38So, yep, it's lots of different price points.
13:41We also have 50 amps, mostly Marshall.
13:44And for the first time ever,
13:46stage and video worn clothing.
13:49We haven't had that opportunity before,
13:51but now we've got, you know,
13:53like we've got the ensemble
13:54from the After the War album cover.
13:56You know, the long leather jackets,
13:57big shoulder pads, safety pin shirts.
14:00So it really sort of,
14:02there's something from each era of his life and career.
14:05And I think that's what's really,
14:06really special this time round.
14:09You know, fans have stayed loyal to him,
14:11but they've loved that he's sort of evolved
14:14and he's moved forward.
14:17And yeah, there's something for everyone.
14:20And as we sort of bring things full circle,
14:23I mean, you brought along another Les Paul tonight,
14:26which...
14:26I did.
14:27It's over there, I think.
14:29So tell us a little bit about this one,
14:31because it...
14:31Can I pick it up?
14:31Sure, go for it.
14:33These are all friends to you, I think, Nev.
14:36So this is Gary's custom shop Les Paul.
14:40This is from 2010
14:41and it's a Peter Green, Gary Moore tribute model.
14:46It was delivered to Gary in 2010,
14:49just before his Summer of Rock tour.
14:52And of course, it's got this aged look to it,
14:55aged look and feel,
14:57based on the 59.
14:59But it's really special
15:01because this is the last guitar Gary was seen
15:03playing in front of a live audience.
15:06It was played at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow in 2010.
15:11So I was talking to you earlier
15:13and I feel like these are sort of bookends
15:15in terms of Les Paul's for Gary.
15:17Obviously, Greeny has its place in history as well,
15:20but to have Stripe and then this one,
15:23which was the last one he played in front of an audience,
15:25I think is very special
15:26and really special for us as well.
15:28Well, on that note, Claire,
15:30thank you so much for sharing these instruments with us.
15:32It's really beautiful to see them
15:33and very powerfully nostalgic for any fans of Gary Moore.
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