Dec 04, 20 they make a replica of the red special in a number of different colours, as well as three other models an acoustic, a mini version of the red special, and a bass guitar. Brian dreamed of a guitar that would outperform any of the existing commercially made electric guitars. The red special the story of the home made guitar that. What an amazing book about brian mays faithful lady companion the red special guitar that has been his faitful sidekick for almost 50 years. If you know of any sources for the motorbike springs to be used to balance the tremolo please email me. Even by most multitaskers standards, brian may puts everybody to shame. The red special is the electric guitar designed and built by queens guitarist brian may and his father, harold, when brian was a teenager in the early 1960s. The name red special came from the reddishbrown colour the guitar attained after being stained and painted with numerous layers of rustins plastic coating. The name fireplace is a reference to the fact that the wood used to make the neck cam. Everything you ever wanted to know about that unique instrument is between these pages even xrays. But that brian may could make magic out of those same sounds. Brian may signature bmwred electric guitar for sale. Queen band brian may signature burns red special guitar 9 x 7.
This book on brians red special guitar is very detailed and answers many questions that might be of interest to other guitar builders and enthusiasts, shedding light on his and his dads ingenuity in coming up with such a unique and beautiful instrument. The pictures and selfpenned text tell the story of brians discovery of the world of stereoscopy as a boy, and chronicle queen from the early 1970s all the. Brians soapbox page is brians personal column, sharing his thoughts on music. The story of the homemade guitar that rocked queen and the world by brian may and simon bradley may 5, 2020 paperback. Brian may brian may and his father harold started to handbuild an electric guitar in 1963 a project that would take over a year to complete. The guitar they built is called the red special apart from music, may earned his phd in astrophysics in 2007 and is currently the chancellor of liverpool john moores university. Brian mays home made red special guitar is one of the most distinctive looking and unique sounding guitars in rock history.
In the captivating new carlton photobook brian mays red special, the queen guitarist finally divulges the secrets behind his prized axe, taking fans back in time to vicariously oversee the twoyear fatherson bonding experience that would ultimately produce one of rock n rolls most recognized weapons. You can find out more about the history online, and brian mays company is at brian may guitars the official web site for brian may guitars you can buy the guitars there. Inspired by brian mays legendary red special, an instrument that has achieved iconic status and its own unique place in rock history, the bmg special is a stunning guitar, blessed with superb build quality, awesome playability and an astonishingly rich diversity of killer tones. In this book you will discover everything you ever wished to know about brian s unique instrument. Commercial copies of brians guitar latest rock music. The brian may guitar is faithful to the spirit of brians original red special, an instrument that has achieved iconic status and a unique place in rock history, and designed by brian may himself. The book goes into great detail of how brian and his father made the red special in their garage over almost 2 years when brian was a teenager 1618. These plans were eventually given to guitar luthier andrew guyton in around 200405, some slight modifications were made and the guitar was built. The red special guitar was built by brian may and his father in 1963. Brian mays red special the story of the homemade guitar that. Tough to say, and entirely academic given that the guitar is very unlikely to be for sale in brians lifetime, but i very much doubt youd get much change from a million pounds sterling if and when the old lady came up for auction. This is a genuine brian may endorsed instrument, built to a budget so at last a redspecial guitar is within everybodys reach. Brian may and his father harold started to handbuild an electric guitar in 1963. I told my son, that i really wasnt able to get but one sound that i liked from the guitar, and that many of the sounds were out of phase, or thin and reedy.
Brian may guitars classic logo tshirt in heather indigo choice of sizes a set of elites electric guitar strings. The official home of brian may guitars, a range of affordable instruments designed in collaboration with brian may and inspired by. The name red special came from the reddishbrown colour the guitar attained after. This is a 2009 made in korea brian may guitar special. As this is a oneofakind guitar, originally built by hand by brian may of. Find the best selection of brian may guitars at guitar center at the guaranteed lowest prices and free shipping. The mysteries of brian mays red special finally revealed.
Brian may, legendary guitarist and song writer with rock group queen and solo. Brian mays famous selfmade signature instrument doesnt need much introduction since its become a thing of lore after queens long reign. Sometimes, the red special is referred to, by may and by others, as the fireplace or the old lady. Note the disk magnets of the original handmade pickups it was the early 1960s and a young teenaged brian may wanted an electric guitar. He did this around 1998, and it does make a nice addition to the guitars overall vibe. These products are not official copies and are not endorsed by brian, but if youre in the market for a red specialstyle guitar, they are certainly worth a look. However, the red special was so successful that may had no need to build another guitar. Brian dreamed of a guitar that would outperform any of the existing commercially made electric guitars and his father had the technical skills to. Brian talks about every aspect of the red special, from its birth to playing on the roof of buckingham palace, from live aid to the closing. Brian may simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
In this book you will discover everything you ever wished to know about brians unique instrument. The brian may special is a lovingly made replica of the iconic original that helped brian may achieve some of the most unique and timeless guitar tones in rock history. In celebration of the instruments 50th anniversary, a book about its construction and history, brian mays red special. Brian may guitars have been developed in a partnership between the man himself and barry moorhouse of house music to produce true to the original versions of mays famed, handbuilt, red special guitar. It was named the spade, as the shape of the body resembled the form shown on playing cards. A devastatingly authentic, handcrafted replica of the red special, the limited edition bmg super is the result of a allstar international collaboration between brian may and his long serving guitar tech pete malandrone, house musics barry moorhouse, british. I have been working on the guitar for the best part of five years on and off, with many roadblocks, and issues arising along the way.
Just out of curiosity, today i looked up guild bm guitar sold listings, and there were two. From the red special to an arsenal of effects, heres how to sound like the operatic rock legend, including the ultimate tone hack. Oct 01, 2014 what an amazing book about brian may s faithful lady companion the red special guitar that has been his faitful sidekick for almost 50 years. Fanmerch queen brian may red special mini guitar replica collectible. Brian subsequently used it on every queen and solo album that he recorded and at the vast majority of his live performances. For a diehard brian may fan, this book is the holy grail of the red special. This kit will work with any single coil strat pickup set, bu.
Centered around interviews with may about the building of the guitar and. The red special is the electric guitar designed and built by queens guitarist brian may and his. Brian talks about every aspect of the red special, from its birth to playing on the roof of buckingham palace, from live aid to the closing ceremony of. Note the disk magnets of the original handmade pickups it was the early 1960s and a young teenaged brian may wanted an. The story of the homemade guitar that rocked queen and the world by brian may with simon bradley is available now from carlton books. It as 24 frets with a zero fret, 24 scale neck, ebony fingerboard. Queens brian may on freddie mercurys guitar skills. If you have an appreciation for all the tricks and incredible sounds that queens brian may is able to produce on his original red special, then this brian may signature electric guitar is. Jun, 2017 a young brian may playing the brand new red special. Commercial copies of brians guitar latest rock music news. Apart from lacking the unique redspecial tremolo, this guitar looks close, sounds close, and is cheap enough to allow everybody to experience what makes the redspecial such a unique guitar.
You can find out more about the history online, and brian may s company is at brian may guitars the official web site for brian may guitars you can buy the guitars there. The red special guitar was built by brian may and his fathe. Simon bradley brian may and his father harold started to handbuild an electric guitar in 1963. Brian mays red special is also one such classic rock instrument, one he actually built with his father as young man in 1963. The story of the homemade guitar that rocked queen and the world hardback brian may. A very entertaining and informative book on brian mays red special guitar. Lets explore this instrument to learn how it works and discover how you can mod a production or custom replica to make it even more versatile. Oct 01, 2014 the red special guitar was built by brian may and his father in 1963. Its also at the heart of a hal leonard book called brian mays red special. The story of the homemade guitar that rocked queen and the world by brian may with simon bradley from carlton books coauthor simon bradley helps us lift the lid on the most iconic homemade guitar in. The brian may special is a stunning guitar, blessed with superb build quality, awesome playability and an astonishingly rich diversity of killer tones. Brian dreamed of a guitar that would outperform any of the.
The name red special came from the reddishbrown colour the guitar attained after being stained and painted with numerous layers of. In brian mays own words, and over 300 previously unseen 3d photographs, this book is a series of glimpses of life with the rock band queen, seen from the inside for the first time. In brian mays own words, and over 300 previously unseen 3d. A young brian may playing the brand new red special. Inspired by brian may s legendary red special, an instrument that has achieved iconic status and its own unique place in rock history, the bmg special is a stunning guitar, blessed with superb build quality, awesome playability and an astonishingly rich diversity of killer tones. The story of the homemade guitar that rocked queen and the world hardcover may 12, 2020 by brian may author, simon bradley author. It is a unique guitar with unique sound, and brians millions of fans will be overjoyed to see it inside and out in this great book. Brian may red special book photos of the tremolo in the making as per the original brian may red special. Rs guitars rs guitars produce very highquality red special style guitars. Lots and lots of diagrams and illustrations, fascinating background into each decision in how the guitar was designed and made.
Brian may guitars have been developed in a partnership between the man himself and barry moorhouse of house music to produce true to the original versions of may s famed, handbuilt, red special guitar. May with his iconic red special guitar, photographed at the launch party for the 2014 book, brian mays red special image credit. Apart from the guild and burns guitars which are endorsed by brian may, there are also a number of commercially available copies of the red special. The story of the homemade guitar that rocked queen and the world by brian may and simon bradley may 5, 2020 hardcover. Brian may guitars brian may signature electric guitar. Brian talks about every aspect of the red special, from its birth to playing on the roof of buckingham palace, from live aid to the closing ceremony of the london 2012 olympics and beyond. It is a unique guitar with unique sound, and brian s millions of fans will be overjoyed to see it inside and out in this great book. Brian may is one of the most immediately identifiable guitarists of all time, and part of his sonic mojo comes from his unique 6stringthe red special. They make a replica of the red special in a number of different colours, as well as three other models an acoustic, a mini version of the red special, and a bass guitar. The brian may range is the closest you can come to the original homemade red special and now includes variants, acoustics and even basses. It was built by may and his father from a slab of wood from an old fireplace mantle and featured hardware fashioned from cutlery.
A devastatingly authentic, handcrafted replica of the red special, the limited edition bmg super is the result of a allstar international collaboration between brian may and his long serving guitar tech pete malandrone, house musics barry moorhouse, british electronics wizard adrian turner, australian red specialist greg fryer, japanese. In 1971, he hit the road with his band, queen, playing lead guitar on his homemade axe, the red special. Bhm style wiring kits still one of the slickest and most versatile guitar rigs around this is the same basic switching system queens brian may used on his handmade red special guitar. Brian s soapbox page is brian s personal column, sharing his thoughts on music, work, life, the world, astronomy and stereo photography. The red special is also sometimes referred to, by may and by others, as the fireplace or the old lady. I am astonished there was so many original diagrams, sketches and photos. Jun 10, 2019 may with his iconic red special guitar, photographed at the launch party for the 2014 book, brian mays red special image credit. Brian may was born july 19, 1947, in hampton, england. Oct 01, 2014 a very entertaining and informative book on brian may s red special guitar. Building a red special replica guitar mikes models. Issue 386 of guitarist magazine saw us get up close and personal with brian may of queens iconic red special guitar like never before, to coincide with the release of brian mays red special. The story of the homemade guitar that rocked queen and the world. Brian harold may, cbe born 19 july 1947 is an english musician, songwriter and astrophysicist, best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band queen. Brian mays red special the story of the homemade guitar.
In brian mays own words, and over 300 previously unseen 3. Brian played his guitar on every queen album and in all of queens live shows around the world. The red special is the electric guitar designed and built by queen s guitarist brian may and his father, harold, when brian was a teenager in the early 1960s. Constructed totally by brian and his father harold, the red special has graced pretty much every recording made by brian that features electric guitar. Brian mays red special guitar by brian may, 9781787390782, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
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