Rough, raw, and extreme just like the artist whose name it bears.
It's no coincidence that Gibson USA's Gary Moore Signature Les Paul guitar is a BFG — perhaps the mightiest and most extreme Les Paul to ever leave a Gibson factory. The Gary Moore Signature Les Paul BFG takes the raw, unrefined power of Gibson's classic BFG and matches it with the look of Moore's personal and legendary Les Paul Standards from the late 1950s, resulting in a beautifully radical Gibson Les Paul that certainly embodies Moore's iconic status among the world's finest guitarists.
Surface Texture and Satin Nitrocellulose Lemon Burst Finish
In almost every respect, the Gary Moore Signature Les Paul BFG is not an ordinary Les Paul — including the surface and texture of the body and neck. The most powerful, radical Les Paul guitar needed a raw look, so Gibson's designers decided to leave the surface carving marks on the solid maple top and mahogany body—exactly as they appear when they emerge from the rough mill. The body of the Gary Moore Signature Les Paul BFG is then given a Lemon Burst finish that closely resembles the finish on Moore's historic, original Les Pauls. The guitar neck is also given its initial finish, then hand-sanded to yield its own unique worn appearance. A smooth coat of satin nitrocellulose is then applied over the entire guitar, insuring less interference with the natural vibration of the instrument—producing a purer tone—and allowing the wood to breathe and age naturally and properly over the course of its life.
Gibson's Burstbucker 3 and P-90 pickups
The Gary Moore Signature Les Paul BFG demanded a pickup configuration as radical as the man himself, and the pairing of Gibson's Burstbucker 3 with the classic P-90 is as intense as it gets. The Burstbucker 3 provides historically accurate PAF tone with two slightly overwound coils, creating a raw, airy tone packed with enough punch to cut through any mix. The legendary P-90 black soapbar, introduced in the early 1950s, Gibson's truly legendary singlecoil pickup, and offers the soulful, classic tone that only a P-90 pickup can. It delivers more warmth than a standard singlecoil pickup, for high output and sweet treble response. Together, they are one of the most powerful pickup combinations on any Les Paul.
Gibson's '50s Rounded Neck Profile
No guitar neck profiles are more distinguishable than the neck profiles employed on the Gibson models of today. The more traditional '50s neck profile — which is found on the Gary Moore Signature Les Paul BFG — is the thicker, rounder profile, emulating the same neck shapes found on Moore's personal and original Les Paul Standards from the late 1950s. The neck is machined in Gibson's rough mill using wood shapers to make the initial cuts. But once the fingerboard gets glued on, the rest—including the final sanding—is done by hand. That means there are no two necks with the exact same dimensions. So while it still has the basic characteristics of its respective profile, each neck will be slightly different, with a distinct but traditional feel.
Chambered Body
There's something about playing a guitar with raw, powerful tone, balance, and weight. One of the ways the expert craftsmen at Gibson USA achieve this equilibrium is by carving carefully mapped-out chambers in the Les Paul's solid mahogany back using a Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) router before the maple top is glued on. The positioning of the routes was established after careful examination of the resonant characteristics of the Les Paul. Gibson approached this process with the awareness that every change to the formula would have repercussions on the instrument's sound. So, in addition to relieving the stress on a player's back and shoulder, these lighter Gibson guitars also enhance the tone palette in a manner unique only to these guitars. The results are comfortable, lightweight guitars that are acoustically louder, with increased sustain and resonance.
