Brian Moore Guitars C90P

I bought this guitar around May 2003 brand new. The finish was flawless and the setup was darn near perfect. Wilkinson tremolo, which I like better than a Floyd Rose, Sperzel lock tuners, 22 frets, 22.5" scale, and a 15" neck radius. The case was even beautiful.

This guitar sounds fantastic and has several unique pickup combinations by using a 5-position Strat-style switch, and a push-pull switch on the tone pot. Extremely flexible guitar, going from Strat tones to jazz tones, to a killer rock tone.

This guitar was ready to play right out of the box. It was even very close to being in perfect tune. This is the best playing/feeling guitar I've ever had. Absolutely perfect!

Here's where it gets ugly. Within a week, a latch on the case broke and the neck compartment collapsed. They replaced it with a lesser quality case. The knobs also all fell off at one time or another during gigs. VERY embarassing. Also, the input jack died - I only got sound out of the piezos. I sent the guitar in and they corrected both problems and performed a setup.

Jump ahead to 1 week ago - once again the input jack is cutting out, and it is getting progressively worse. Then the pickup selector switch cap split in half. On top of that, both of the volume pots are VERY scratchy. I ended up pulling the cover off and spraying contact cleaner on the pots. It quieted them down, but now they feel very loose, and my hand hits the mag-pickup volume and lowers it. Never a problem before the contact cleaner. This guitar - considering BMG guitars are not cheap - has been a real disappointment. It now sits in my home unused since I don't want to chance something else breaking on it during a gig.

Since this guitar has a lifetime warranty, I contacted BMG (now iGuitars) and was contacted by Pat Cummings, the CEO of the company. He was at a loss to explain the problems I've had and said he gets maybe 2 letters like mine per year. He promised to do whatever it takes to find out why I'm having all these problems. He also made a point to tell me they have no record of my first repair experience on file. Kinda made me feel like a liar. He wanted me to email him so he could immediately respond with a ship authorization for UPS, which they'd pay for both ways. He then said he had my email already, and to not bother emailing him. He also said he'd personally play and inspect my guitar before sending it back. This was on 11/20/07 in the morning. So far, I've received nothing regarding a return or ship authorization, or any other communications for that matter. A couple other BMG reviews seem to echo this experience.

At this point, if it were stolen, I definitely would NOT replace it with another BMG!! Since I haven't heard from their customer service, I will be getting the C90P repaired locally and the put it up for sale, at which point I'll get something else - possibly a Parker or Paul Reed Smith. Very disappointing...this guitar sounds and plays great WHEN it works, but I can't put up with unreliable gear, especially considering its price.

Mine is a c90p with H/S/H wilkinson trem piezo and chocolateburst quilt top

being a session player and tutor i pretty much need to play every style, from warm jazz to metal. this guitar can do it all I have 17 guitars strats, LPs, jazzboxes etc. and I hardly use them now the BM does it all couple of adjustments and you are there. i use my customised fender jag as a backup and for "skronk" but the BM REALLY does it all.

everything perfeact from the off I bought it 2nd hand changed to heavier strings that was it. (oh I oiled the neck)

I,m pretty careful with it so i don't expect any probs
the volume knob needs screwed back on from time to time but I use it a lot

only dealt with them by email got a fairly prompt reply, dont think I will need them much

I go through boss gt8 (4 cable method) into a lexicon jam-man into a mesa heartbreaker head and rectifier combo It sounds fabulous I play rather than tweak now

If you can get one

do

:)
Andy

-Made in 2002 - New York
-22 Frets
-1/4" maple top
-1 volume for magnetic pickups, 1 volume for piezo, one Tone for Magnetic pickups and a 5-way Schaller megaswitch that automatically coil-splits in positions 2, 3, and 4. The tone pot is a push/pull pot that adds the Bridge humbucker to positions 4 and 5.
-H/S/H and piezo
-Seymour duncan (JB/alnico II(single)/alnicoII pro(humbucker)), RMC piezo (all passive)
-Mahogany Body (hunduran, i think), Quilted Maple top, Maple Neck, and Rosewood Fretboard.
-Glossy Poly finish on the body, satin finish on the neck. Beautiful green-burst they call 'Sea-turtle'.
-Strat-style body.
-wilkinson tremolo bridge.
-Locking Sperzel tuners
-25.5" scale neck. the width (as in from top string to bottom string) is thinner than strat necks... more like a les paul. The thickness is relatively thin... a nice, soft 'C'. I don;t know exactly what size the frets are, but they are much smaller than an ibanez i had with jumbo frets. Satin-finished maple neck with a rosewood fretboard.
-Included Hardshell case, Stereo 'Y' Cable, all necessary Hex wrenches, and a factory setup checklist.

I've used this guitar exclusively for over 2 years, so i have come to know it very well... i hope my explanation of everything helps someone decide if it is right for them... here goes:

I play fusion, so what i was really looking for was a versatile instrument. I need to be able to get anything from country, blues, metal, scooped-like-crazy cleans, or even acoustic sounds if i want, and this guitar fits that need perfectly.

I use a Mesa/Boogie Triaxis/2:90 combo with a few effects (usually delay for leads and chorus for clean Rhythm). The piezo i process through a Digitech GNX3 and send it directly to the PA.

The guitar is not noisy at all... all cavities are properly shielded, and all pickup settings are hum-cancelling. The Piezo pickups are also very quiet.

The sounds from the various combinations of pickups are very nice with this guitar. The Bridge pickup (the infamous JB) in conjunction with the mahogony body generates a thick lead tone with an upper-midrange spike that is perfect for cutting through when you need to. The neck pickup (alnico II pro) has a beautiful, buttery feel to it (There is a nice contrast between these alnico II mags and the alnico V mags in the JB). When this pickup is used for lead lines around the 12th fret and up, the notes are full-bodied and have a great response to the player's fingers and the amp. The coil-split settings are also awesome... with the bridge hum split and the middle single active, you can get a GREAT country chicken-picken sound a la Albert Lee or Steve Morse. With the Bridge and neck pickups split, the tone has a Tele-esque vibe to it. My favorite setting for clean chords is with the middle single and the Neck split... very fat stratty sound... good for hendrix-type chordal work or Pink floyd, etc. Add in a bit o overdrive, and this setting is also great for a stratty blues sound.

The piezo pickup is also a very nice addition. I don;t use it a LOT, but i have tweaked my settings with EQ and a bit of reverb to get a pretty convincing acoustic sound. I have found that the heavier strings you use, the better when using piezo pickups. For this reason, i switched from 9's to 10's.

Likes: The switching system for the pickups is extremely easy... just a flip of a switch, and you have a completely different sound to work with.

Dislikes: I have thought about changing the Middle singlecoil pickup becuase sometimes the coil-split settings (usually used with the Alnico II pro split) seem a bit weak. I was thinking of trying the same pickup with an alnico V magnet to add a little extra punch to the sound... haven;t yet, however. sometimes, i also wish there was an additional switch that selects between the Piezo and magnetic signal... as it is i have to completely roll off the piezo knob, and completely roll on the Magnetic knob to switch between the two. This setupp is good for blending the various pickups, but i don;t do much of that anyway.

The guitar's setup when i got it was good... a good place to start with a new guitar... no buzzing or anything. I tweaked a few things to my liking, but i would have done that with any guitar. All necessary items (intonation, truss rod, etc.) were properly setup from the beginning. I like my pickups pretty low, so i lowered them a bit... no biggie.

If there's one thing i can say that i hope everyone here remembers it is this: Brian Moore does the best finishes i have ever seen. Every Moore i have played has has a perfect glossy finish and beautiful woods. The only flaw i saw with the craftsmanship was that one side of the graphite nut looked like it was filed down a bit roughly... there is a slight scratch in the wood... i forgive them.

This guitar has withstood 2 years of playing by me (at least 2 shows a week, plus rehearsals), and i expect it to do so for many years to come. I have had only two problems with this guitar's hardware. (1)the Schaller Mega switch: about a year ago some kind of screw fell out of the middle of it and was rattling around in the control cavity. I took the guitar to the local shop where i bought it, they called BMG, and sent a replacement switch - no questions asked. My local repair guy installed it within 3 hours, and it was good as new. (2) somehow (i don;t think they ever figured out how, exactly) the piezo signal was bleeding through to the magnetic signal when i used a stereo 'Y' cable. This problem my local repairman could not figure out, so i had to send my guitar all the way back to the Brian moore Shop for 3 weeks (which was no pleasant experience, but i borrowed a friend's Ibanez for shows). Anyway, After three weeks i got the guitar back, and not only did they fix the messed-up output, they completely overhauled my guitar! Replaced all, yes ALL, the pots, scraped the little finger-goo off of the fretboard, gave the guitar a complete polishing, and slapped on a fresh set of Elixirs: ALL at no cost! It was tough living without it for 3 weeks, but it was nice to see that these guys care about their customers and guitars so much.

The finish is an extremely durable Poly finish.

The strap buttons were solid, but it is the straps that i don;t trust. I installed a Dimarzio cliplock system on it only because i feel better with the extra security... especially with a $3000 guitar and no REAL backup (although i have just ordered another C90p to fill this role).

I DO depend on this guitar... in the aforementioned problems i actually played a few shows WITH the problems pretty successfully... i'm sure no one noticed anything except for me. Anyway, considering how much i play this thing, i'm surprised i haven't broken more switches/knobs/whatever.

I'm not sure exactly how long the warranty is, but as i said before, BMG has worked with me very well through the problems i HAVE had with this guitar. I have even ordered a new 7-string C90, and have talked with them on a few occaisions, and they have informed me on everything that is going on and have kept me updated regularly.

There were two reasons why i went with this Moore: craftsmanship, and conglomeration of all of the various innovations of guitar... the contoured body (which i find to be very comfortable), the output-jack location, the intuitive switching system, etc. A lot of makers use quality parts or can introduce a new idea to the guitar, but i liked the way brian moore intuitively designed their guitars by taking advantage many of these innovations.

I suppose the closest living relative to Brian Moore Guitars are Parker Flys... I tried a few of them out but could just not get comfortable with one... additionally, none of them had a middle single coil (that i use quite a bit), AND i liked the idea of having a guitar custom made for ME. The quilt-top is also nice.

I've had this guitar for a little over a year, and I'm sorry to say that it's a LEMON! This is a followup to my review below in June 2004.

Shortly after I received the guitar, one of the latches on the case broke and the neck compartment collapsed. It was replaced by the company with a much more inferior quality case. The knobs have fallen off constantly, most of the time during a gig! I tighten up the set-screws - not overly tight so as not to strip the threads - and within a few weeks one or more will fall off again. The "Y" cable also crapped out after about 6 months, which I since replaced at my expense due to an immediate need for the cable. The kicker is that now I get absolutely NO SIGNAL from the magnetic pickups, only the piezo. Being comfortable with a soldering iron, I tried to swap out the 1/4" tip-ring-sleeve jack - same problem. I've emailed customer support and am waiting on a reply regarding warranty service / replacement. Considering this is supposed to be a "boutique" guitar, the quality control just isn't there. Very upsetting considering the cost of the guitar, and it's tone & playablilty, both of which are world-class. This was my favorite and most versatile guitar of my small collection. When I bought this guitar, it was a toss-up between the C90P and a Parker Fly. At this point, I regret not getting a Parker. I gig and record regularly and I cannot be without reliable equipment. Funny thing is that I was emailed by someone who saw my previous review and cautioned me on quality and reliability problems he experienced with his C90P. I didn't want to believe him at the time...guess I should've. I do not dispute those who've purchased reliable BM guitars, and I guess it's always possible to buy a lemon, even from a high-end manufacturer. Sorry if this followup disappoints someone or costs Brian Moore Guitars a sale, but considering my experience with this guitar, and also considering I've got a Korean-made (I think it's made there anyway) Steinberger Spirit that has been rock-solid, I couldn't let my previous review stand on its own since this guitar hasn't proven its worth.

My C90P was made in 2002, NY. The guitar is drop-dead gorgeous, 3-tone cherry sunburst with a beautiful tiger-stripe pattern. 22-fret birdseye maple neck with Sperzel locking tuners, 2 Duncan humbucker pickups, 5-way selector & push-pull tone pot for 2 extra wiring options. Also has a Wilkinson trem. All hardware is gold. Nice case but I had problems with it, also came with a Y-cable for the built in piezo.

Tons of sounds from both the unusual 5-way wiring & the push-pull pot. You can get both Strat-like and Les Paul-like sounds. The overall tone is very warm & doesn't have a lot of high end but you can compensate with EQ if needed. The piezo is very good, nice acoustic tone.

The guitar was almost ready to play out of the box. The action (for my taste) was perfect. I hooked it up to my strobe & the intonation was dead on. The finish was perfect, no flaws anywhere.

Here's where I was disappointed. The volume knob came off in my hand, luckily when I was just rehearsing. The knobs are held on with set screws and someone didn't tighten it up enough. I checked the other two knobs and they were loose, so I ended up tightening up all three. The case was a disappointment. It's great in that it's very heavy and seems like it would protect the guitar well. The neck compartment separated from the case, making it lie flat in the case. The right-hand latch on the case also broke off, causing me to temporarily reattach it with a piece of wire to hold it in place. Definitely not things I would expect from a guitar of this caliber.

Great. They were responsive & friendly and sent a new case out, no questions asked. Didn't even have to send the defective one back!

Been playing for 25 years using a 1981 LP Custom, 1999 Clapton Strat, Steinberger GM-7SA, Marshall Valvestate 100w, Line 6 AX2 and PodXT. The Brian Moore is definitely a world-class guitar and I'd replace it immediately if it were stolen. I love my other guitars and this one's tones fills in some gaps since they reminicent of Strat & Paul tones with enough differences and variations to make 'em unique.

My C90P was made in New York. The quilt top is an amazing 3 tone. A combination of gold, light brown, and slight orange. It's close to being 3-D. This was an artist endorsed model so they don't like to give to much info out for some reason. The pick-ups(3 singles) are S.D.'s, which ones I'm not sure but they rock! It has a 5-way, push/pull pot, sperzels and a Wilkinson bridge. All hard ware is gold. The neck is birds eye maple and there must be alot of blind birds around! I have a Wolfgang w/ birdseye, a Custom shop Fender w/birdseye, but NOTHING like the Brian Moore. I'm not sure of the body wood either but the sound is Les Paulish yet very stratish. You can get alot of variations of tone from this beauty. And the jack in the rear of the body, simply innovative. Get this, the twelveth fret has an abalone lunar landscape! The other frets are abalone also, this isn't a cheap guitar(thus the 3K price tag. I've never tried the peizo (accoustic) option yet, but the Y cord is provided. I didn't buy it for accoustics, it just came with it.

The C90P covers just about any sound I'm looking for. Les Paul, Strat, accoustic, metal. I run it thru a 5150 and stand back. Run it thru a Soldano and heaven opens up. The guitar is deathly quiet. I don't use effects cause every note is precise and resonate. No dislikes at all, great craftmanship and sonic capabilities. This is no one trick pony.

Set up was right-on , even being the third owner(I could never afford it new). There is no pick guard nor scratches, it appears to have never been played when I got it. Frets are perfect, no flaws or imperfections any where. Simply a superb instrument of finest quality.

First of all I would never play this guitar outside of my home. Sure it looks like it could with stand anything but it's just too damn nice! But I'll give it a 10 cause it is extreamly well made and looks durable.

I called customer support and they were helpfull and returned my calls and e-mails promptly. With a product like this I would expect no less. I was missing the Y cable and they sent me one no questions asked with instructions on how to use it. You get what you pay for. I traded my PRS for it and will never regret it. It's like comparing a Delmonico to a hamburger.

Been playing 30+ years and currently own many "high end" guitars. This being near the top in playability and craftsmanship. Only my Levinson Thinline Tele bests it. I would never have got this guitar except for the fact that the guy needed the exact color and model of PRS and I had it. I have nothing negative to say about this guitar and neither would you if you saw and played it. Simply awesome and a keeper.

Built in 2002 into 2003 in the Brian Moore custom shop in New York. This is a 22-fret model, 25 1/2" scale with a totally custom laminated quilted top with a killer finish. I picked the color on it - I was in love with the Jackson PC-1 with that Chlorine finish (it is turquoise bursting out to a royal blue) and Brian Moore nailed it! H/S/H config with a Duncan JB in the bridge, Cool Rails in the middle and a 59 in the neck. I also have the RMC Piezo pickup on the Wilkinson trem. The body is Kantalas Mahogany with binding and a birdseye maple neck and fingerboard. The C-90 is a double-cutaway style similar to their MC/1. I have all Gold hardware with Sperzel locking tuners. I got the hardshell case with all of the goodies to adjust it and stuff...

I play in two bands - one is a standard heavy metal band playing covers from Priest, Maiden, Dream Theater to new stuff like Godsmack and Fuel. It works well with that combination as well as my other project which is my instrumental band. It is mostly a shred-thing and this guitar shines for all of it. The best thing about it is that the combo of pickups and the fact that a buddy of mine has a real nice Fender Strat with all the great sounds that a Fender is capable of and I'm able to hand him his ass when it comes to sound selection. The Push-pull switch on the tone control enables a few extra combinations. Not to mention the piezo from RMC is the best that I have heard. I like it better than the fishman system on my Parker Fly and the L.R. Baggs system on my David Thomas McNaught. What really didn't care for is the fact that Brian Moore uses birdseye maple for the necks and that it's finished - I like a bare-wood neck a lot so this took some getting used to. The maple fretboard sounds a ton different than the McNaught with the ebony fingerboard. Much brighter actually...

The guitar came from the factory with a very impressive set up. I still can't stand that laquer on the finger board when I am used to scalloped frets and bare wood. I may get it modified to my liking because the chances of me selling this are pretty slim. I really like everything about it so far. After I did a few typical adjustments (like lower the action WAY down and took a spring out of the tremolo) it was ready to gig and it is a true player's instrument. The finish is flawless as well as the quality of the wood. If you get something out of their shop, you get massive quality. The chlorine finish is tops! I am so freakin' sick and tired of Tobacco Sunbursts, Cherry Sunbursts and Vintage bursts that I want to go beat the shit out of somebody! This burst is one of a kind and it looks more like what Jackson wanted to do with this finish except I have seen two Chlorine Jackson PC-1s that didn't have a properly defined burst. I sent a picture of one to Robin at the shop and he nailed it. Also - I must add that the picture of the Jacksons that I sent was taken outside of the chlorine prototypes so the burst is very dramatic. My next burst will be a magenta or pinkish to a purple color. I love the way these cool bursts look as opposed to the "traditional" bursts.

This guitar begs to play live but it has such a nice sound in the studio as well. I use this and my other Brian Moore 22 fret for "Dropped-D" stuff - I do that so I have a low D and the 22nd fret on the little E string is a high D. I know - I'm weird like that but those are my rules. I have a Washburn 29-fret that I goof off with and use that for Dropped D sometimes as well... Anyway gold hardware gets a bad rap, but this isn't shiny gold finished, it is more like satin so it seems like it's higher quality. I replaced the strap buttons with a locking Dimarzio strap. I should be beaten with a tack hammer for having Duncans in the guitar and wearing a Dimarzio lock-strap but Duncan doesn't make one so what the hell am I supposed to do? Overall - a rock solid performer but I ALWAYS use a backup...

I was reading some of the other reviews commenting on the lack of customer support but I had a great experience. Robin Palmer was who I was dealing with and he was outstanding. He put up with my whiny, bitchy, got-to-have-it-my-way-or-no-way attitude so I commend him for that and a job well done on a guitar that has gotten tons of compliments at gigs. Brian Moore no longer makes a 24-fret guitar out of their custom shop and that is the only factor not using their gear exclusively. There was rumor of a 24 fret C-55 but I'll wait to see if it actually comes up. Overall - their customer support was great. I waited 6 months for a guitar that was promised in 4 but that was great for me because I had mine on "layaway" at the music store so it allowed for time to save money :) I must also add that one of the features on my C-90 that is different is that the control placement is much different than any other one they made. I can't stomach Strat controls the way that the volume knob is obcenely in my way when playing. Who the hell endorses this?? I sent Robin a picture of the Ernie Ball John Petrucci model the way he has is controls and they did it to a tee!! So I took a color from a Jackson, and the control config from an Ernie Ball and requested pickups that they don't normally use (cool rails) and they built it. Thank you Brian Moore!!! That's some pretty damn good customer support if you ask me!

I have been playing for 22 years, I have tons of gear: A custom McNaught Phoenix, a Parker Fly Deluxe, A Brian Moore i1F custom, a Brian Moore i2.P.13, a Washburn 29 fret EC29, A Warmoth 7 string, and a Hamer Scarab. So I am pretty diverse in my choice of guitars. The only thing that I would have changed pre-order is the laquer on the neck. I just didn't know that they did it that way. If it were stolen, there would be one less theif in the world because...well... Anyway - I'd get another. I like it that much. My favorite feature is getting strat tones and having more balls than a strat ever could. heh, heh - plus, the Wilkinson trem is damn cool! The only guitars that compared it to were a PRS and another Brian Moore - remember...I bought this sight unseen!! Well - e-mail me for a picture if you want to see a real cool finish and a testament to the work that Brian Moore does.

My Brian Moore was made in 98'direct (artist deal) from the factory.
It is a beautiful looking, and playing guitar. I don't believe there is any guitar like it with the style Brian Moore has created. Mine has the blue quilted maple finish like the ocean. No temelo on the bridge. This guitar is the first one that they have used the midiaxe system in a left handed model. I worked with Steve Dam, the midiaxe founder and Patrick Cummings to customize this model. The MIDIAxe system is very efficient. I have many synths that I play this guitar through, and the tracking is exellent. There is a MIDI in and MIDI out jacks on the side of the guitar. There is also a 3 MIDI octive switch, and omni mode, multi, and poly. And we can't forget the great sounding RMC piezo pickup for the acoustic sounds.

The guitar tones and very nice as well. I think they did a pretty good job of getting the tones right. The seymour Duncan pickups give a wide range of tones. I love the split coil humbucking. There is a broad variety of sounds that I can achieve from this guitar. I play my C-90P through a Line 6 Axsys 212 amp.

This guitar was set up nicely at the factory. Nice action, the bridge is setup great, no flaws exept I opened the back and we noticed that the shielding paint that they used inside was chipping a bit, so that was a wee bit sloppy. Other than that its a perfect 10.

It is a very reliable guitar. It does seem dependable, and I believe it was last for years to come. I have used it on gigs without a backup. And no broken strings!

Customer support was exellent. Patrick Cummings would call me and make sure I was satisfied with the guitar, and he was very kind and helpful.

I have been playing for over 14 years or more. I would compare this guitar to a high end Tom Anderson or something. It is hand made and custom fit. I was still playing an older Fernandez before I bought this one. I chose this guitar after playing it, and having a credible recomendation from Jay Roberts in Seattle. He now is sponsored by Brian Moore.

C90P Model-3 pickup (hum-single-hum) with 5 way switch; piezo pickups in the bridge; Tobacco Sunburst Highly flamed maple top with mahogany body;22 fret birdseye figured maple neck with rosewood; Wilkinson tremolo w/hardshell case; dual cable for both pickup options

Extremely versatile guitar- I have only had it for a week, but it captures the strat neck sound very well, and also a Paul sound(although not as fat as my PRS); my first experience with peizo pickups and can't rate as of yet,

The finish is absolutely flawless- as they don't offer a color chart, I worked with the shop in terms of color; most rack guitars are quilt, but I wanted a flame top. I sent a picture from the PRS catalogue (Hollowbody II with antique tobacco finish) and they mathed it better than my expectations. the amount of flame in the top is stunning! In comparison to PRS (of which I rate it against), it's better than any I have seen on the rack (10 tops). the fret work is flawless, and the rosewood fret board is beautiful w/abalone dots; the neck is bit thinner than I expected, but will take getting use to, also I prefer my action abit higher, and had it moved up a notch.

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I have a '91 Strat plus, '62 Strat reissue, 1995 PRS CE-24 Maple bolt on; Former blues player, now playing in a church contempory christian format- variety of pedals through a Fender Blues Deville, also a '69 Vibrolux Reverb at home (great amp!) Tube screamer and chourus; My PRS has been my main guitar for 5 years, and my Brian moore may replace it, but it's so gorgeous, I don't want to risk any damage through normal playing!