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Brian Moore i81
List: $800
Brian Moore guitars have been in the market since 1992, however, what was offered then were beyond reach for most of us- think boutique names like Suhr/ Poole/ Andersen/ PRS/ Huber/ Grosh… enter Brian Moore. At the turn of the century, the good people at BM guitars decided to launch the i-series, which were basically the Korean counterparts of the US offerings, the i81 debuted at a later year as these feature non-Seymour Duncan pickups which very much account for the affordability.
Construction/ fit/ finish
The i81 features a bolt-on construction which has a very block-like heel, very much like Fender’s. However, this is compensated by very generous cutaways on both the bass & treble sides. The neck was a sturdy affair & ramrod straight upon sighting. Despite a lack of body binding, the laminate top was well applied as evident from the neat edges. The highlight of this guitar’s physique is its 2+4 type sculptured headstock, which exudes absolute class despite being very eccentric. All in all, the i81 scored top marks here, a great testimony to the Brian Moore name which adorns the headstock. This is one seriously fine, guitar.
Playability/ tone
When I first handled this piece of work, I was taken aback by its overall mass, it’s so PRS- adequately light & resonant! It sounds bright unplugged (typical mahogany), I enjoyed playing it like that for quite a while until it was time to plug in…
BM had wisely located the input jack on the bass side of the guitar’s rear for the uninitiated, so that the rest of your cable won’t become a victim of your stomps, during stand-up play- ultra cool! I immediately went for a high gain setting & the guitar was a blazing shred machine. The good default action was an in between setting, useful for fast fretworks as well as bluesy bends. The blocky heel, although physically present, was virtually non-existent as upper fret access was a breeze, thanks largely to those deep, cutaway scoops. The neck profile was an instant hit with me, again, it draws its similarity to Fender but one can feel its more narrowed taper, especially after the 12th fret.
The pickups were super sweet but the output could have been higher for gain mongers like me who found it lacking, drive-wise. Both neck & bridge units are of vintage specs, you can hear the Duncan ’59 vibe from the former unit, despite it being the BM brand. The bridge sounded very close to my Duncan Custom 5 model but at a much tamed output. You’d also be overwhelmed by the inherent twang from these humbuckers, I personally find them unbelieveable Both units fared superbly clean, so it’s money well spent tone-wise.
Last say
The i81 is a very easy guitar to play. You’d probably dismiss this guitar because, to many of us- who in guitar world is Brian Moore?? This guitar would have scored top marks in my books, especially when it features a fine set of locking Sperzel tuners in the package, but for the quirky 3-way pickup selector placement. If you switch pickups the flick/ slap way, ala Malmsteen, you’d be cursing its restrictive location in between the volume & tone control knobs. That aside, the i81 is an overlooked, fixed-bridge, curved -top gem waiting to be discovered.
