Claire Tole-Moir
Head of Department
Lot 43†,Y
Gary Moore: A Gibson ES-335TD Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitar, 1963,
20 November 2025, 14:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£15,000 - £20,000
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Fred Lawton
Cataloguer
Megan Littlewood
Sale Coordinator
Rebecca Anthony
Associate Specialist
Gary Moore: A Gibson ES-335TD Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitar,
1963,
serial no. 121250 inkstamped on oval orange label inside body and faintly seen impressed to back of headstock, double-cut bound body, two f holes, cherry red finish, maple back and sides, twin pickups with four black bonnet controls, three-way selector, three-ply black/white bevelled edge scratchplate, mahogany neck with bound Brazilian rosewood fingerboard, block markers, headstock with non-original tuners, logo and crown inlay, in plush-lined, shaped hardshell case with two spare bridges and strap peg, CITES 25GBA100PH29Z,
guitar 42in (106.5cm) long
serial no. 121250 inkstamped on oval orange label inside body and faintly seen impressed to back of headstock, double-cut bound body, two f holes, cherry red finish, maple back and sides, twin pickups with four black bonnet controls, three-way selector, three-ply black/white bevelled edge scratchplate, mahogany neck with bound Brazilian rosewood fingerboard, block markers, headstock with non-original tuners, logo and crown inlay, in plush-lined, shaped hardshell case with two spare bridges and strap peg, CITES 25GBA100PH29Z,
guitar 42in (106.5cm) long
Footnotes
"Certain guitars will stand out in my mind for certain parts...This guitar has a very old-fashioned sound...It's a beautiful guitar...It's a 63."
-Gary Moore In Conversation Rocking A 12-Bar Solo, musicradar.com
This is a guitar that Gary spoke about fondly, as can be seen in the above quote. The quote is taken from a filmed interview on the musicradar.com Youtube channel, where Gary plays and talks about a number of his guitars, including his 335. He describes the 'old-fashioned sound,' when asked why he might use this rather than a Les Paul.
Gary bought this guitar in London in October 1999. Guitar Buyer magazine, in November 2007, featured an interview with Gary about the guitars used on his then-latest album, Close As You Get, which included this 335. Gary is quoted: "This one used to belong to Johnny Fean from the Irish band Horslips, who was an old friend of mine. That made me very keen to buy it, because I knew Johnny would want me to have it, as he was a big fan of mine when we were kids. The great thing about is that it just sounds amazing. It's an incredible guitar and sounds a bit like a Les Paul. Its got the original pickups in it and I've been playing it on stage since I got it."
It was first notably used by Gary on his 2001 album, Back To The Blues. It was then subsequently used on various European tours between 2000 and 2008.
Provenance:
Johnny Fean, from the band Horslips.
Purchased by Gary Moore, London, October 1999.
Live Performances:
- Footage of Gary playing the guitar for the track Since I Met You Baby during the 2008 AVO Session in Basel can be seen here, at approximately 4:45mins: www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6ZoCsvFDps
Additional Appearances:
- Gary Moore In Conversation Rocking A 12-Bar Solo, musicradar.com: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVOwCBScxw0
- The guitar can be seen on the front cover of Back To The Blues, 2001.
- The guitar also appears on the cover for Gary Moore Live from Baloise Session, Switzerland 2008, released in 2025.