GARY MOORE's Guitars Sell At Auction For $190,000

More than 35 guitars and amplifiers from the collection of late Irish guitarist Gary Moore were offered at Bonhams Entertainment Memorabilia sale, which took place on June 29 at the auctioneer's location in Knightsbridge, London.

Leading the collection — which sold for a total of £143,235 (approximately $190,000) — was a 1963 Fender Stratocaster. The guitar, which went for £18,750 (approximately $25,000),was a gift from the late Claude Nobs, founder of the Montreux Jazz Festival. It can be seen on live footage of the Fleadh festival in Finsbury Park, London in 2001, and the "Blues For Jimi" DVD in late 2007.

Also featured was a Fritz Brothers Roy Buchanan Bluemaster guitar, which was sold for for £5,000 (approximately $6,600). Moore ordered the guitar after borrowing a similar instrument from George Harrison, who was his friend and neighbor in the Oxfordshire town of Henley-on-Thames. Moore used Harrison's guitar when recording a track on the 1989 album "After The War", and he later decided to purchase his own to use for live performances.

Moore made a name for himself in the late 1960s with the Dublin-based SKID ROW, before following bass player Phil Lynott in 1974 to play with classic rockers THIN LIZZY.

Throughout his career, Moore recorded numerous solo albums, and shared the stage with the likes of B.B. King, Albert King, Jack Bruce, Albert Collins and George Harrison.

Moore passed away in his sleep on February 6, 2011, hours after checking into the five-star Kempinski Hotel in Estepona on the Costa del Sol, Spain with a female friend. He reportedly suffered a heart attack brought on by a massive amount of alcohol he consumed prior to being found dead in bed.