Table of Contents
What type of guitar did Brian may use?
The Red Special is the electric guitar designed and built by Queen’s guitarist Brian May and his father, Harold, when Brian was a teenager in the early 1960s….
| Red Special | |
|---|---|
| Period | 1963–1965 |
| Construction | |
| Body type | Semi-hollow |
| Neck joint | Straight through/bolt-on |
Did Brian May play lead guitar?
Who Is Brian May? Brian May played lead guitar on his homemade axe, the “Red Special,” for the rock band Queen, which rose to fame in the 1970s. Following the death of frontman Freddie Mercury in 1991, Queen rediscovered success in later years with vocalists Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert.
How many frets does Brian May’s guitar have?
It has a short 24 “scale and 24 frets without considering the zero fret -Zero Fret-. It has a tremolo system and a roller bridge designed by Brian and his father, which works perfectly.
What guitars does Brian May own?
- 1967 Fender Esquire. It will be news to most Queen fans, but this guitar isn’t actually a 1954 Esquire, as has often been reported down the years.
- 1978 Fender Telecaster. Arguably the most familiar of Brian’s ‘other’ electrics, this stock Tele is used when Crazy Little Thing Called Love is played live.
- 1963 Vox AC30 Bass.
How did Freddie Mercury play guitar?
What kind of guitarist was he? He was very good on the guitar, very unorthodox — all downstrokes. He wrote the riff for “Ogre Battle” [from 1974’s Queen II]. I used to play it with up- and downstrokes, but he was all downstrokes.
Is Brian May’s guitar good?
This guitar is great for playing Queen. Perhaps the only guitar that can do it convincingly. But sadly that’s all it excels at. So if all you want to do is play Queen, get this, a sixpence, a VOX AC30, a treble booster, and go for it!
Did Brian may use a Les Paul?
Gibson Les Paul Deluxe This ended up being disappointment also, and Brian went back to playing his Red Special – and ordered John Birch replica as a backup. “I used to think the Stratocaster would be the thing when I got one. The same with the Les Paul. I thought the Les Paul would be it.”