Gibson Gary Moore BFG Guitar Review

Gary Moore, though not very well known in the United States, is a legend in the music world. Guitarists the likes of Randy Rhoads have mentioned him as an influence, and Moore himself has played for bands such as Thin Lizzy. In honor of Moore's long career, Gibson offers the Gary Moore BFG electric guitar. Let's take a closer look to see if the guitar's quality measures up to Moore's quality as a musician.

Features: The body of the Gary Moore BFG is unique from other Gibsons in its design. It's chambered, which means in spots its hollowed out to improve sound richness and sustain. The back is made of mahogany wood, and the top is made of carved maple. The finish that comes with the Gary Moore BFG is termed "Lemon Burst", and has a very bright, glossy look. The neck is made of mahogany, and is set into the body. It has an angled headstock, a fretboard made of rosewood, and twenty two frets. Strangely, there are no inlays or position markers on the fretboard of the Gary Moore BFG. The hardware on the guitar, including the Grover locking tuning heads and Tune-O-Matic bridge, is all chrome. Electronically, the Gary Moore BFG has a unique setup. In the neck position is a P90 single coil pickup, and in the bridge position is a standard humbucker. It has two volume and one tone control knobs, a three way selector switch, and a kill switch as well.

Playability: The chambered body of the Gary Moore BFG makes it lighter than traditional Les Pauls, which means it's easier to stand up and play for long periods of time. The locking Grover tuners and bridge are top quality, which means string adjustment and keeping the guitar in tune is a breeze. The only fact I personally don't like is the lack of inlays.

Sound: The P-90 and humbucker pickup combination on the Gary Moore BFG makes for a very interesting set of tonal capabilities. The P-90 is known for a great treble sound, which means you can crank out almost Stratocaster-like tone with it. The bridge humbucker, meanwhile, provides the thickness of sound you'd expect from a Gibson.

Overall: The Gary Moore BFG is a guitar meant for seasoned, serious musicians. Its specs are unique, suiting a myriad of different genres and sounds. The craftsmanship, meanwhile, is all top quality, which should be expected from a guitar in this price range. You can find the Gibson Gary Moore BFG in music stores for about $1,400.