I saw an interview with Brian who said Father could not understand why, with his qualifications, he went into music, when he could have followed almost any career he wanted. Brian quoted him as saying "I don't get it" Years later, when Queen where at their peak, Brian flew his Mother and Father over to see them play a sell-out gig in Paris. So the story gose it was a particularly great show, and backstage after the show his Father said to him "Now I get it" I'v always loved the fact his Father was willing to allow him to follow his own path and later acknowledge his son made a good choice.
Yeah, I wanted to play drums and my parents wouldn’t have it had them one day then I had a clarinet which I never learned to play but sports they supported
@@NavidainBrian flew his parents on a Concorde to New York in 1977 when Queen played at Madison Square Garden and after the gig Brian's father finally shook his hand admitting: "Ok. I get it now."
"There are many famous Les Pauls, many famous Stratocasters and Telecasters, but there is only one Red Special" I never get bored with learning more about that guitar and I am so happy that people continue to honor Brian in this way. Amazing guy, amazing guitar! Long Live Queen!
@@derpatel9760 But only THE Red Special is the one. All the rest are things like BHM1 etc. And honestly, the point is, all the rest are imitations of the original. That's like saying Eddies Frankenstrat is all over the place. Sure...copies!
@@Chuck-Bob Agree. May, Scholz, and possibly Eric Johnsons.... oh and Yngwie... (his is not so much a _good_ tone, but very unique). Oh, and EVH's brown sound.... 😄
Imagine having the success Brian has had and still playing the guitar him and his dad built when he was just a kid. Amazing. Besides the iconic tone, I imagine Brian enjoys the fact that his father will always live on through his music he created on the guitar in which both he and his father created. So freaking cool. Brian is just an awesome dude 🤘🏻
I had no idea just how "from the ground up" his guitar was built by him and his father. Amazing; he created a unique guitar and then used it to make music with unique sounds over songs that would hold up for generations. 'Wow' on so many levels.
Now you finally get around to this iconic guitar? Les Paul, Leo Fender, Eddie Van Halen, Brian May all built their own guitars for the betterment of humanity.
@@shanewalton8888 not entirely. Les Paul built the neck and pickups himself and then put them into a 2x4. After that he decided to take an Epiphone Zephyr, an archtop acoustic guitar, cut it in half, and affix both halves to his “Log” guitar. (This was mostly for aesthetic purposes, as he was getting odd looks from audiences when he played the guitar minus the Zephyr bits in the clubs.)
As a guitarist, I love May's playing. He's got a truly unique style that just brings a smile to my face. Plus, he's the only guy who can record a three part harmony in one take. Add in that his scientific, engineering and charity work, you hear him speak in interviews, you see his collaborations with other musicians, and you just know he's truly one of Rock and Rolls Good Guys. All Praise Dr May
Mind blowing that Brian and his dad problem solved their way to such an iconic guitar, which led to Brian‘s iconic sound. This video was a wonderful weekend treat thank you Keith!
Every time I listen to Queen I remember that Sir Brian and his father built that guitar and it's incredibly heart-warming. An iconic tone with such an amazing and unique story behind it. One can only hope to have that sort of impact on their son's life.
The 6d (sixpence) wasn't minted after 1970, but remained in circulation and legal tender until 1980. One of the reasons was that many cities had parking meters that took shillings and sixpences before decimalisation, and it would have been expensive to replace all the mechanisms. .... Anyway that left the UK with the peculiar situation of having a 2½p coin in circulation throughout the 1970's.
I don't know... built his own unique and awesome guitar with father back in the 1960s, formed a band that would successfully encompass just about every music style you can possibly think of... finally got to finish his PhD on astrophysics... had the most successful biopic ever made about his band... is now SIR Brian May... bit of an overachiever? But he's such a modest and softly spoken gentleman that you can't help but love this man.
Brian May , in addition to being one of the most recognized guitar tones in Rock music, is a freaking genius! He and his Dad were engineering around problems big manufacturers hadn’t even touched on. How can you play the hell out of 1 guitar for nearly 60 years and not need to refret it. Amazing! Hand chiseled, hand filed, hand made! The neck to body attachment is simplistic perfection. Just looking at, it resembles nothing else on the market. Compared to the Red Special, any old partscaster is just a canoe paddle. Fantastic history lesson Keith! But where do you go from here? Maybe Tom Scholz’s Les Paul, or Dick Dale’s Strat?
@@Brian_Vallejo That was/is an iconic guitar. I had the opportunity to know Dick. He had bought an airplane from where I worked at the Fresno Airport. We got invited down to his Sky Ranch in 29 Palms. He and I swapped guitars and sat on his living room sofa and jammed. His original Strat was given to him from Leo Fender himself and was the one in all the “Beach “ movies. I remember it had a serial number from 1961, and had a very fat neck. He teased me about the lite strings on my Strat. Then he brought out another Strat the custom shop had made him, with all gold hardware. He insisted I play it as well, but said he wouldn’t play it because he would “ tear it up”. The last time I saw him was a couple years before he died. He was still playing his original Strat. I believe his widow , Lana, still has it.
It took 50 years for me to learn the 5% of this I already knew. It took KW less than half an hour to supply me with the other 95%.. Brilliant episode. Thanks and blessings.
Brian and his father were visionaries on what features and specs are necessary to make a truly great guitar. Their brilliant ingenuity and perseverance created an iconic guitar guitar and a vehicle capable of delivering Brian's masterful playing and inspired musicality. What a fantastic achievement! Keith, this is one of my favorite episodes of your wonderful series highlighting amazing guitars. A thousand thanks. 👏👍😎
I really enjoyed this history lesson on the red special. I first listened to Queen before A Night at the Opera came out and I have always been super impressed with the sound and control of Brian May. I only found out years later that he had used a guitar that he built and kept using it throughout the various Queen albums. This was very informative and interesting, thank you!
What i love about this is the thing has all the hallmarks of a home project, Throwing in as many features as possible, fixating on fine details to an almost ludicrous degree (hand cutting string rollers for example), but also exhibits the classic "lets just blow through the boring parts" quirks like anchoring the truss rod with a wood screw and simply cutting groves for the strings to pass through after the nut. the phase switching reminds me of the stuff i put on my first build, albiet seemingly much more functional, overall its just such a human thing, teenager wants guitar, father and son collaborate to build it, then son uses it for decades to make defineing music of the rock genre such a cool story
Well, that was f’n awesome! As a luthier of nearly 15 years now, I was fascinated by this view of the Red Special. Such an iconic guitar! The father/son engineering team deserves accolades! They were so far ahead of their times. I primarily build flat top acoustic guitars and bent top mandolins, but have built many Tele style electrics and even a few P basses. Loved this, 5 Watt World vid! Peace
Although it’s not covered here in this video, before using Vox AC30s he was using an amp that had been hand-made by Queen’s bass player John Deacon. Affectionately called the Deacy Box, even some engineers with doctorates in electrical engineering have no idea how it works, only that it does!
I did a video on his gear/tone and without the guitar it is impossible to get the vibe of Queen. The combo of his tone, clean picking and bends are gold. Great video.
I’ve been a Brian May (& Queen) fan for about 45 years. Yet today I have learnt more things about both Brian and his guitar that I did not know. Another outstanding video! Thanks Keith and all the team at Five Watt World. 🙏
First of all, thanks for what is probably my favourite of your short histories. This is a superb account of an iconic instrument. Brian May did actually play a different electric guitar live on stage. If you see Queen play Crazy Little Thing Called Love at the Live Aid concert in 1985, he started with his acoustic 12-string, then switched to a black Telecaster and finished on the Red Special. He played the first solo on the Telecaster. I remember watching on TV at the time and thinking he must have broken a string but the videos on TH-cam show he hadn't. It looks like it was planned that way all along.
Great job - and you even got our place names right! Btw, a grammar school was a state funded 11-18 school which was selective on the basis of ability. So it was a chance for bright kids from poorer backgrounds to get somewhere. The only thing you might've missed - apologies if you did mention it - was that the tremolo arm came from the panier on a bicycle, with a plastic bobbin from his Mum's knitting needle. I'm pretty sure that's correct. Thanks for paying tribute to one of our best exports!
man, I love your writing! Never fails to connect emotionally. Suddenly, we are not just talking about guitars and specs, we are talking about music and its effect in our lives. Thanks!
Thoroughly researched and thoughtfully presented Keith. You've done a much better job than so many of the articles and interviews over the years. And I don't mind the fact that you've used a lot of my photos. Keep up the good work!
I think the coolest part about this is the father son project. It is so cool that they spent so much time coming up with it and building it, and it really helped build a deep knowledge and appreciation in Brian. I hope that just one project I do with my son leads to such an impact for him.
The live tones he was able to produce on their Live From Montreal, Live from The Bowl, Live Aid and Live at Wembley performances are some of my favorite guitar tones of all time.
Great work, Keith. I have read about this guitar over the years, but there is nothing quite like the 5 watt treatment! Great job by Angus, too, capturing those awesome tones!
I have a left hand one, it's a cool Guitar. The Tri Sonic's sound excellent. I've never heard a Burns sound like the RS. It has inspired circuitry. I bought it to play through my AC 30. I just had to have one, they don't come anymore iconic than Brian's Red Special. Great choice to do a Short History on Keith. Superbly presented as always, thank you.
The really amazing part of this guitar is how much Brian and his father understood so early in the history of the electric guitar. So many insights and innovations for its day!!
Well done once again sir! I'm always happy when a new Short History vid shows up in my feed. And I've never been disappointed! Thanks for all you do Keith!
Fantastic history. I got a chance to get a BMG Red Special last week like the one Angus is playing in this video, and it’s an impressive beast. I like a lot of Queen but I’m not a huge fan, but I was attracted by May’s engineering and innovation that Carries over to the production guitars. It’s SO much fun to explore the tonal range.
I had the good fortune to meet Brian a few times in the late 90s. a really relaxed, humble and genuinely nice guy. Intelligent & articulate also. thanks for this great post.
The red special. Proof that if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself. The red special is quite ahead of its time, having some features that wouldn't make their way to other guitars until the 80s. The tremolo system in particular is ingenious. If I'm not mistaken it is one of the first knife edge style designs. Fender tremolos were mostly pivoting in the room between the screws, Bigsbys used a roller system and Gibson Vibrola tremolos just used bendy steel. The knife edge tremolo concept wouldn't take off until the 80s when Floyd Rose's locking design became readily available.
Kudos to the video creator for giving us an incredible journey through Brian May's Red Special! You've struck a chord with your storytelling skills, leaving us all strumming with joy. Bravo! 🙌🎸
One of my questions was answered after about two minutes: Why is the shape of the Red Special so simple but yet refined and elegant, especially compared with many of the bloated, awkward shapes put out in later decades by large manufacturers? "Harold worked as a draftsman..." Ah. Brian's dad had an experienced industrial designer's eye and the skill to use a draftsman's tools to bring it to life. The sketches of the Red Special show just how detailed and professional the initial design drawings were.
I'v always been aware that Brian, with his Father's help, designed and built the Red Special, but I didn't realise they actually scratch built so many of the intricate key components. Fascinating video. I heard somewhere that the tremolo arm, or whamy bar on the earlier iterations of the Red Special was actually fashioned from a knitting needle, and the volume and tone knobs were hob controls taken from a gas cooker. I couldn't swear to it, but I'm sure I saw Brain say this in an interview/guitar run-down somewhere from way back.
Hey Keith!🤘..I saw this notification this morning and thought about it all day at work..lol..too busy today to get to it so it was nice to look forward to.. catching up now..thanks this is one many have awaited forever 🤘😁🎸
Thank you for making this video. I am a huge Queen and Brian May fan and i love watching this type of video breaking down and detailing the construction of the red special, one of the most iconic instruments ever built. Rock on 🤘
Amazing video, Keith! As always, very detailed and Angus' playing was spot on. Jamie Humphries, who used to play with Brian May and is now a TH-camr would have been a great addition to this video. He even has a Red Special inspired Musicman!
Brian May paused his PhD to pursue music. Professor Brian Cox paused his music career to focus on his PhD. May joined Cox for an episode of BBC Stargazing Live from Jodrell Bank Observatory in 2013, and May purchased Sir Patrick Moore's house in 2008 after Moore's death.
Such an excellent video. Great storytelling, excellent research and photos, & Angus’ playing is next level. Kudos 👏 to Brian May and to you for honoring his legacy.
Talking of Brian's backups, like someone had mentioned, he also used the 1984 Guild BHM. Both his prototypes were used as spares in the 80s and 90s. Brian also had a prototype of the 1993 BM01 which he used for drop D in the Back To The Light tour. It had a natural finish, and used the same DiMarzio BHM pickups from the 1984 BHM1.
Before I forget, one of the 1984 prototypes was used in the A Kind Of Magic album. Its harsher sound can be distinguished from the original's. In the last few songs Brian switched back to his original, as he wasn't happy with how the guitar turned out. Around the same year he told Guild to stop producing the BHMs. Then in the 90s he worked with them again to produce the BM01s until 1995, when Fender took over, causing Brian to end the deal completely.
Brian's new videos on the small signature VOX amps is great. He has a great sense of humor. I used to have his VOX pathfinder size amp with the Union Jack grill. After 30 years I still use my regular Vox pathfinder with 1/4 line out and 6.5 " speaker. Works great alone or plugged into a PA.. Still less than $100.' 'Most sound for less Money.' I think I heard that somewhere before. Thanks Keith, A fun start to Saturday guitar shopping.
Excellent Short History, Keith. The Red Special has always been a bit of an enigma to me as has been Brian May, himself. To think, Brian is actually talented beyond belief. I just thought he was a rock and roller, when all along, he is an astrophysicist. He is a man with talents far beyond our imagination. Thank you, Keith. You did a tremendous job of telling four stories, one of the man, one of his intellect, one of his musicianship and one of the his vision, especially with respect to creating the "red special". Many thanks for expressing your creative self. Be well and stay safe.
I never really did consider myself a Queen fan but have always respected them and Brian is definitely among the pantheon of great guitarists. I go back pretty often to watch Brian and Roger Taylor play Tie Your Mother Down with the Foo Fighters at Hyde Park, first time I saw Taylor Hawkins sing, and he nailed it.
Thank You for doing a segment on May's Red Special. I have been a Queen fan since the Queen II album and always wondered how Brian obtained his unique sound. When I found out he made the guitar himself, I was fascinated to learn more about it. Your segment goes into the most detail about the guitar that I have seen.
You certainly earned my subscription my friend. Great research and very well done. This subject matter is very dangerous waters to tread in, but you've done so perfectly and very in-depth. Well done, bravo, bravo 👏
You mentioned Stone Cold Crazy as the bridge and middle out of phase, it was actually neck and bridge out of phase. The bridge and middle out of phase is very harsh and thin.
Very interesting perspective on the read it special, thank you. Most of us probably know a lot about the red special but there’s always a couple fun little tidbits. You forgot to mention the Deaky, which was the speaker that John Deacon made for Brian, which he uses all the time now. Instead of the Vox
Thanks for the post. Learning a little more of the 100 yr. old oak fretboard and frets he has to not change, his touch must be light for the frets, and one string at a time that need it, to not change the sound. Thought I read about hand winding the coils themselves.
Extremely interesting! The level of engineering that May and his father put into the construction of the Red Special is astounding, and surely a preview of the creativity and ingenuity May showed in the following decades. The engineering, creative problem solving, and machining would have intrigued even Leo Fender.
When I was 15 on Saturday I would have saved my lunch money to buy a new Album. I went to Argus Tapes and Records, planning to buy Andy Frasier from Free newest solo project. SHARKS. I saw this Brand New Band that had just been put on sale that Thursday. I took a risk and Bought Queens First LP. Knocked my Socks off!!!! Lair came on and Ive never looked back. Brian wanted a Metal band I Love. Freddie made them for the whole world to Enjoy. Ive spent my Life listening to Queen. All the Better for it. Thanks Keith for an Oustanding Presentation!!!!!
Yes, wow, tears in they eyes of anybody when you approach Thomas Kirche who ever played a note. Two days ago I talked about the Zwischenspiel in the WTC b minor fugue, with its unreached progression, heaven air but copied by Bach note by note. Bach new that he himself stood on the shoulders of those Italians. But the Erbarme Dich or MP Final choir is unreached in music History yes of course . Thank you for this collection of statements.
How to get the most music from more guitars-more guitars - more guitars -MORE GUITARS !!!!!....Ive never liked the look of the red special but it definitely has an amazing sound / tone ,.......Thanks for covering its story.
I heard Bohemian Rhapsody on the local rock station KLOS here in Los Angeles sometime in the very early 90s as a kid, the multi layered guitar harmony at the end of the song stuck with me and is likely why I wanted to pick up a guitar myself. That and a videogame called Full Throttle that had a San Francisco band called the Gone Jackals do the soundtrack. Between Queen and The Gone Jackals around 1995, I wanted to start playing. Queen has always been my favorite band since I first heard Bohemian Rhapsody and the 1985 Live Aid set is the greatest set ever played in my opinion. Fun fact, I worked at FOX when the movie was being filmed and I supported some of the executive staff who worked on the movie and dealt with the movie and music licensing. I got to watch the dailies as they came in a few times. Excellent video as always!
A note on the sixpence, or six pence piece, that May uses as a pick. While decimalisation came in February 1971, the sixpence was kept in circulation until 1980 but with a value of 2 and a half new pence. That's my British currency pedantry moment over. Thanks for the great content 👍
I absolutely love this! A guitar like this that was built and designed from scratch has so much more character than pulling a standard Strat or Les Paul off the shelf. As an amateur builder myself, I can really appreciate the versatility of the Red Special
I always wondered how Brian and his dad managed to build such a fine instrument without either of them being luthiers. After learning how intelligent Brian is and that his dad was an engineer makes it crystal clear. Great video!
Years ago I went to my local Guitar Center to look around. I was looking at the used guitars, and there was a Red Special copy made by Dillion guitars on the wall. I took it down to check it out, and found the neck was cracked at the headstock, and the thin piece of wood in front of the trem was broken out. I took it to the sales desk and asked what was up with it. Someone had bought it, and had it shipped to the store and it was damaged from the trip. I made a deal, and took it home. I glued the crack in the headstock using a syringe, and glued the wood at the trem using epoxy and a flat piece of steel with screws to re-enforce it. The pickups were not the Burns that Brian uses, so I removed them and got a set of Burns Brian May pups and installed them. The guitar is a solid body with no binding, and it has a quilt top. I resurrected that guitar from the grave, and still have it. It plays great, and has that May tone.
I'd LOVE to see you do a video on Boston and their homemade amps/pedals !!! Also, Schecter and ESP one day!!! I beg of the, sir. Love your videos so much.
Is is true that the tremolo bar was made using one of Brian May's mothers' knitting needles? If this was mentioned in the video I missed it. Thank you for the very detailed account of the construction including all the electronics. It's so wonderful he and his father worked together so diligently and with great curiousity to get the sounds Brian wanted. And the extra frets was such a great idea!
Great video. Thank you. Just to add. Brian originally used banjo strings for the top G, B and E strings. As they were easier to bend, with 8’s not being available in guitar strings. If my memory serves me correct, this is in the Red Special book.
I literally just saw one of the Import Brian May Signature guitars at my local guitar center, it looked the part, had all of the bells and whistles (minus the homemade trem, a Wilkinson was on it but it was solid) and played nicely, didn't have a chance to plug it in though :C It happened to be hanging next to a Schecter Tele made for someone with the initials MGK, probably not a very important person methinks... it twas a gaudy looking black and pink thing that was completely outclassed by a import replica of one of the most important guitars of all time. And for the 849 bucks the barn was offering, I would have happily taken it home as a impulse buy if I had the cash on hand.
An amazing guitar played by an equally amazing guitarist!!! I will say that I saw Brian play a black Telecaster in the footage from the "Concert for Kampuchea" on the song "Crazy Little Thing Called Love." He plays the song right up to the guitar solo and acapella break, at which point he switches to the Red Special!
Enjoyed the video. Couple of 'corrections... When it comes to British guitarists, ALL the legendary 60s and 70s guitarists were influenced by Hank Marvin. Their fans might not like it, but they all give him credit when asked. Regarding the Guild Red Special, they did a version, more a lookalike, with BHM's consent, in the mid '80s, which had a Kahler locking trem.
I received a red special from BMG last week; the economic option. I love it already. I also have a Harley Benton BM75 homage version which is surprisingly good
People must watch the Rick Beato interview and you can see how humble Brian is sharing his knowledge and remembering how Queens songs were put together. He then praised Rick for how well he played saying he couldn't do what Rick did no brevardo or braging about himself.
What an awesome video! Like countless others, I'm a big fan of Brian May and his Red Special, so I really enjoyed this video. I appreciate the work that goes into putting together history videos like this one (especially the research and trying to make sure you get the details right).
A few years back there was an in depth magazine article and unrelated video with Brian about the Red Special. Likely your source material. What stuck in my mind was it still having the original frets. The interviewer mentioned the obvious divits but there was no indication what they're made of, likely nickel, though Brian described filing and bending them to radius. Brian used light strings with a light touch but 40 + years (at that time) with a guitar almost exclusively used in the studio and live is insane. That's a ridiculous length of time for nickel frets with such heavy use. I don't think titanium was readily available in the local shops in the 1960's hehe.
Great episode’ I love the history of Brian’s guitar’ it really goes to show if u can find something that is custom to your playing and the sound u like them u really only need one guitar’ even tho we will all always buy more for what ever reason haha 😂
I gotta hand it to Brian's father for taking interest in his son's musical dream at a young age. My hats off to you, sir.
Totally. Lots of parents (probably most) wouldn’t have taken the trouble. What a great story. Makes me want to save for one!
I saw an interview with Brian who said Father could not understand why, with his qualifications, he went into music, when he could have followed almost any career he wanted. Brian quoted him as saying "I don't get it"
Years later, when Queen where at their peak, Brian flew his Mother and Father over to see them play a sell-out gig in Paris. So the story gose it was a particularly great show, and backstage after the show his Father said to him "Now I get it"
I'v always loved the fact his Father was willing to allow him to follow his own path and later acknowledge his son made a good choice.
Yeah, I wanted to play drums and my parents wouldn’t have it had them one day then I had a clarinet which I never learned to play but sports they supported
@@stewarttomkinson3356 parental support is a good thing. It's not required in order to be great at something, but it ain't bad.
@@NavidainBrian flew his parents on a Concorde to New York in 1977 when Queen played at Madison Square Garden and after the gig Brian's father finally shook his hand admitting: "Ok. I get it now."
"There are many famous Les Pauls, many famous Stratocasters and Telecasters, but there is only one Red Special" I never get bored with learning more about that guitar and I am so happy that people continue to honor Brian in this way. Amazing guy, amazing guitar! Long Live Queen!
I mean they make red specials now. Brian has more than one. He has the original but he also has replacements.
@@derpatel9760 But only THE Red Special is the one. All the rest are things like BHM1 etc. And honestly, the point is, all the rest are imitations of the original. That's like saying Eddies Frankenstrat is all over the place. Sure...copies!
Ahh you missed the trick - "There can be only one... Red Special"
@@jca111 I cant believe I missed that opportunity. I'm glad you Saved Me from it
And only one Frankenstein
Fantastic Hypes!! One of your best 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Thanks Hypes!
An actual factual Beato Bomb!!!!
❤
I'm my humble opinion, Brian May's sound is the most recognizable tone of any guitarist I've ever heard.
Tom Scholz (Boston) is way up there too, and Robert Fripp as well. But I would concur, you know Brian May in the first 3 -5 notes.
@@Chuck-Bob Agree. May, Scholz, and possibly Eric Johnsons.... oh and Yngwie... (his is not so much a _good_ tone, but very unique).
Oh, and EVH's brown sound....
😄
Imagine having the success Brian has had and still playing the guitar him and his dad built when he was just a kid. Amazing. Besides the iconic tone, I imagine Brian enjoys the fact that his father will always live on through his music he created on the guitar in which both he and his father created. So freaking cool. Brian is just an awesome dude 🤘🏻
Love this.
I had no idea just how "from the ground up" his guitar was built by him and his father. Amazing; he created a unique guitar and then used it to make music with unique sounds over songs that would hold up for generations. 'Wow' on so many levels.
Now you finally get around to this iconic guitar?
Les Paul, Leo Fender, Eddie Van Halen, Brian May all built their own guitars for the betterment of humanity.
Somewhere Paul just let out a "Muhahaha!"
Of course the guitar Les Paul built, the Log, is not the Les Paul guitar we know today. Ted McCarty built that.
Yep. Brian's was a lot of his DAD'S insights actually. His Father was like Thomas Eddison.
He's only one man give him a break, donate money so it can help him make more videos.
@@shanewalton8888 not entirely. Les Paul built the neck and pickups himself and then put them into a 2x4. After that he decided to take an Epiphone Zephyr, an archtop acoustic guitar, cut it in half, and affix both halves to his “Log” guitar. (This was mostly for aesthetic purposes, as he was getting odd looks from audiences when he played the guitar minus the Zephyr bits in the clubs.)
As a guitarist, I love May's playing. He's got a truly unique style that just brings a smile to my face. Plus, he's the only guy who can record a three part harmony in one take.
Add in that his scientific, engineering and charity work, you hear him speak in interviews, you see his collaborations with other musicians, and you just know he's truly one of Rock and Rolls Good Guys.
All Praise Dr May
Mind blowing that Brian and his dad problem solved their way to such an iconic guitar, which led to Brian‘s iconic sound. This video was a wonderful weekend treat thank you Keith!
Every time I listen to Queen I remember that Sir Brian and his father built that guitar and it's incredibly heart-warming. An iconic tone with such an amazing and unique story behind it.
One can only hope to have that sort of impact on their son's life.
A M E N
The 6d (sixpence) wasn't minted after 1970, but remained in circulation and legal tender until 1980. One of the reasons was that many cities had parking meters that took shillings and sixpences before decimalisation, and it would have been expensive to replace all the mechanisms. .... Anyway that left the UK with the peculiar situation of having a 2½p coin in circulation throughout the 1970's.
I don't know... built his own unique and awesome guitar with father back in the 1960s, formed a band that would successfully encompass just about every music style you can possibly think of... finally got to finish his PhD on astrophysics... had the most successful biopic ever made about his band... is now SIR Brian May... bit of an overachiever? But he's such a modest and softly spoken gentleman that you can't help but love this man.
My guitar teacher from when I was 12-13 had a Guild Brian May guitar, that thing was an incredible piece :)
Brian May , in addition to being one of the most recognized guitar tones in Rock music, is a freaking genius! He and his Dad were engineering around problems big manufacturers hadn’t even touched on. How can you play the hell out of 1 guitar for nearly 60 years and not need to refret it. Amazing! Hand chiseled, hand filed, hand made! The neck to body attachment is simplistic perfection. Just looking at, it resembles nothing else on the market. Compared to the Red Special, any old partscaster is just a canoe paddle.
Fantastic history lesson Keith!
But where do you go from here?
Maybe Tom Scholz’s Les Paul, or Dick Dale’s Strat?
Would love to see a video on Dick Dale’s Strat!
@@Brian_Vallejo
That was/is an iconic guitar. I had the opportunity to know Dick. He had bought an airplane from where I worked at the Fresno Airport. We got invited down to his Sky Ranch in 29 Palms. He and I swapped guitars and sat on his living room sofa and jammed. His original Strat was given to him from Leo Fender himself and was the one in all the “Beach “ movies. I remember it had a serial number from 1961, and had a very fat neck. He teased me about the lite strings on my Strat. Then he brought out another Strat the custom shop had made him, with all gold hardware. He insisted I play it as well, but said he wouldn’t play it because he would “ tear it up”. The last time I saw him was a couple years before he died. He was still playing his original Strat. I believe his widow , Lana, still has it.
IQ of 180. Not bad.
It took 50 years for me to learn the 5% of this I already knew.
It took KW less than half an hour to supply me with the other 95%..
Brilliant episode.
Thanks and blessings.
Brian and his father were visionaries on what features and specs are necessary to make a truly great guitar. Their brilliant ingenuity and perseverance created an iconic guitar guitar and a vehicle capable of delivering Brian's masterful playing and inspired musicality. What a fantastic achievement!
Keith, this is one of my favorite episodes of your wonderful series highlighting amazing guitars. A thousand thanks. 👏👍😎
I really enjoyed this history lesson on the red special. I first listened to Queen before A Night at the Opera came out and I have always been super impressed with the sound and control of Brian May. I only found out years later that he had used a guitar that he built and kept using it throughout the various Queen albums. This was very informative and interesting, thank you!
What i love about this is the thing has all the hallmarks of a home project, Throwing in as many features as possible, fixating on fine details to an almost ludicrous degree (hand cutting string rollers for example), but also exhibits the classic "lets just blow through the boring parts" quirks like anchoring the truss rod with a wood screw and simply cutting groves for the strings to pass through after the nut.
the phase switching reminds me of the stuff i put on my first build, albiet seemingly much more functional,
overall its just such a human thing, teenager wants guitar, father and son collaborate to build it, then son uses it for decades to make defineing music of the rock genre
such a cool story
Well, that was f’n awesome! As a luthier of nearly 15 years now, I was fascinated by this view of the Red Special. Such an iconic guitar! The father/son engineering team deserves accolades! They were so far ahead of their times. I primarily build flat top acoustic guitars and bent top mandolins, but have built many Tele style electrics and even a few P basses.
Loved this, 5 Watt World vid!
Peace
Although it’s not covered here in this video, before using Vox AC30s he was using an amp that had been hand-made by Queen’s bass player John Deacon. Affectionately called the Deacy Box, even some engineers with doctorates in electrical engineering have no idea how it works, only that it does!
I did a video on his gear/tone and without the guitar it is impossible to get the vibe of Queen. The combo of his tone, clean picking and bends are gold. Great video.
I’ve been a Brian May (& Queen) fan for about 45 years.
Yet today I have learnt more things about both Brian and his guitar that I did not know.
Another outstanding video!
Thanks Keith and all the team at Five Watt World. 🙏
First of all, thanks for what is probably my favourite of your short histories. This is a superb account of an iconic instrument. Brian May did actually play a different electric guitar live on stage. If you see Queen play Crazy Little Thing Called Love at the Live Aid concert in 1985, he started with his acoustic 12-string, then switched to a black Telecaster and finished on the Red Special. He played the first solo on the Telecaster. I remember watching on TV at the time and thinking he must have broken a string but the videos on TH-cam show he hadn't. It looks like it was planned that way all along.
Right you are. He always used acoustics.
Great job - and you even got our place names right! Btw, a grammar school was a state funded 11-18 school which was selective on the basis of ability. So it was a chance for bright kids from poorer backgrounds to get somewhere. The only thing you might've missed - apologies if you did mention it - was that the tremolo arm came from the panier on a bicycle, with a plastic bobbin from his Mum's knitting needle. I'm pretty sure that's correct. Thanks for paying tribute to one of our best exports!
man, I love your writing! Never fails to connect emotionally. Suddenly, we are not just talking about guitars and specs, we are talking about music and its effect in our lives. Thanks!
Thoroughly researched and thoughtfully presented Keith. You've done a much better job than so many of the articles and interviews over the years. And I don't mind the fact that you've used a lot of my photos. Keep up the good work!
Hello Greg, Thank so much for that!
FREAKING AMAZING AND BRILLIANT!!!! Thank you for another incredible installment of FiveWattWorld. Fantastic playing by Angus Clark.
Thanks Michael!
@@AngusClarkGTR Gonna log into my True Fire account to take your class!
I think the coolest part about this is the father son project. It is so cool that they spent so much time coming up with it and building it, and it really helped build a deep knowledge and appreciation in Brian. I hope that just one project I do with my son leads to such an impact for him.
The live tones he was able to produce on their Live From Montreal, Live from The Bowl, Live Aid and Live at Wembley performances are some of my favorite guitar tones of all time.
Great work, Keith. I have read about this guitar over the years, but there is nothing quite like the 5 watt treatment! Great job by Angus, too, capturing those awesome tones!
Thanks!
Perhaps you could do one on Rory Gallagher's well worn stratocaster ? Plenty of stories !
I have a left hand one, it's a cool Guitar. The Tri Sonic's sound excellent. I've never heard a Burns sound like the RS. It has inspired circuitry. I bought it to play through my AC 30. I just had to have one, they don't come anymore iconic than Brian's Red Special. Great choice to do a Short History on Keith. Superbly presented as always, thank you.
The really amazing part of this guitar is how much Brian and his father understood so early in the history of the electric guitar. So many insights and innovations for its day!!
You gotta do Travis Bean guitars/ Aluminium necked instruments a whole. They have such an interesting history and have been used by so many big names.
Well done once again sir! I'm always happy when a new Short History vid shows up in my feed. And I've never been disappointed! Thanks for all you do Keith!
Fantastic history. I got a chance to get a BMG Red Special last week like the one Angus is playing in this video, and it’s an impressive beast. I like a lot of Queen but I’m not a huge fan, but I was attracted by May’s engineering and innovation that Carries over to the production guitars. It’s SO much fun to explore the tonal range.
I had the good fortune to meet Brian a few times in the late 90s. a really relaxed, humble and genuinely nice guy. Intelligent & articulate also. thanks for this great post.
The red special. Proof that if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself. The red special is quite ahead of its time, having some features that wouldn't make their way to other guitars until the 80s.
The tremolo system in particular is ingenious. If I'm not mistaken it is one of the first knife edge style designs. Fender tremolos were mostly pivoting in the room between the screws, Bigsbys used a roller system and Gibson Vibrola tremolos just used bendy steel. The knife edge tremolo concept wouldn't take off until the 80s when Floyd Rose's locking design became readily available.
Kudos to the video creator for giving us an incredible journey through Brian May's Red Special! You've struck a chord with your storytelling skills, leaving us all strumming with joy. Bravo! 🙌🎸
One of my questions was answered after about two minutes: Why is the shape of the Red Special so simple but yet refined and elegant, especially compared with many of the bloated, awkward shapes put out in later decades by large manufacturers? "Harold worked as a draftsman..." Ah. Brian's dad had an experienced industrial designer's eye and the skill to use a draftsman's tools to bring it to life. The sketches of the Red Special show just how detailed and professional the initial design drawings were.
I'v always been aware that Brian, with his Father's help, designed and built the Red Special, but I didn't realise they actually scratch built so many of the intricate key components. Fascinating video.
I heard somewhere that the tremolo arm, or whamy bar on the earlier iterations of the Red Special was actually fashioned from a knitting needle, and the volume and tone knobs were hob controls taken from a gas cooker. I couldn't swear to it, but I'm sure I saw Brain say this in an interview/guitar run-down somewhere from way back.
1:50 That's such a fantastic snapshot!
I had no idea that May actually built that guitar himself! So fascinating!
Whoops, I forgot to also say- Thank you, Keith!!
Amazing learning the history of this incredible guitar! And as always, love watching Angus Clark perform!!
Hey Keith!🤘..I saw this notification this morning and thought about it all day at work..lol..too busy today to get to it so it was nice to look forward to.. catching up now..thanks this is one many have awaited forever 🤘😁🎸
Thank you for making this video. I am a huge Queen and Brian May fan and i love watching this type of video breaking down and detailing the construction of the red special, one of the most iconic instruments ever built. Rock on 🤘
Amazing video, Keith! As always, very detailed and Angus' playing was spot on. Jamie Humphries, who used to play with Brian May and is now a TH-camr would have been a great addition to this video. He even has a Red Special inspired Musicman!
Thanks! And Jamie is amazing.
omg those beautiful pics of the neck pocket+disassembled RS...wonderful.
Brian May paused his PhD to pursue music. Professor Brian Cox paused his music career to focus on his PhD. May joined Cox for an episode of BBC Stargazing Live from Jodrell Bank Observatory in 2013, and May purchased Sir Patrick Moore's house in 2008 after Moore's death.
Made my day to see this video on my stream! One of the best TH-cam channels out there! Thanks KEITH 🎸
Such an excellent video. Great storytelling, excellent research and photos, & Angus’ playing is next level. Kudos 👏 to Brian May and to you for honoring his legacy.
Thanks Brian!
As a fan since Sheer Heart Attack came out I congratulate you on this video Keith. The best you have ever done!
This is, without a doubt, one of your finest videos. I thoroughly enjoyed watching and learning from this video. A big THANK YOU sir!
Talking of Brian's backups, like someone had mentioned, he also used the 1984 Guild BHM. Both his prototypes were used as spares in the 80s and 90s. Brian also had a prototype of the 1993 BM01 which he used for drop D in the Back To The Light tour. It had a natural finish, and used the same DiMarzio BHM pickups from the 1984 BHM1.
Before I forget, one of the 1984 prototypes was used in the A Kind Of Magic album. Its harsher sound can be distinguished from the original's. In the last few songs Brian switched back to his original, as he wasn't happy with how the guitar turned out. Around the same year he told Guild to stop producing the BHMs. Then in the 90s he worked with them again to produce the BM01s until 1995, when Fender took over, causing Brian to end the deal completely.
Wow! Awesome. So interesting how the red special was created and the pickup configurations are amazing.
Brian's new videos on the small signature VOX amps is great. He has a great sense of humor. I used to have his VOX pathfinder size amp with the Union Jack grill. After 30 years I still use my regular Vox pathfinder with 1/4 line out and 6.5 " speaker. Works great alone or plugged into a PA.. Still less than $100.' 'Most sound for less Money.' I think I heard that somewhere before. Thanks Keith, A fun start to Saturday guitar shopping.
Keith! What a treat for this holiday weekend. Thank you for this video🤘
Excellent Short History, Keith. The Red Special has always been a bit of an enigma to me as has been Brian May, himself. To think, Brian is actually talented beyond belief. I just thought he was a rock and roller, when all along, he is an astrophysicist. He is a man with talents far beyond our imagination. Thank you, Keith. You did a tremendous job of telling four stories, one of the man, one of his intellect, one of his musicianship and one of the his vision, especially with respect to creating the "red special". Many thanks for expressing your creative self. Be well and stay safe.
I never really did consider myself a Queen fan but have always respected them and Brian is definitely among the pantheon of great guitarists. I go back pretty often to watch Brian and Roger Taylor play Tie Your Mother Down with the Foo Fighters at Hyde Park, first time I saw Taylor Hawkins sing, and he nailed it.
Thank You for doing a segment on May's Red Special. I have been a Queen fan since the Queen II album and always wondered how Brian obtained his unique sound. When I found out he made the guitar himself, I was fascinated to learn more about it. Your segment goes into the most detail about the guitar that I have seen.
You certainly earned my subscription my friend. Great research and very well done. This subject matter is very dangerous waters to tread in, but you've done so perfectly and very in-depth. Well done, bravo, bravo 👏
Thanks!
You mentioned Stone Cold Crazy as the bridge and middle out of phase, it was actually neck and bridge out of phase. The bridge and middle out of phase is very harsh and thin.
Thanks for everything you do Keith!
good watch ! . watching this while having my morning coffee at the work place. ! perfect way to start the day before my routine starts in an hour
Very interesting perspective on the read it special, thank you. Most of us probably know a lot about the red special but there’s always a couple fun little tidbits. You forgot to mention the Deaky, which was the speaker that John Deacon made for Brian, which he uses all the time now. Instead of the Vox
Yes indeed! One can't properly mention "The Brian May Sound" without reference to the Deac(k)y!
He built this guitar like a master luthier with 30yrs experience!!! What a genius!!!
Thanks for the post. Learning a little more of the 100 yr. old oak fretboard and frets he has to not change, his touch must be light for the frets, and one string at a time that need it, to not change the sound. Thought I read about hand winding the coils themselves.
Extremely interesting! The level of engineering that May and his father put into the construction of the Red Special is astounding, and surely a preview of the creativity and ingenuity May showed in the following decades. The engineering, creative problem solving, and machining would have intrigued even Leo Fender.
Thank you for going over the wiring. I always wondered what all the switches did.
When I was 15 on Saturday I would have saved my lunch money to buy a new Album. I went to Argus Tapes and Records, planning to buy Andy Frasier from Free newest solo project. SHARKS. I saw this Brand New Band that had just been put on sale that Thursday. I took a risk and Bought Queens First LP. Knocked my Socks off!!!! Lair came on and Ive never looked back. Brian wanted a Metal band I Love. Freddie made them for the whole world to Enjoy. Ive spent my Life listening to Queen. All the Better for it. Thanks Keith for an Oustanding Presentation!!!!!
Yes, wow, tears in they eyes of anybody when you approach Thomas Kirche who ever played a note. Two days ago I talked about the Zwischenspiel in the WTC b minor fugue, with its unreached progression, heaven air but copied by Bach note by note. Bach new that he himself stood on the shoulders of those Italians. But the Erbarme Dich or MP Final choir is unreached in music History yes of course . Thank you for this collection of statements.
How to get the most music from more guitars-more guitars - more guitars -MORE GUITARS !!!!!....Ive never liked the look of the red special but it definitely has an amazing sound / tone ,.......Thanks for covering its story.
I heard Bohemian Rhapsody on the local rock station KLOS here in Los Angeles sometime in the very early 90s as a kid, the multi layered guitar harmony at the end of the song stuck with me and is likely why I wanted to pick up a guitar myself. That and a videogame called Full Throttle that had a San Francisco band called the Gone Jackals do the soundtrack. Between Queen and The Gone Jackals around 1995, I wanted to start playing. Queen has always been my favorite band since I first heard Bohemian Rhapsody and the 1985 Live Aid set is the greatest set ever played in my opinion. Fun fact, I worked at FOX when the movie was being filmed and I supported some of the executive staff who worked on the movie and dealt with the movie and music licensing. I got to watch the dailies as they came in a few times. Excellent video as always!
Absolutely fantastic Keith. This was a real treat. Thankfully for doing this!!
A note on the sixpence, or six pence piece, that May uses as a pick. While decimalisation came in February 1971, the sixpence was kept in circulation until 1980 but with a value of 2 and a half new pence. That's my British currency pedantry moment over. Thanks for the great content 👍
That is everything I wanted to know about the Red Special! Thank you again for another amazing episode!!
I absolutely love this! A guitar like this that was built and designed from scratch has so much more character than pulling a standard Strat or Les Paul off the shelf. As an amateur builder myself, I can really appreciate the versatility of the Red Special
Brian based his sound on Rory Gallagher. AC 30 and treble boost.
Soz, I should have watched the full video before commenting.😂
Another great video Keith!
I find it hard to believe that people would thumbs down... they must not have ears to hear.
I always wondered how Brian and his dad managed to build such a fine instrument without either of them being luthiers. After learning how intelligent Brian is and that his dad was an engineer makes it crystal clear. Great video!
Years ago I went to my local Guitar Center to look around. I was looking at the used guitars, and there was a Red Special copy made by Dillion guitars on the wall. I took it down to check it out, and found the neck was cracked at the headstock, and the thin piece of wood in front of the trem was broken out. I took it to the sales desk and asked what was up with it. Someone had bought it, and had it shipped to the store and it was damaged from the trip. I made a deal, and took it home. I glued the crack in the headstock using a syringe, and glued the wood at the trem using epoxy and a flat piece of steel with screws to re-enforce it. The pickups were not the Burns that Brian uses, so I removed them and got a set of Burns Brian May pups and installed them. The guitar is a solid body with no binding, and it has a quilt top. I resurrected that guitar from the grave, and still have it. It plays great, and has that May tone.
I'd LOVE to see you do a video on Boston and their homemade amps/pedals !!! Also, Schecter and ESP one day!!! I beg of the, sir.
Love your videos so much.
I don't understand how can you get it this right on the first try. Amazing man
Is is true that the tremolo bar was made using one of Brian May's mothers' knitting needles? If this was mentioned in the video I missed it. Thank you for the very detailed account of the construction including all the electronics. It's so wonderful he and his father worked together so diligently and with great curiousity to get the sounds Brian wanted. And the extra frets was such a great idea!
Great video. Thank you.
Just to add. Brian originally used banjo strings for the top G, B and E strings. As they were easier to bend, with 8’s not being available in guitar strings. If my memory serves me correct, this is in the Red Special book.
They all used banjo strings until Ernie Ball started making the lighter ones in the mid 60’s.
Exceptional- bravo, Keith and FWW team: most enjoyable.
I literally just saw one of the Import Brian May Signature guitars at my local guitar center, it looked the part, had all of the bells and whistles (minus the homemade trem, a Wilkinson was on it but it was solid) and played nicely, didn't have a chance to plug it in though :C
It happened to be hanging next to a Schecter Tele made for someone with the initials MGK, probably not a very important person methinks... it twas a gaudy looking black and pink thing that was completely outclassed by a import replica of one of the most important guitars of all time.
And for the 849 bucks the barn was offering, I would have happily taken it home as a impulse buy if I had the cash on hand.
Bravo, for another excellent chapter in the 5 Watt World
Incredible that May built a guitar that was MUCH better and way more advanced than anything on the market at that time.
An amazing guitar played by an equally amazing guitarist!!! I will say that I saw Brian play a black Telecaster in the footage from the "Concert for Kampuchea" on the song "Crazy Little Thing Called Love." He plays the song right up to the guitar solo and acapella break, at which point he switches to the Red Special!
Enjoyed the video. Couple of 'corrections... When it comes to British guitarists, ALL the legendary 60s and 70s guitarists were influenced by Hank Marvin. Their fans might not like it, but they all give him credit when asked.
Regarding the Guild Red Special, they did a version, more a lookalike, with BHM's consent, in the mid '80s, which had a Kahler locking trem.
I received a red special from BMG last week; the economic option. I love it already.
I also have a Harley Benton BM75 homage version which is surprisingly good
Incredibly well-researched and very detailed. One of your best so far! Thanks.
People must watch the Rick Beato interview and you can see how humble Brian is sharing his knowledge and remembering how Queens songs were put together.
He then praised Rick for how well he played saying he couldn't do what Rick did no brevardo or braging about himself.
That was an absolutely fantastic video! So informative and interesting! Simply awesome 👌 👏
This is a really excellent video. Great detail yet concise and incredibly well presented. Thank you!
Another QUALITY presentation of pertinent history! LONG LIVE BUTTERS!!!!
What an awesome video! Like countless others, I'm a big fan of Brian May and his Red Special, so I really enjoyed this video. I appreciate the work that goes into putting together history videos like this one (especially the research and trying to make sure you get the details right).
A few years back there was an in depth magazine article and unrelated video with Brian about the Red Special. Likely your source material. What stuck in my mind was it still having the original frets. The interviewer mentioned the obvious divits but there was no indication what they're made of, likely nickel, though Brian described filing and bending them to radius. Brian used light strings with a light touch but 40 + years (at that time) with a guitar almost exclusively used in the studio and live is insane. That's a ridiculous length of time for nickel frets with such heavy use. I don't think titanium was readily available in the local shops in the 1960's hehe.
Great episode’ I love the history of Brian’s guitar’ it really goes to show if u can find something that is custom to your playing and the sound u like them u really only need one guitar’ even tho we will all always buy more for what ever reason haha 😂