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ket.com/albums/g219/davida54/Wild%20Frontier%20Gary%20Moore/alf_gr_gary_moore_1987_113109.jpg[/IMG] 
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Recently I was commissioned to write a brief history of Gary Moore for a website that supports a Gathering For Gary which will happen in April in Brighton,England on the anniversary of his birthday. I thought that you would like to read it:
The Story of Gary Moore
Ireland has produced moore than it’s fair share of truly incredible musicians in the modern era. From the north came a man whose vision and talent burned as bright as the flame they called the Emerald.
Gary Moore was renowned for his purity of spirit and truly he never gave less than 100%.
As a young lad he chose like some others to reject the traditional show band path and instead followed his influences in the blues/rock idiom. Early heroes were Eric Clapton and ultimately Peter Green whose mentoring directly impacted Gary and would provide him with one of his most valued tools, the Greeny 1959 Les Paul Standard.
His remarkable talent as a guitarist soon stood him apart from all the others, with his quest to really communicate with fans as few other guitarists ever have.
Gary had a unique ability to speak with his guitar as a voice and it was a voice that appealed to many sections of the population. As a technical guitarist he yet had a very broad appeal. Mums would hum his melodies the same as any anorak wearing guitar fan!
This voice would literally bring one to tears with it’s powerful beauty.
His heart was large and beat to it’s own drum, but this was a rhythm that we all could understand.
That Gary worked with so many diverse musicians and very famous ones was a hallmark of his all too brief career.
He shared stage and record with the many greats of the blues world.
Able to play what appeared to be a simple genre of music which is actually the most difficult with it’s heartfelt emotional component.
Gary was a master of all he attempted, garnering the respect of those he worked with. One of his greatest compliments came from the phenomenal songwriter/guitarist George Harrison. George who worked with Gary a few times said that his vibrato and ability to bend notes in perfect pitch was one of the things that most amazed him about Gary’s playing. As a guitarist myself, Gary provided me with a blueprint to model myself both as a player and a technician.
The technical side of playing from amplifiers to effects pedals, even the strings he used and picks. All these things one could follow and hone your skills!
He for most of his career prior to a hand injury used heavy strings and high action, giving a purity of tone that many others would attempt to mimic but ultimately that’s what it turned out to be!
Through his career he, first out of necessity, developed a vocal ability that became really quite superb.
Gary was able to infuse the hard rock genre with a socially conscious aspect, that to this day is quite unique.
His friendship with another son of Ireland, this time from the south, Phillip Lynott would shape Gary’s songwriting to reflect their Celtic heritage.
The Celtic rock era would become one of his richest musical endeavours, leading to Wild Frontier and After The War.
Phillip’s song Military Man, the first solo contains such emotional content that is so heartfelt and speaks directly to the soul.
The autobiographical song Blood of Emeralds speaks of Phil’s and his journey from the motherland into the stormy seas of the music business that ultimately would claim one of them, way too young.
The never completed album that Gary was set to begin working upon, the first three songs were directly related to his long lost friend.
There will never be another like Gary Moore he truly was a man for the ages. We fans who live our lives through the incredible gifts he has left us will never forget him. A flame burns brightly in our hearts and minds, never to be extinguished. Thank you William Robert Gary Moore we will always remember.
By David Talkin
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The new issue of Guitarist magazine said the estate will be auctioning off some gear in the next year. Mostly amps, they'll be hanging on to most of his treasured guitars like his vintage Strats and LP's but I'm wondering if we might see some of his older 'metal' guitars (Jacksons, Charvels, Heritage, Hamer, etc.) hit the market.GTWGITS! - RacerXComment
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Hellbat all of Gary's rock era guitars have long ago been sold I know for sure. All of his Hamers are long gone, his Jackson Soloist sold a few years ago and the Charvels went sometime in the early nineties when Gary entered his 'blues' phase. Gary's Heritage CM-150 was sold for the second time in 2015. I am interested in Gary's 1972 Marshall Super Bass out of all the amps...
Here is the Heritage CM-150 prototype for the GM signature Heritage when it came up for sale the second time at GAK in Brighton, England:
What do you guys think of my writing, I had been given a word total limitation for the website it is intended for?
Here is the issue #403 of the Guitarist magazine featuring Gary's equipment, I haven't been able to get my copy yet:
EmeraldLast edited by Emerald; 01-15-2016, 09:56 PM.Comment
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For more than two decades Graham Lilley looked after Moore and his kit. Reports suggest that Moore owned lock-ups full of guitars, amplifiers, cabinets, pedals and much more.
Graham, who has been given the responsibility of organising the auction, said: "A chunk of it will be retained by the estate for the time being.
"But there's a lot of stuff left and it's made to be played, to make a noise with, so somebody should make a noise with it.
"It's just trying to find the best way to do it. Some of it might find its way to auction websites, so anybody can bid on it, fans for example, and get a little piece of that heritage.Comment
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This is an awesome thread! Emerald - you are a great source for knowledge on Gary's gear!
Questions on the red Charvel...what color red is it? Looks more "tomato" red than Fender's "fiesta red, but not at bright as Charvel's "ferrari red". Also, in most of the pics the red Charvel is shown with an unpainted headstock...but later it is seen with a matching red headstock. Maybe I missed the explanation in the lengthy thread.Comment
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singlehum, the red Charvel has a naturally finished head stock. The red is an original Charvel color as Keith Page Gary's guitar tech back in the late eighties didn't repaint either of the two Charvels that he reworked. The white one has a painted head stock to match it's body color. I think you'll find all the pictures of the red Charvel have the natural finish on the head stock! So the red would be a factory color red from 1984-5.Originally posted by singlehum View Post
Thanks for your support!
You are familiar with the story of how Keith Page rebuilt two of Gary's existing factory Charvels into the single EMG tone monsters they became!
The two Charvels in this picture are the original guitars, the red Strat head and the white Strat head with black pick guard:
Actually on the white double hum guitar it did end up with a white head stock. It has the black anodized R2 nut that it kept later on..
Note that in this picture the head stock is white!
EmeraldLast edited by Emerald; 01-24-2016, 01:51 AM.Comment
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Are you really sure the Charvels went back then? Because I know several members of the family and asked specifically about the Charvels a couple of years ago, was told that at least one of them was still in the family.Originally posted by Emerald View PostComment
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Originally posted by Emerald View Post
Two different necks (or possibly two different guitars) ...one 21 frets the other 22...Comment
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I hope that I am wrong about the Charvels being already sold, good eye Chuck on the Charvel necks.
EmeraldComment
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Let me introduce you...
...my little tribute to Gary Moore.
This guitar for me is a dream come true! After years and years eventually I've found a great luthier who supported me in this emotional challenge...
One piece here, another there... something rebuilt... Finally there she is! My sweet, red little baby!
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Great work it's great to see so many replica tributes being made!
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