Red Special

[martin manning]

Following the recent Premier Guitar Rig Rundown with Brian May and his tech Pete Malandrone I spent some time surfing around for more info on May's Red Special. What a unique and innovative design, and it is just incredible that this home-made, one-off, first attempt has been his main axe for 50 years. Many replicas have been made by both amateurs and pros, and this must be one of the most studied electric guitars ever. There is a long thread documenting a small run of them on TGP.

There is now an official BM line of guitars that includes a RS inspired model, but what is perhaps the original's most unique feature, the tremolo, has been replaced with what looks like a Wilkinson WVP combined bridge/trem. Probably no way to hit the price point with a low-volume custom design.

Interesting reading if you haven't looked into it: http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/2 ... -brian-may and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Special

[telentubes]

24" scale length with really light strings. I always found that interesting.

[martin manning]

Because the light gauge and short scale means extra-low tension, right? How does the fact that there is some considerable string length between the saddles and the tailpiece play?

[Leo_Gnardo]

One of our local guitarists made good use of the Guild copy. Got good tones, and he didn't sound at all like Brian May. It was a perfectly competent guitar of unusual design.

Read the wiki - "original frets have never been replaced" except the zero fret. Interesting. Either they're very hard material or Brian has a very light touch.

Oak - unusual material for a guitar. I've played Taylor's acoustic made from oak pallet board, and it sounded just fine. So, why not? Oaky-doak!

Heckuva project for father & son, fifty years ago. Brian is a very smart guy & I'll bet his dad was too. Besides being a top guitar twanger, he's an astrophysicist. Gotta do something to keep busy between tours & recording sessions.

[martin manning]

I believe the oak in the body is limited to a sort of keel down the center that receives the neck tenon and to which the tremolo parts are attached. Structurally that seems like a good idea. The rest of the body is so-called "block board" (that must be a Britishism; I think it's called "lumber core" here), which is a board made of sticks of some softer wood glued together, with veneer on both sides. The fingerboard is also oak, which sounds awful, but maybe English oak is better suited for that purpose than the American species.

[cbass]

Oak varies a lot between species not sure what they got over there but qs white oak is very stable and plenty hard enough for a finger board and has much smaller pores than red oak. In fact I've run into pieces of white oak that were extremely hard and heavy much Harder than hard maple . instantly dulls planer blades

[cbass]

In All the pics I could find the fingerboard looks black . i suppose it could be dyed

[martin manning]

I found several places where the wood making up the fingerboard is said to be oak. Here's another one (from Guitar Magazine Vol.10 No 2, October 1999) that says the black color is from Rustin's Plastic Coating: http://www.brianmayworld.com/redspecial_details.htm I had been wondering what BM's dad did for a living, and apparently he was an EE. Some details about the original home-made pickups are in there too.

[cbass]

I found several places where the wood making up the fingerboard is said to be oak. Here's another one (from Guitar Magazine Vol.10 No 2, October 1999) that says the black color is from Rustin's Plastic Coating: http://www.brianmayworld.com/redspecial_details.htm I had been wondering what BM's dad did for a living, and apparently he was an EE. Some details about the original home-made pickups are in there too.

Interesting I guess that's one way to fill the pores .that plastic coating must be hard stuff. I like the story about how they made the tremolo system. Very smart

[martin manning]

24" scale length with really light strings. I always found that interesting.

Because the light gauge and short scale means extra-low tension, right? How does the fact that there is some considerable string length between the saddles and the tailpiece play?

I guess the extra string length behind the saddles makes the strings feel loose too?

Or not: See under "Human Perception of Tension and Compliance" here: http://liutaiomottola.com/myth/perception.ht.

[Structo]

Amazing story and career for Brian May.

First build for son and father
Use part of the oak mantle for the body-
check

Sounds great
Especially with AC30's-
check

Looks cool as well-
Still playing it decades later-
check

And doesn't he have a physics degree as well?

[xtian]

And doesn't he have a physics degree as well?

Astrophysicist rock star!

[Leo_Gnardo]

And doesn't he have a physics degree as well?

Astrophysicist rock star!

As I said, check his Wiki. First thing a 2011 photo where he looks like he's standing on the Oxford campus. Looks like he quit dying his hair too, very distinguished with that big grey mane. Could have stepped out of the 1700's, no powdered wig necessary.

Got his feet on the ground and his head in the sky. Just the opposite of me.

Another guitarist holding a physics degree - surprise - Elvin Bishop. Who'd a thunk it? I'm sure there's more musician-scientists-scholars. Would make a good topic maybe. T-Bone Wolk dropped out of Cooper Union, there's one for ya. Besides being a fantastic bassist and accordionist, he was a hell of a good graphic artist. His pencil & charcoal drawings are exquisite.

[xtian]

Jeff "Skunk" Baxter is another guitarist/scientist we've mentioned recently.

[andrew]

I bought a Guild Brian May Signature some time in the 90's. The neck played great but was really thick. Even with the vibrato it stayed in tune. It came with a pickup slide switch guide and some were pretty odd sounding to me. It could get some cool harmonic feedback at times. It was heavy and thin but being used to LP style bodies it had to go. Another one of my stupid sell offs.