@@bunnspecial He was an electronic engineer with British Aerospace. He worked on the Concord. When Queen played Madison Square Garden, Brian brought his parents (and his wife and baby) to watch and flew them by Concord, since his dad had not been able to fly in the plane he helped design.
Sounds pretty spot on - I'd say the only differences would be down to mic placement in the room vs the plugin, and a healthy dollop of 50hz mains hum (plus hamonics) causing intermodulation distortion on the original.
Chris, we love your inspiring playing and guitar mastery of tone and technique. Increasingly, I find myself enjoying your channel as a conduit to rock history. You're a great asset to the guitar community. Best from U.S.A.
Chris Buck - as a former music student and a lover of 60s and 70s music I was fascinated to hear your exposition of Brian May's guitar technique and technology. Thanks for your remarkable, fluent and clear explanation. this is the first Friday Fretworks I've come across. Might listen to more!
Well done, yet another cracking video, Chris. As a huge fan of Brian May, Rory Gallagher, and yourself this is just perfect for me! Like both those incredible players you've got great tone, and a great feel for dynamics. Nice guitar too. Great job mate! 🎸
Thanks chris for making this video. Brian May is my all time favorite guitarist. His tone, his guitar, the fact that he made it himself with his dad, the music and the riffs are the reasons why i look up to him as a musician. Awesome playing by the way. Rock on 🤘
To my amateur ears you nailed it! I could hear the six pence piece striking the stings more so than with a “normal” plectrum. Love your content, keep up the good work…
Harold May is one of those people who indirectly influenced rock history forever (didn’t write or perform any songs, I mean), and he deserves something for it
Yet another amazing video. A few comments: 1. I understand that Brian used to turn up the amp's volume all the way up to 10 and bring the volume of the guitar knob down to compensate for this. This is how he gets the plectrum (or in this case the sixpence) to yield that nice noisy response upon touching the string, even before the note itself. 2. I would stay away from using the match EQ plugin because, at least in the digital world, it might be doing most of the job in these exercises, fooling us into thinking the gear is accurate. I used this plugin to get my Roland keyboard sound like the Let It Be intro and wow, it worked almost perfectly..
That's pretty close to the original Chris! 😎👍 I also noticed Bri's picking sits between the neck and middle puckup - as you are undoubtedly aware: where you pick the string has quite an impact on the sound / harmonics produced by that string. It's all about finding the sweet spots 😜
Great Job Chris 🙏 Out of interest, I did the sound on BBC's 'Story of Bohemian 🎸Rhapsody' and we had Brian + Red Special (and Roger), for a full day in the original studios, (Rockfield in Monmouth). One funny story, was that the original guitar stopped working a few years back, so his tech guy completely dismantled it. It was Literally *Full* of tiny Sixpence 💿 shavings, which had to be Hoovered out before it would come back to life again!... 🤣😲 Another high point was sitting with the guitar myself for a few minutes, while everyone was finishing lunch... amazing memories!! Love your playing too brother - pls. keep doing what you do!... Bobby 🥰 🙏🏻
@@chrislong4329 Pleasure mate, was an amazing experience and at least 3 of us in the production team were Massive Queen fans. Believe it or not, we stayed in 'their' original/residential rooms that night at Rockfield. There was almost a fight broke out between the director and 2nd cameraman, over who got to sleep in 'Freddie's Room!' True story dat... 😉 🙏
He was the Chancellor at my university (Liverpool John Moores) while I was there, and so I've got a photo of me in my graduation gown and the square cap thing standing next to Sir Brian May, and that's one of my most treasured photos I've ever had taken of me. Everyone was getting photos with him, of course. But I couldn't help but gush over him because of how big a fan I've always been of his ever since before I could even talk, because my mum would always play Queen songs for my entire childhood. I just had to tell him that I think he's one of the greatest songwriters to ever live. Because everyone gushes about his guitar playing. But not enough people talk about how much of a genius he is at songwriting. The fact he could stand toe to toe with Freddie and he just as good a songwriter as he is astonishing really. Kinda reminds me of how George Harrison HAD to learn how to get great at songwriting because he had to compete with the two greatest songwriters ever in the same band. High amounts of pressure, creates diamonds. And the same thing happened with Brian May. The Prophet's Song is the best song Queen ever recorded, and that was a Brian May one. I've seen Queen live a few times, some back when they had Paul Rodgers as singer, and now a few times with Adam Lambert, but they've never played the Prophet's Song sadly. Maybe it's simply too difficult to perform live. One of the things that they say astonished them about Freddie was that when recording vocals he could just go in cold, with no guiding vocal or a note played on the piano, and yet he'd sing perfectly in tune, every single time, without fail. It's almost impossible to do that. And the whole middle part of The Prophet's Song requires that because it's all just Freddie (and Adam Lambert if they did it live) singing perfectly in tune with himself, using a delay pedal, and creating harmonies with your own voice that way, and so if you're even a little bit off, it can go completely wrong, and when the band come back in to play along, you have to had stayed perfectly in tune for all those minutes of solo singing as otherwise it'll sound like the band have come in on the wrong key or something. So it's a hell of a difficult task just to do in the studio with unlimited takes, let alone to somehow do it live. I think the only way you could do it is if Adam Lambert had a guide track playing through his ear monitors that nobody else could hear, so he could use that to sing along to and stay in tune. But it'd still be difficult to do even with that. But anyway yeah, it's amazing really, you could easily do an entire concert of only Sir Brian May songs, none of Freddie's or Roger Taylor's or John Deacon's songs, and it'd still be a fucking brilliant gig to watch. He's so underrated as a songwriter. People only ever talk about his technical skill as a guitar player, his unique tone, the guitar he custom designed and built himself out of a fireplace, and the fact he's an astrophysicist with a doctorate, but they never seem to talk about how he's one of the best songwriters to ever live, which he is.
And in the dozens of interview clips I’ve seen so far, and his Instagram presentations on the subjects of astrophysics and stereoscopy, comes across as not only a humble genius, but consummate gentleman; an incredibly rare combination these days.
Pretty close Chris. Sounds great. Can definitely hear more air in Brian's tone, to be expected from the real amp, but guitar rig never disappoints either
Hey Chris! I’m a massive fan of your thoroughness and dedication to getting to the root of all these great tones through history. It would mean the world if you did a video on Mick Ronson’s tone, especially Moonage Daydream. I think you’d have some really great insight and things to say about him and his sound. Keep up the good work, you’re a real one.
Great episode Chris. Excellent ! In case someone might find it to be of interest I offer the following: From a 1983 interview in Guitar Player Magazine : “How do you string your electric guitar? I use Rotosound round-wound strings, gauged .008, .009, .011, .016, 0.22, and .034, high to low. These gauges are very similar to his friend ( and next door neighbor ) Tony Iommi : For Eb tuning .008p, .008p, .011p, .018w, .024w, .032w These very light gauges clarify the bass pitches and allow them to be heard better separately while providing for increased expressivity through bending, vibrato, etcetera. I encourage interested players to try Brian's gauge as listed above ( if possible use an older Sixpence as a pick ) and experience something of the touch and feel required to play on this kind of set-up. Best Wishes - John
Thank you for this video Chris, I am having the privilege of seeing Brian May this Wednesday in Nashville, I play guitar because of Brian May, Queen was the gateway band into rock for me
I recently discovered that Brian May also lent his distinctive tone on R&B singer Jeffrey Osborne's 1983 hit song 'Stay With Me Tonight'. I've always loved Brian's use of OOP tones which you've come almost close to nearly duplicate... great video!
i just stumbled on this channel - and this is freaking amazing! Fantastic playing, but the analysis and overall quality of the video is tip top. Great work mate.
Always so eloquent and accurate in your analysis of other guitar styles whilst of course having a phenomenal style and touch of your own. Thank you Chris 👍🏻
Somewhere in one of Brian's interviews I think he said those notes weren't supposed to be sharp, and explained why they'd gone sharp - either he always wanted to re-do it, or he did, on some kind of remaster. Can't remember exactly, will try to find it.
It's very very very close! I think the only other aspect of the tone would be Queen recording to tape and the room / mics that were used. It's also hard to know how old Brian's strings were (though I'd imagine they'd be pretty fresh if they're recording an album).
Thanks to an article in Canadian Coin News, I've now found that Brian has always exclusively favoured the use of pre-1956 sixpence coins. I hope you factored this into your recreation of his guitar tone Chris! Great video - as informative as ever.
Chris, Thank you very much, Great Plug-in (talent), you nailed it with the sound, the best video in a difficult week, the humble, talented, musical genius, animal lover/defender, Astrophysics PHD, One guitar, no expensive, brands, mods, guitars, plectrums, pots, strings, woods, hardware, attitude. With all do respect, for all of those reasons, the best. Pure talent. Cheers.
I really enjoy your channel and that you clearly love music with every fiber of your being, thank you for sharing your passion and skill with the rest of us!
Great post, you surely did your research on this one! Thanks for sharing! PS - My wife and daughter just saw Queen w/ Adam Lambert in Nashville two days ago. My wife said that Brian played for the whole concert, minus Roger’s drum time. She said they were amazing and my daughter was knocked out also. FYI - I had to stay home with our dogs… But I saw Queen with Freddie in ‘82 and have seen them with Adam a few years ago; both were incredible shows! Again, thanks for your post!
Stellar recreation of Brian May’s solo and also working with what you have 👏 Ah, interesting to know that Brian May used a sixpence as a pick and (reportedly) banjo strings. Thank you for the upload. I enjoyed learning about these things 😁
Much respect Chris!! Wonderful video, but more importantly, an absolute perfectly played solo. Both in sound and your savage chops!! I'm a bass player from Ireland. Will be on the road 50 years next year. I've been a monstrous fan of Queen from their very beginnings, and naturally enough, my biggest influence as a bass player has been John. I'm not going to wreck your head hahaha, so I'll just say, thank you once again for your brilliant video, and sharing your stellar talent as a guitar player. Best wishes from Ireland ☘
Totally agree with everything you said here about the gauge of string, Chris. I've got one of the honey sunburst BMG guitars and I use 9s anyway, but when I got it and installed those it immediately came to life. Its especially handy for those notes that Brian plays which he bends the string up to, and then sounds the note while holding the bend. It makes sustaining those notes without losing the bend tension so much easier. And the switching options are fantastic as well. I must admit though, I've considered having mine converted to the authentic set up by RS Conversions, those guys do amazing work to factory model BMGs.
i love the pic at 10:28 it's so antique and god-like. great video too! i'm a noob when it comes to tones and stuff and while i think you got very close i still believe it's a bit to dark when hearing it back to back with the original recording. still a great job, as ever 😉
Great stuff, Chris. There is an interview with Roy Thomas Baker on the making of the album where he says that they put a speaker in a metal trash can and played the solo back through that. The hollowness really comes out in your isolated track.
I seem to recall Brian saying he used just about every tone his guitar had to offer in that song in different bits and parts of the song. You did a nice job overall on the solo. I think Brian's version had a bit more of the harmonic squeal and a touch more sustain perhaps. Nice job though, and nice playing as always!
Interesting to hear the intermodulation distortion in the original. That happens on an old AC30 because the power filtering is pretty light, which causes them to hum a bit, but also gives them a specific growling texture.
A range master treble booster and a Vox AC30 amp - all learned from the inspiration of Rory Gallagher. Brian May says as much himself. As you have pointed out in the video. The harmonics and tone are also reminiscent of Rory's sound and the way he wired his Strat as well as his preference to use the out of phase second bridge pickup position. Rory used a lot of pinch harmonics as well a sound not unlike Brian's coin edgy sound. Great video BTW. Fascinating insights and details. Thank you.
Somewhere down the line, approximately 50 to 60 years from now, someone will discuss the tones Chris Buck created with his solos on Cardinal Black. This documenteur will grab a 40th anniversary Squier Jazzmaster (that year, it will be the centennial year for Squier), a KoT, a Mythos Golden Fleece, an Echo Rec, a Yamaha Revstar, and a Fender '68 Pro Reverb Amp.
Seeing Queen in concert several years back, it was revealed to me that Brian May is actually an alien sent here to help the human race evolve. The amazing musical talent, that transcendent guitar playing, the unusually long thin physique, the HAIR, and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics! I think it is really pretty obvious. His father was selected as the one who could optimally nurture Bryan's talent. Thank you Brian, and whoever sent you. The world is certainly in a more advanced state since you arrived (tho' we still have a long way to go!)
Thank you so much for this video. I always thought the last note of the solo was done with tremolo picking, similar to the previous note. I never listened closely enough to realize it was descending in tone and the sound was from the note passing over each fret. It's so obvious to me now when I hear it, but that's what happens when you don't listen as closely as you should.
Nice one. I though there'd be a touch of Schenker here....a half open Wah pedal (which will also get you in a similar tonal ball park). I suspect May's guitar (and the copy you play here) have suitable switching combinations that do something similar with the EQ.
I've not stumbled upon your videos until this evening, Chris. You did a fine job of recreating a reliable facsimile of Mr. May's solo while conveying an awful lot of really neat and interesting data any guitarist would appreciate. My biggest takeaway from having watched was not your solid playing nor the information you provided; but your charming manner. I believe you could sell vacuum cleaners or socks just as effectively were you to try. Nice work!
Really well done Chris, despite the whole whining about a software plug-in, I find Guitar Rig 7 to be an amazing bit of kit. Thank you for the info as usual.
Mr. Buck, I really enjoyed this vid, and your digging into Brian's sound. You nailed it perfectly. The only difference I can sense in the final comparison clips is the mic'ing in whatever room they were using originally. PS, that's a nice guitar you've got there. My favorite Brian May tone is the trebly blast he got on the rhythm parts to the Queen II track Father To Son. I count it to the bridge pickup, and its location so close to the bridge of the guitar. And the amp & treble booster obviously played a part, too.
Great video! I was fortunate, living in South Africa, to be able to purchase the VOX MV50 Brian May Amp and Speaker cab. It does his tone pretty well, but shines when emulating the Deacy tone.
Something most people also overlook when trying to replicate classic tones: The tubes. The NOS tubes have very specific sounds that marry well with their respectivie country of origin. Ex: Vox and Marshall missing that bit of magic? Turning on pedals and everything trying to figure it out? NOS Mullard tubes. I put these into my UK amps and the change is undeniable. Same goes with American amps: Use RCA Blackplate input tubes and RCA grey glass outputs, you will be shocked at the difference. Had a buddy who did not believe me until last week, when I put a Blackplate 12ax7 in his amp and put RCA outputs in. He was shocked. The difference is easy to hear. Made him STOP USING HIS PEDALS. so much to shape the sound. Maybe just a bit of delay and verb now. The magic harmonics, resonance and bite are in the tubes. Wouldn't have believed it had i not went on a tube journey over the past several years. All this to say, if you want your Vox to get just a bit closer to 'That' sound, put Blackburn Mullard 12ax7s in there.
Brian May’s father deserves to be in the rock n roll hall of fame (certainly the dad hall of fame)
Indeed.
What did his father do for a living?
@@bunnspecial He was an electronic engineer with British Aerospace. He worked on the Concord. When Queen played Madison Square Garden, Brian brought his parents (and his wife and baby) to watch and flew them by Concord, since his dad had not been able to fly in the plane he helped design.
Yeah it's the same look we would all have!
The look on that guy's face when Brian starts to play the Bohemian Rhapsody solo is just priceless.
I think that's Iain Lee. He's a British TV presenter.
The legend says he still remembers this day of his life and have that face every time he thinks about it.
It's from a great little BBC documentary about the Vox ac30 - it's probably on TH-cam somewhere.
@@portsmouthonscreen th-cam.com/video/oQud4emaSek/w-d-xo.htmlsi=3P0q6jDJenh_MbKm Ta daaaa!
The look that says "I'm standing next to a rock god!"
Not only a 100% unique tone, Nobody writes melodic solos like he does, pure genius
Except, perhaps, Andy Latimer (Camel).
Rory Gallagher was the guy who gave Brian his tone
DG
@@donjohn2695 Well… yes and no, he inspired him to use an AC30 with treble booster, but his tone was very different, the two don’t sound the same
I'd say him, Marty Friedman, and Pat Metheny are tied for being the most melodic.
One of my favourite guitarists talking about my all time favourite guitarist, what a treat. Another great Friday Fretworks, many thanks Chris.
Couldn’t have said it better.
Was thinking the exact same thing! even the same words near enough
Couldn't have put it better myself, mate. 👍
Well done I saw them back in the seventies,what a show!! I still have the ticket stub. It was Queen & Thin Lizzie. The year was 1977
My goodness, Chris. That opening Bohemian Rhapsody solo was absolutely spot-on. Thank you.
Brian May is one of if not the best guitarists in modern music history. You did a great job in recreating his sound.
That’s pretty close, mate. I think even Brian would be impressed at what you did with a computer, what he did back in the day. Cheers!
As great of a player as you are, you are equally a great storyteller and historian. Thanks for sharing this.
Sounds pretty spot on - I'd say the only differences would be down to mic placement in the room vs the plugin, and a healthy dollop of 50hz mains hum (plus hamonics) causing intermodulation distortion on the original.
Chris, we love your inspiring playing and guitar mastery of tone and technique. Increasingly, I find myself enjoying your channel as a conduit to rock history. You're a great asset to the guitar community. Best from U.S.A.
Chris Buck - as a former music student and a lover of 60s and 70s music I was fascinated to hear your exposition of Brian May's guitar technique and technology. Thanks for your remarkable, fluent and clear explanation. this is the first Friday Fretworks I've come across. Might listen to more!
You did an amazing job recreating Brian's tone. I'm always blown away with your postings. Much appreciated 👍
Kurtiss from southern California
who the funk is brain???
Thanks. Brian certainly has an incredible 'brain'. 🤣👍
Well done, yet another cracking video, Chris.
As a huge fan of Brian May, Rory Gallagher, and yourself this is just perfect for me! Like both those incredible players you've got great tone, and a great feel for dynamics. Nice guitar too. Great job mate! 🎸
Thanks chris for making this video. Brian May is my all time favorite guitarist. His tone, his guitar, the fact that he made it himself with his dad, the music and the riffs are the reasons why i look up to him as a musician. Awesome playing by the way. Rock on 🤘
To my amateur ears you nailed it! I could hear the six pence piece striking the stings more so than with a “normal” plectrum. Love your content, keep up the good work…
I'm never gonna be able to figure out how Brian May phrases his solos so well.
What a great sound. Thanks for sharing 🤘
Harold May is one of those people who indirectly influenced rock history forever (didn’t write or perform any songs, I mean), and he deserves something for it
Yet another amazing video.
A few comments:
1. I understand that Brian used to turn up the amp's volume all the way up to 10 and bring the volume of the guitar knob down to compensate for this. This is how he gets the plectrum (or in this case the sixpence) to yield that nice noisy response upon touching the string, even before the note itself.
2. I would stay away from using the match EQ plugin because, at least in the digital world, it might be doing most of the job in these exercises, fooling us into thinking the gear is accurate. I used this plugin to get my Roland keyboard sound like the Let It Be intro and wow, it worked almost perfectly..
That's pretty close to the original Chris! 😎👍
I also noticed Bri's picking sits between the neck and middle puckup - as you are undoubtedly aware: where you pick the string has quite an impact on the sound / harmonics produced by that string.
It's all about finding the sweet spots 😜
Great Job Chris 🙏 Out of interest, I did the sound on BBC's 'Story of Bohemian 🎸Rhapsody' and we had Brian + Red Special (and Roger), for a full day in the original studios, (Rockfield in Monmouth). One funny story, was that the original guitar stopped working a few years back, so his tech guy completely dismantled it. It was Literally *Full* of tiny Sixpence 💿 shavings, which had to be Hoovered out before it would come back to life again!... 🤣😲 Another high point was sitting with the guitar myself for a few minutes, while everyone was finishing lunch... amazing memories!! Love your playing too brother - pls. keep doing what you do!... Bobby 🥰 🙏🏻
Great story! Thnaks for sharing =D
@@chrislong4329 Pleasure mate, was an amazing experience and at least 3 of us in the production team were Massive Queen fans. Believe it or not, we stayed in 'their' original/residential rooms that night at Rockfield. There was almost a fight broke out between the director and 2nd cameraman, over who got to sleep in 'Freddie's Room!' True story dat... 😉 🙏
Great story!
@@kingcal53 Thanks mate... 🙏
Fantastic story bro' 🙏🏻 Luvit!
an absolutely fantastic video this week!
Absolutely the best current guitar technique and history vids out there. Great sound as well. Bravo, Chris!
Chris,you a good broadcaster as well..not just an outstanding guitarist, smooth explaining all things
Brian May is simply one of the greatest players ever.
He gets consistently underrated, it's a shame BCS his sound is so unique and his technique complements it so well
Rolling Stones top 250 seems to be mistaken about this obvious fact.
He was the Chancellor at my university (Liverpool John Moores) while I was there, and so I've got a photo of me in my graduation gown and the square cap thing standing next to Sir Brian May, and that's one of my most treasured photos I've ever had taken of me. Everyone was getting photos with him, of course. But I couldn't help but gush over him because of how big a fan I've always been of his ever since before I could even talk, because my mum would always play Queen songs for my entire childhood.
I just had to tell him that I think he's one of the greatest songwriters to ever live. Because everyone gushes about his guitar playing. But not enough people talk about how much of a genius he is at songwriting. The fact he could stand toe to toe with Freddie and he just as good a songwriter as he is astonishing really. Kinda reminds me of how George Harrison HAD to learn how to get great at songwriting because he had to compete with the two greatest songwriters ever in the same band. High amounts of pressure, creates diamonds. And the same thing happened with Brian May.
The Prophet's Song is the best song Queen ever recorded, and that was a Brian May one. I've seen Queen live a few times, some back when they had Paul Rodgers as singer, and now a few times with Adam Lambert, but they've never played the Prophet's Song sadly. Maybe it's simply too difficult to perform live. One of the things that they say astonished them about Freddie was that when recording vocals he could just go in cold, with no guiding vocal or a note played on the piano, and yet he'd sing perfectly in tune, every single time, without fail. It's almost impossible to do that. And the whole middle part of The Prophet's Song requires that because it's all just Freddie (and Adam Lambert if they did it live) singing perfectly in tune with himself, using a delay pedal, and creating harmonies with your own voice that way, and so if you're even a little bit off, it can go completely wrong, and when the band come back in to play along, you have to had stayed perfectly in tune for all those minutes of solo singing as otherwise it'll sound like the band have come in on the wrong key or something. So it's a hell of a difficult task just to do in the studio with unlimited takes, let alone to somehow do it live.
I think the only way you could do it is if Adam Lambert had a guide track playing through his ear monitors that nobody else could hear, so he could use that to sing along to and stay in tune. But it'd still be difficult to do even with that.
But anyway yeah, it's amazing really, you could easily do an entire concert of only Sir Brian May songs, none of Freddie's or Roger Taylor's or John Deacon's songs, and it'd still be a fucking brilliant gig to watch. He's so underrated as a songwriter. People only ever talk about his technical skill as a guitar player, his unique tone, the guitar he custom designed and built himself out of a fireplace, and the fact he's an astrophysicist with a doctorate, but they never seem to talk about how he's one of the best songwriters to ever live, which he is.
In interviews he comes over as a genuinely pleasant, modest man too.
And in the dozens of interview clips I’ve seen so far, and his Instagram presentations on the subjects of astrophysics and stereoscopy, comes across as not only a humble genius, but consummate gentleman; an incredibly rare combination these days.
W0W! This is the closest i've ever heard Mr Mays tone Emulated! Well done.
Pretty close Chris. Sounds great. Can definitely hear more air in Brian's tone, to be expected from the real amp, but guitar rig never disappoints either
Nice video, That's my Supersonic Conquest PR80 radio at 10:05 in the video, I took that pics.
This was a great vid in all respects. You really nailed his tone!
Hey Chris! I’m a massive fan of your thoroughness and dedication to getting to the root of all these great tones through history. It would mean the world if you did a video on Mick Ronson’s tone, especially Moonage Daydream. I think you’d have some really great insight and things to say about him and his sound. Keep up the good work, you’re a real one.
The magic of Vox comes into the mix of Mick's tone, with his partly opened Vox Wah Wah pedal.
Great episode Chris. Excellent !
In case someone might find it to be of interest I offer the following:
From a 1983 interview in Guitar Player Magazine :
“How do you string your electric guitar?
I use Rotosound round-wound strings, gauged .008, .009, .011, .016, 0.22, and .034, high to low.
These gauges are very similar to his friend ( and next door neighbor ) Tony Iommi :
For Eb tuning
.008p, .008p, .011p, .018w, .024w, .032w
These very light gauges clarify the bass pitches and allow them to be heard better separately while providing for increased expressivity through bending, vibrato, etcetera.
I encourage interested players to try Brian's gauge as listed above ( if possible use an older Sixpence as a pick ) and experience something of the touch and feel required to play on this kind of set-up.
Best Wishes - John
Great summary of the original Brian May gear and its modern software implementation. The solo lives on forever! Thank you.
haters gonna hate. It sounds great
Thank you for this video Chris, I am having the privilege of seeing Brian May this Wednesday in Nashville, I play guitar because of Brian May, Queen was the gateway band into rock for me
I recently discovered that Brian May also lent his distinctive tone on R&B singer Jeffrey Osborne's 1983 hit song 'Stay With Me Tonight'. I've always loved Brian's use of OOP tones which you've come almost close to nearly duplicate... great video!
i just stumbled on this channel - and this is freaking amazing! Fantastic playing, but the analysis and overall quality of the video is tip top. Great work mate.
Always so eloquent and accurate in your analysis of other guitar styles whilst of course having a phenomenal style and touch of your own. Thank you Chris 👍🏻
Sounds spot on.Great video.I didn't realise that he slid into F AND G sharp notes close to the end of the solo.
Somewhere in one of Brian's interviews I think he said those notes weren't supposed to be sharp, and explained why they'd gone sharp - either he always wanted to re-do it, or he did, on some kind of remaster. Can't remember exactly, will try to find it.
I always enjoy your breakdowns, and of course jams in the other videos
You nailed it Chris 😀
I know he wasn't using them then, but Brian's signature set of Optima strings is BRILLIANT. I'm hooked!
It's very very very close! I think the only other aspect of the tone would be Queen recording to tape and the room / mics that were used. It's also hard to know how old Brian's strings were (though I'd imagine they'd be pretty fresh if they're recording an album).
20 seconds in and you are nailing his vibrato technique!!!! All of them!!
Now on to the rest of the show…
Thanks to an article in Canadian Coin News, I've now found that Brian has always exclusively favoured the use of pre-1956 sixpence coins. I hope you factored this into your recreation of his guitar tone Chris! Great video - as informative as ever.
Great one! Thank you very much, Chris. 👍🎸
A triumph dear Buckmaster, an absolute triumph. Bravo
Chris, Thank you very much, Great Plug-in (talent), you nailed it with the sound, the best video in a difficult week, the humble, talented, musical genius, animal lover/defender, Astrophysics PHD, One guitar, no expensive, brands, mods, guitars, plectrums, pots, strings, woods, hardware, attitude. With all do respect, for all of those reasons, the best. Pure talent. Cheers.
I really enjoy your channel and that you clearly love music with every fiber of your being, thank you for sharing your passion and skill with the rest of us!
Great post, you surely did your research on this one!
Thanks for sharing!
PS - My wife and daughter just saw Queen w/ Adam Lambert in Nashville two days ago. My wife said that Brian played for the whole concert, minus Roger’s drum time. She said they were amazing and my daughter was knocked out also. FYI - I had to stay home with our dogs… But I saw Queen with Freddie in ‘82 and have seen them with Adam a few years ago; both were incredible shows!
Again, thanks for your post!
Wow, what a wonderful analytical piece / mini-documentary. Thank you for creating such an excellent video.
You nailed it! Great job. Your VIDs and playing never disappoints! Thanks....
Stellar recreation of Brian May’s solo and also working with what you have 👏 Ah, interesting to know that Brian May used a sixpence as a pick and (reportedly) banjo strings. Thank you for the upload. I enjoyed learning about these things 😁
I think the only thing really missing is the sound of all that volume in the room, you really knocked it out of the park on this one man.
Awesome stuff, Chris
V v smart recreation- well done on all fronts ❤
That was great Chris!
Very close and a very informative look into the brian may sound. Thanks, you nailed the vibrato bends and feel which is probably more important.
Nicely done. Impressively close, given the innumerable variables, as you point out.
Absolutely loved it
Nailed it!
Much respect Chris!! Wonderful video, but more importantly, an absolute perfectly played solo. Both in sound and your savage chops!! I'm a bass player from Ireland. Will be on the road 50 years next year. I've been a monstrous fan of Queen from their very beginnings, and naturally enough, my biggest influence as a bass player has been John. I'm not going to wreck your head hahaha, so I'll just say, thank you once again for your brilliant video, and sharing your stellar talent as a guitar player. Best wishes from Ireland ☘
Totally agree with everything you said here about the gauge of string, Chris. I've got one of the honey sunburst BMG guitars and I use 9s anyway, but when I got it and installed those it immediately came to life. Its especially handy for those notes that Brian plays which he bends the string up to, and then sounds the note while holding the bend. It makes sustaining those notes without losing the bend tension so much easier.
And the switching options are fantastic as well.
I must admit though, I've considered having mine converted to the authentic set up by RS Conversions, those guys do amazing work to factory model BMGs.
Well done Chris!
A great and inspiring episode, Chris! And you nailed the Bohemian solo in both tone and phrasing.
i love the pic at 10:28 it's so antique and god-like. great video too! i'm a noob when it comes to tones and stuff and while i think you got very close i still believe it's a bit to dark when hearing it back to back with the original recording. still a great job, as ever 😉
The cone cry of the speaker is something that cannot be replicated. Great job dissecting his unmistakable technique.
Great stuff, Chris. There is an interview with Roy Thomas Baker on the making of the album where he says that they put a speaker in a metal trash can and played the solo back through that. The hollowness really comes out in your isolated track.
Ah, okay; there's one track on there that I assumed was a mic stuck inside a pipe but that might well be it
Excellent Chris.
I seem to recall Brian saying he used just about every tone his guitar had to offer in that song in different bits and parts of the song. You did a nice job overall on the solo. I think Brian's version had a bit more of the harmonic squeal and a touch more sustain perhaps. Nice job though, and nice playing as always!
Great informative video, really enjoyed this!
Interesting to hear the intermodulation distortion in the original. That happens on an old AC30 because the power filtering is pretty light, which causes them to hum a bit, but also gives them a specific growling texture.
A range master treble booster and a Vox AC30 amp - all learned from the inspiration of Rory Gallagher. Brian May says as much himself. As you have pointed out in the video. The harmonics and tone are also reminiscent of Rory's sound and the way he wired his Strat as well as his preference to use the out of phase second bridge pickup position. Rory used a lot of pinch harmonics as well a sound not unlike Brian's coin edgy sound. Great video BTW. Fascinating insights and details. Thank you.
Brian may has a great tone .he is a top player .and so are you my friend.very top player.🎸👍👍🙏🙏⚘⚘⚘
Somewhere down the line, approximately 50 to 60 years from now, someone will discuss the tones Chris Buck created with his solos on Cardinal Black. This documenteur will grab a 40th anniversary Squier Jazzmaster (that year, it will be the centennial year for Squier), a KoT, a Mythos Golden Fleece, an Echo Rec, a Yamaha Revstar, and a Fender '68 Pro Reverb Amp.
Man his sound is irreplaceable seriously!! Great video mate 💯
Bob on,you nailed it 👍
I use a sixpence when covering Queen, I was skeptical but it absolutely does make a difference 👍
You nailed it, congrats! Absolutley great work! (Wish I've had your knowledge when I did my instrumental version of 'Bohemian Rhapsody')
Deeply satisfying breakdown on an iconic sound. Thanks Chris. 1st time visiting your channel. 👍👍
Great video. I can't get anywhere close to Brian May's tone with a Strat or a PRS, even if I do use a sixpence. You nailed it. Chris.
Very well done. Thanks for taking the time to create this enjoyable video. 🇺🇸👍
That was #$%^ing great, Sir.
Thank you!
Fun video Chris !
Seeing Queen in concert several years back, it was revealed to me that Brian May is actually an alien sent here to help the human race evolve. The amazing musical talent, that transcendent guitar playing, the unusually long thin physique, the HAIR, and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics! I think it is really pretty obvious. His father was selected as the one who could optimally nurture Bryan's talent. Thank you Brian, and whoever sent you. The world is certainly in a more advanced state since you arrived (tho' we still have a long way to go!)
Lovely Chris many thanks
Thank you so much for this video. I always thought the last note of the solo was done with tremolo picking, similar to the previous note. I never listened closely enough to realize it was descending in tone and the sound was from the note passing over each fret. It's so obvious to me now when I hear it, but that's what happens when you don't listen as closely as you should.
You managed to get very close to the original recording, thanks to this content!
Thanks, you've given me some ideas. I enjoy getting sounds dialed in for my students.
Good job. Great vid and very informative. I used to use 10's, but I figured out that 9's are muchm more comfortable to play.
Awesome work!!!
Nice one. I though there'd be a touch of Schenker here....a half open Wah pedal (which will also get you in a similar tonal ball park). I suspect May's guitar (and the copy you play here) have suitable switching combinations that do something similar with the EQ.
I've not stumbled upon your videos until this evening, Chris. You did a fine job of recreating a reliable facsimile of Mr. May's solo while conveying an awful lot of really neat and interesting data any guitarist would appreciate. My biggest takeaway from having watched was not your solid playing nor the information you provided; but your charming manner. I believe you could sell vacuum cleaners or socks just as effectively were you to try. Nice work!
Amazing video again! Great job Chris!
Really well done Chris, despite the whole whining about a software plug-in, I find Guitar Rig 7 to be an amazing bit of kit. Thank you for the info as usual.
Mr. Buck, I really enjoyed this vid, and your digging into Brian's sound. You nailed it perfectly. The only difference I can sense in the final comparison clips is the mic'ing in whatever room they were using originally. PS, that's a nice guitar you've got there. My favorite Brian May tone is the trebly blast he got on the rhythm parts to the Queen II track Father To Son. I count it to the bridge pickup, and its location so close to the bridge of the guitar. And the amp & treble booster obviously played a part, too.
Great video!
I was fortunate, living in South Africa, to be able to purchase the VOX MV50 Brian May Amp and Speaker cab. It does his tone pretty well, but shines when emulating the Deacy tone.
Note: Drop about 90% of the reverb, and you'll be much closer to that tone. Edit: Like you did at the end of the video. Excellent!
Something most people also overlook when trying to replicate classic tones: The tubes. The NOS tubes have very specific sounds that marry well with their respectivie country of origin. Ex: Vox and Marshall missing that bit of magic? Turning on pedals and everything trying to figure it out? NOS Mullard tubes. I put these into my UK amps and the change is undeniable. Same goes with American amps: Use RCA Blackplate input tubes and RCA grey glass outputs, you will be shocked at the difference. Had a buddy who did not believe me until last week, when I put a Blackplate 12ax7 in his amp and put RCA outputs in. He was shocked. The difference is easy to hear. Made him STOP USING HIS PEDALS. so much to shape the sound. Maybe just a bit of delay and verb now. The magic harmonics, resonance and bite are in the tubes. Wouldn't have believed it had i not went on a tube journey over the past several years. All this to say, if you want your Vox to get just a bit closer to 'That' sound, put Blackburn Mullard 12ax7s in there.
"Fan-great" video! Thanks for putting this together 🙏