In the history of the guitar, some instruments are more than objects; they are living witnesses to rebellion, reinvention, raw emotion, and defining moments. At Matt’s Guitar Shop, we have the honor of celebrating a unique piece that connects two seemingly opposite worlds: the raw punk of the Sex Pistols and the blazing blues of Gary Moore. Sometimes, a guitar tells an entire story.
The guitar in question is far more than wood, metal, and strings: it is the link between two legends, two eras, two radically different yet equally authentic forms of expression. This 1955 Gibson Les Paul Junior has lived an extraordinary life, passing from Steve Jones, iconic guitarist of the Sex Pistols, to Gary Moore, one of the most respected masters of blues rock. This is not a museum piece frozen behind glass. It is an instrument that has been played, pushed, and truly lived.
Originally owned by Steve Jones, the guitar was at the heart of the punk revolution in the late 1970s. It was a time when music shattered conventions, when attitude defined a generation more than polished tone ever could. The Sex Pistols and Steve Jones challenged the establishment, broke the rules, and redefined what an electric guitar could represent: a symbol of pure rebellion. In his hands, this Junior was not just a musical tool — it was a statement.
Then came its encounter with Gary Moore in the early 1980s. Moore, the emerging Irish guitarist at the time, purchased this Gibson Les Paul Junior for £250, and it became one of his most played and cherished guitars for years. Where Steve Jones used the instrument as a shout of defiance, Gary Moore turned it into a voice — capable of delivering soaring solos, weeping tones, and fierce, uncompromising expression. From punk to blues, the same guitar found a second life in service of soul and emotion.
This remarkable story is not merely an anecdote in guitar history. It is a physical embodiment of how an instrument can absorb the influences, emotions, and journeys of its owners. Matt’s Guitar Shop recently had the privilege of welcoming this guitar within its walls, turning this humble Les Paul Junior into a bridge between two emotional continents: rebellion and mastery, tension and lyricism.
It is not only the provenance that makes this guitar compelling. It is also the fact that it was played, loved, toured, and recorded. Its finish, pickups, and frets carry the marks of a turbulent past. It still resonates with echoes of British punk and the soaring blues rock lines of a musician who never stopped exploring sound.
Between the Sex Pistols and Gary Moore, there may be only a step. But for this Gibson Les Paul Junior, there was only a neck, a few strings, and an infinity of notes. Two legends. Two eras. One guitar.
