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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.[1][2] The Red Special is sometimes referred to as the Fireplace or the Old Lady by May and by others.[3] The name Red Special came from the reddish-brown colour the guitar attained after being stained and painted with numerous layers of Rustins Plastic Coating.[4] The name Fireplace is a reference to the fact that the wood used to make the neck came from a fireplace mantel.[2]

Key Information

A guitar that would define May's signature style, it was intentionally designed to feed back[3][5] after he saw Jeff Beck playing live and making different sounds just by moving the guitar in front of the amplifier. He wanted an instrument that would be alive and interact with him and the air around him. May has used the Red Special almost exclusively, including on Queen albums and in live performances, throughout the band's entire career.

In celebration of the instrument's 50th anniversary, a book about its construction and history, Brian May’s Red Special: The Story of the Home-Made Guitar that Rocked Queen and the World, was written by Brian May with Simon Bradley.[2]

Construction

[edit]

Unlike the main instruments of most musicians, the Red Special was built by its player, May, along with his father.[6] The inspiration struck when May realized he could not afford a Fender, Gibson or Höfner guitar.[7] They began to work on the guitar in August 1963, with the project being finished in October 1964. The neck was constructed from wood from a "hundred-year-old-ish" fireplace mantel[2] that a friend of the family was about to throw away. The neck was hand-shaped into the desired form, a job that was made more difficult by the age and quality of the wood. May revealed there are worm holes in the neck of the guitar that he filled in with matchsticks.[8]

The neck was finished with a 24-fret oak fingerboard. Each of the position inlays was hand shaped from a mother-of-pearl button.[2] May decided to position them in a personal way: two dots at the 7th and 19th fret and three at the 12th and 24th.

The body was made from blockboard (strips of softwood sandwiched between two plywood skins)[9] with oak inserts in the top and bottom layers sourced from an old table. It was covered with mahogany marquetry veneer on the top, bottom and side to give it the appearance of a solid-body guitar. It was originally intended that the guitar would have f-holes but this was never done.

White plastic shelf edging was then applied to the top and bottom edges to protect them from damage. The guitar features three single-coil pick-ups and a custom-made aluminium bridge. May purchased a set of Burns Tri-Sonic pick-ups and covered the coils of two with Araldite epoxy to reduce microphonics. The middle pickup remained uncoated and this is understood to have been modified in the early 1980s when DiMarzio examined the Red Special when designing pickups for the first Guild replica. The magnet was turned over to change its polarity and the wires on the solder posts swapped (to mimic a reverse wound coil) which made his favoured pickup combination of bridge and middle in phase humbucking. He originally wound his own pick-ups, as he had for his first guitar, but he did not like the resulting sound because of the polarity of these pick-ups: alternating North-South instead of all North.

Tremolo system of Red Special

The tremolo system is made from an old hardened-steel knife-edge shaped into a V and two motorbike valve springs to counter the 79 pounds-force (350 N) of string tension. The tension of the springs can be adjusted by screwing the bolts, which run through the middle of the springs, in or out via two small access holes next to the rear strap button. To reduce friction, the bridge was completed with rollers to allow the strings to return perfectly in tune after using the tremolo arm (the arm itself was from a bicycle saddlebag holder with a plastic knitting needle tip).[2] For the same reason, at the other end of the neck the strings pass over a zero fret and through a bakelite string guide.

Originally the guitar had a built-in distortion circuit, adapted from a mid-1960s Vox distortion effects unit. The switch for this was in front of the phase switches. May soon discovered that he preferred the sound of a Vox AC30 distorting at full power, so the circuit was removed. The switch hole is now covered by a mother-of-pearl star inlay, but was originally covered by a red dot in the 1970s, and some insulation tape in the 1980s.

Appearances

[edit]
Brian May playing the Red Special in Frankfurt on 19 April 2005, during the Queen + Paul Rodgers Tour

May still uses the original but he has used replicas in some performances. Notably, the original guitar was not used in the videos "We Will Rock You", and "Spread Your Wings", instead using his John-Birch-made Red Special copy (see Replicas section below) which differs from the original in its all-maple construction and natural maple color, since he did not want to expose the Red Special to snow. The Birch was also used live as a back-up for the Red Special until it was destroyed by May in a fit of rage due to the tuning stability issues. Similarly, he opted not to use the Red Special for the "Play the Game" video, instead using a budget Satellite-badged replica of a Fender Stratocaster, since at one point in the video, Queen singer Freddie Mercury would snatch the guitar from May and "throw" it back to him. The Red Special was omitted from the video for "Princes of the Universe", in which May used a white Washburn RR11V (This guitar is often mistaken for a Jackson Rhoads). He recorded the original of "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" on Queen drummer Roger Taylor's Fender Esquire, but performed the accompanying video and live performances of the song until 1992 with a Fender Telecaster.[10]

Replicas

[edit]
Brian May performing with the Greg Fryer Red Special "John" Replica (note the Fryer logo on the headstock) in Warsaw, 1998.

Official replicas

[edit]

The first official copy of the Red Special was made by British luthier John Birch and was used as a back-up for live performances until it was accidentally destroyed by May during a concert in August 1982.[11] The Birch was used in place of the Red Special in the music videos for "We Will Rock You" (however, it was not used to record the song), and "Spread Your Wings". The guitar differs from the original in its all-maple construction and natural finish except for the back which is gold finished. After its destruction May sent the guitar to American luthier John Page, who kept the remains for over 20 years before sending them back to May. May then had the guitar glued back together by Andrew Guyton and still owns it, however it hardly functions anymore.

Other official replicas of the Red Special have been manufactured in varying numbers and in multiple models (i.e. a higher-end full-featured model, and a lower-cost one lacking some of the intricacies of the former) several times during the 1980s and 1990s, most often by the Guild Guitar Company from 1983 to 1985 and again from 1993 to 1995, and by Burns Guitars from 2001 (mass-produced models made in Korea). The Burns model, produced with guidance from May, was awarded "Best Electric Guitar of the Year 2001" by Guitarist Magazine.[12] Currently, only Brian May Guitars (taking over manufacture from Burns) manufacture authorised replicas, the Special at a budget price point and the Super Mk 2 at a higher price point aimed at enthusiasts.

KZ Guitar Works manufactured the original Red Special Super model which was hand-made in Japan by master luthier Kazutaka Ijuin. This model has been discontinued and production of the revised Super model taken up in the Czech Republic for Brian May Guitars.

The Brian May Guitars version differs from the Burns original in several ways; for example, the tremolo was a two-point synchronised tremolo with rear access plate. These models also feature a half-moon scratch plate behind the bridge to emulate the original. The switches were also changed from black to white to match May's guitar. They still use the Burns Tri-Sonic pick-ups. 24 guitars were made in a rare baby blue color with a pearloid pickguard and gold hardware. The guitars come in Antique Cherry (a similar color to that of the Red Special), White and 3-Tone Sunburst with chrome hardware. They also have Honey Sunburst, Black and Gold with gold hardware and other various finishes.

Greg Fryer, of Fryer Guitars[13] an Australian luthier, produced three replicas of the Red Special in 1996–97, and with permission from May, made exhaustive measurements of the original guitar.[14][15][16] Fryer named his three replicas John, Paul and George Burns (after two members of The Beatles and the famous American comedian). May has two of these guitars, John and George Burns; Fryer kept Paul for some years and used it for testing modified Vox AC30 amplifiers and his range of treble boosters until he sold it to a Japanese collector for an undisclosed sum. While the woods used in John and Paul are more faithful to the original, George Burns was built with New Guinea rosewood[17] for a "more aggressive edge" tonally. John is May's main back-up Red Special, and is tuned to standard. His green Guyton has replaced George Burns for Drop D tuning duties to play "Fat Bottomed Girls" live.

In 2004, Andrew Guyton of Guyton Guitars,[18] a luthier in the UK, manufactured 50 authorised, limited edition replicas of the Red Special: 40 in red to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the guitar, and ten in green, as he had previously seen a green Guild copy that he liked.[19]

Unofficial replicas

[edit]
A Scheithauer Mayday in construction in May 2021.

In the 1970s, Japanese guitar manufacturer Greco was the first company to market a line of mass produced Red Special copies, albeit unofficial and unlicensed. They did, however, send one to May himself,[20] which he used in various mimed performances the most well known being the Top of the Pops performance for "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy".[21][22]

CQuadro Guitar Works (now Carpinteri Guitars) in Italy makes Red Special replicas (the Bohemian and the Extreme).[23]

Dansan Guitars makes Red Special replicas hand built in France.[24]

Dillion Guitars (prior to 2014 were built in Korea) making "Tribute Guitars" in two models. Dillion Guitars are manufactured in Vietnam by Inyen Vina of Ho Chi Minh City.[25][26]

RS Custom Guitars run by Everett Wood makes a variety of Red Special style replicas hand-built in Nashville, Tennessee.[27]

RS Guitars, which were hand-built in Arizona by Steve Turpin, discontinued production of their models in January 2011.[28]

In Germany Scheithauer Guitars makes a Red Special style replica called "Mayday" in Mühlhausen.[29]

Harley Benton Guitars make replicas of the Red Special, however, their model has a single five-way switch in place of the three individual pickup switches, as well as having a 25-inch (640 mm) scale rather than 24 inches (610 mm).

Variations

[edit]

In 2006, Brian May Guitars introduced a "Mini May" guitar, based on a three-quarter-sized Red Special body shape with a 24-fret, 19-inch (480 mm) scale (but with no zero fret) featuring a single pick-up, no switches and a maple neck. In 2017, the "Mini May" was upsized with a 22+3⁄4-inch (580 mm) scale neck.

An acoustic guitar, featuring a 24-fret neck and the body outline of the Red Special went into production in 2007. This model is named the "Rhapsody", after the Queen song "Bohemian Rhapsody".

A bass guitar called the Bri-Bass was announced on May's website and is available. It looks like his normal guitar but with four bass strings. It features a bound mahogany body and 31+1⁄2-inch (800 mm) scale neck, topped with a 20-fret ebony fingerboard. Pickups are a Gibson EB-0 type chrome-covered humbucking neck pick-up and a rear-position single coil pick-up hooked up to a passive volume/volume/tone circuit.

The Guild models of the early 1990s featured three major configurations. Of the three, the "Signature" model was closest to May's guitar, although it was made of mahogany (body and neck) and ebony (fingerboard) and sported Trisonic-styled "Brian May" pick-ups made by Seymour Duncan and hardware (including the unique bridge) from Schaller. The "Special" model featured a stop-tailpiece rather than a vibrato, the middle pick-up was moved back next to the bridge pick-up for a humbucking look, and the back of the guitar had no binding. The "Standard" model featured a more common Stratocaster-style 5-way pick-up selector switch, a longer scale neck, and a deeper headstock angle. Andrew Guyton made May a double-neck version, which has never been a production model.

Restoration

[edit]

After viewing the replicas and taking note of the wear and tear the Red Special had suffered during nearly 30 years of constant touring, May had Fryer restore the original Red Special in 1998 using as much original and time-period specific material as possible.[14][15][16] Damaged veneer on the back of the guitar was removed and new pieces scarfed in. The binding was removed and various nicks and dents in the top were repaired. Fryer re-finished the neck and body in the original Rustin's Plastic Coating used in the creation over the existing finish, and fretboard wear was repaired and dot-markers replaced. The original electrics were also re-wired and overhauled, and cosmetic work was done, such as filling in holes and worn areas on access panels, pick-up covers (worn by May's use of a sixpence as opposed to a standard plectrum) and the front scratchplate.

The restored Red Special is prominently featured during a series of video interviews with Guitarist in 1999, in which May also demonstrated its feedback capabilities.[30]

At the end of the Queen + Paul Rodgers tour in 2005, May had several revisions made to the original Red Special, including having the zero fret replaced for the first time (this had been judged unnecessary at the time of the 1998 restoration) and making a larger opening for a new, modern 1⁄4-inch jack socket. Despite all of this work, the original frets (other than the zero fret) have never been replaced.

Andrew Guyton of Guyton Guitars, carried out a limited restoration in April 2016.[31] This work involved making good all the cracks in the Rustins Plastic Coating lacquer finish, repairing damage to the end and edge, and touching in of the fretboard and replacing one of the mother-of-pearl marker dots. Various parts, including the tremolo and bridge assembly were removed, serviced, cleaned and lubricated then refitted. The zero fret was also replaced again.

Specifications

[edit]

Body

[edit]
  • Oak from an old table and blockboard (with a mahogany veneer), semi-solid body
  • Depth: 1+9⁄16 inches (40 mm)

Neck

[edit]
  • Bolt on, one large bolt which sits beneath the fingerboard and goes through a hole in the body then a nut is then attached; it is also screwed down by two wood screws at the tenon end which ends just before the bridge pick-up. The Greg Fryer, Burns/Brian May Guitars, Guild, John Birch and Greco replicas feature a set (glued) neck.
  • Mahogany from a Victorian fireplace surround mantel that was going to be thrown out.
  • Neck pitch: 2°
  • Headstock angle: 4°
  • Width at nut: 1+7⁄8 inches (47 mm)
  • Width at 12th fret: 2 inches (51 mm)
  • Depth at 1st fret: 1 inch (25 mm)
  • Depth at 12th fret: 1+1⁄16 inches (27 mm)
  • Though using a 24-fret fingerboard, the scale length of the Red Special is a short 24 inches (61 cm); compared to the Gibson standard of 24+3⁄4 inches (63 cm) and Fender's common 25+1⁄2-inch (650 mm) scale lengths, this creates a looser feel for the strings, which is conducive to May's extensive use of string bending and his wide vibrato.

Fretboard

[edit]
  • Black-painted oak
  • Radius: 7+1⁄4 inches (180 mm)
  • Scale length: 24 inches (610 mm)
  • Number of frets: 24
  • Fret gauge: 3⁄32 by 3⁄64 inch (2.4 mm × 1.2 mm)
  • Inlays: 3rd, 5th, 9th, 15th, 17th, 21st frets (one dot), 7th and 19th frets (two dots), 12th and 24th frets (three dots)

Nut

[edit]
  • Zero fret with Bakelite string guide

Strings

[edit]
  • String spacing at nut: 1+13⁄16 inches (46 mm)
  • String spacing at bridge: 2 inches (51 mm)
  • Strings: Optima Gold Brian May Custom Gauge (.009, .011, .016, .024, .032, .042)

Other

[edit]
  • Pickups: three modified Burns Tri-Sonic
  • Tremolo arm: self-made from bicycle saddlebag parts
  • Pickguard/pickup surrounds/tailpiece: black Perspex
  • Controls: master volume, master tone, on/off (slide) switch for each pick-up, in/out of phase switch for each pick-up
  • Plectrums: copper-nickel sixpence
  • Weight: approximately 8 pounds (3.6 kg)

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Red Special

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
The Red Special is a custom hand-built by , the lead of the rock band Queen, and his father Harold May starting in 1963 and completed in 1965, using scavenged household materials and innovative DIY techniques to create an instrument that has defined May's signature sound. Constructed over two years in a converted spare bedroom workshop in , , , the guitar features a neck sourced from an 18th-century Victorian mantel, from a recycled table for the body core, blockboard sides, and unique components like motorcycle valve springs for the tremolo system and a mother-of-pearl button for position markers. The guitar's name, "Red Special," originated from its reddish-brown finish—achieved with wood dye and multiple layers of Rustin’s Plastic Coating—and was first publicly used during a radio interview, though May initially referred to it simply as "The Guitar" or "Old Lady." Its design incorporated custom innovations, including a frictionless tremolo arm made from a bicycle luggage rack and knife-edge fulcrum, resonant chambers carved into the body for semi-acoustic tone, Burns Tri-Sonic pickups with a six-position switching matrix for versatile series and phase control, and a zero-fret nut, all crafted by hand with basic tools like planes, chisels, and sandpaper. These features allowed the Red Special to outperform many commercial guitars of the era, reflecting May's teenage ambition to create a superior instrument amid financial constraints during the 1960s "guitar slump." Since its debut in May's early bands like 1984 and Smile in the mid-1960s, the Red Special has been his primary instrument, featuring on every Queen album and countless live performances, including iconic tracks like "Bohemian Rhapsody" and events such as Live Aid in 1985, the 2002 Golden Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace, and the 2012 London Olympics closing ceremony. As of 2025, it continues to be used in performances, such as the 2024 Red Special Meet-Up—marking its 60th anniversary and May's first play following a minor stroke—and has undergone recent modifications including new B & B pickups. Played with a sixpence coin as a plectrum, it produces May's distinctive layered, harmonic-rich tone that became central to Queen's sound, enduring through decades of touring wear and a major restoration in 1998 by luthier Greg Fryer to preserve its playability. The guitar's one-of-a-kind construction and cultural impact have inspired thousands of replicas and tributes, cementing its status as an enduring symbol of ingenuity in rock music history.

History

Development and Construction

In 1963, at the age of 16, found himself unable to afford a new like the Fender Stratocaster, which cost around £100 at the time while his family budget allowed only £5 for the project. Inspired by the sound of amplified guitars from artists such as , May approached his father, Harold, an electrical engineer, to collaborate on building a custom instrument from scratch as a father-son endeavor. This DIY approach stemmed from May's passion for and the practical need for an affordable, high-quality guitar tailored to his preferences. Construction began in August 1963 in Harold's converted spare-room workshop in Feltham, Middlesex, with the pair working in spare moments over the next 18 months. They started by carving the neck, followed by assembling the body by October 1964, relying on trial-and-error methods without formal blueprints—only May's hand-drawn sketches based on admired guitar designs. The process emphasized functionality and tone, with Harold providing guidance on woodworking and finishing techniques honed from his engineering background. Materials were sourced improvisationally from household and salvaged items to keep costs low. The neck was hand-carved from a single piece of reclaimed from a Victorian-era mantel, approximately 100 years old and filled with wormholes that were sealed using matchsticks and . The body featured a central core from an old dining table for structural support, flanked by blockboard sides and topped with veneer also derived from the remnants. The system's bridge incorporated a swivel from motorcycle parts, valve springs from a 1928 Panther or Norton bike, and a holder, while the arm tip was fashioned from a plastic knitting needle sourced from May's mother. Tools were basic and makeshift, including planes, chisels, saws, files, , and a for detailed carving, with no power equipment available. Techniques involved hand-shaping components, such as and filing six cylindrical rollers for the bridge saddles, and multiple iterations for the mechanism to achieve stable pitch variation. The pickups were wound by hand using copper wire and button magnets from Eclipse Magnetics, tested iteratively for desired output. The guitar was completed in late 1964, receiving a cherry red sunburst finish achieved by applying multiple layers of wood dye and Rustin's Plastic Coating varnish, sanded smooth between coats for a glossy surface. It was named the "Red Special" for its distinctive reddish hue and personal significance to May, who later used it as his primary instrument upon forming Queen in 1970.

Early Use

The Red Special made its debut in autumn 1964 when Brian May, then a teenager, plugged it into an amplifier for the first live performance with his newly formed band 1984 in Hampton, England. The band, inspired by George Orwell's novel and comprising May on guitar, Dave Dilloway on bass, and others from Hampton Grammar School, played a 30-minute set to a small, unenthusiastic audience at a local youth club, marking the guitar's initial foray into the local music scene alongside contemporaries like The Others, another Hampton-based group. This early outing overcame the construction challenges faced during its handmade assembly, allowing May to experiment with its unique tone in rudimentary gigs around southwest London. During May's university years at , where he began studying physics and in 1965, the Red Special became central to 's activities, including performances at college events such as a 1967 gig on campus. The band, which evolved through lineup changes and recorded amateur demos, relied on the guitar's distinctive sound for covers and originals in the burgeoning British rock scene, helping May balance academics with until disbanded in 1968. As May transitioned to the band in 1968 and then co-founded Queen in 1970 with , Roger Taylor, and , the Red Special solidified as his primary instrument from the group's inception, featuring in early rehearsals and demo recordings. Notable among these was its use on the 1972 demo of "," Queen's debut single, where its layered harmonics defined the track's . Around this time, May made initial modifications for improved playability, including replacing the original plastic knobs with lathe-turned ones just before Queen's formation.

Design Features

Body and Materials

The Red Special's body employs a semi-hollow structure, consisting of blockboard with inserts in the central core for support, and veneer applied to the sides, top, and back to create a resonant, lightweight shell. This design incorporates acoustic chambers carved into the blockboard, enhancing the guitar's tonal warmth and sustain while keeping the overall weight low at approximately 7 pounds (3.2 kg). The elements, including the core sections, were sourced from recycled heirlooms like an old table, contributing to the instrument's unique character. The body measures approximately 14 inches (35.67 cm) wide at its broadest point and 1.57 inches (40 mm) deep at the rim, providing a comfortable ergonomic profile suited to its double-cutaway shape. These dimensions, combined with the semi-hollow build, result in a responsive instrument that balances projection and feedback resistance, with the lightweight materials promoting extended note sustain essential for May's layered guitar sound. The finish is a distinctive reddish-brown, achieved through and multiple layers of Rustins Plastic Coating , which not only imparts the iconic hue but also ensures durability against wear from extensive use. Notably, the body was hand-shaped without molds or specialized tools, relying instead on household items such as a to dry the wood, reflecting the DIY ingenuity of its construction in the early .

Neck and Fretboard

The neck of the Red Special is crafted from a single piece of salvaged from an old Victorian-era fireplace mantelpiece, which and his father Harold selected for its stability and density. This material choice contributed to the neck's resonant tone and durability, despite initial challenges like damage that required filling with matchsticks. Brian May hand-carved the neck using a penknife, shaping it into a distinctive soft V-profile that provides a comfortable grip for extended play while maintaining structural integrity. The neck employs a 24-inch scale length and features a bolt-on attachment via a long tenon with a paddle-like heel, secured to the body using a central bolt and additional mounting screws for stability. The fretboard is hand-cut from oak, painted black using Rustin's Plastic Coating, and finished with lacquer to create a smooth, glossy surface that enhances playability. It spans the full scale with 24 frets—originally installed and never replaced due to their longevity—and includes a custom zero-fret design at the nut, added during a later restoration to optimize intonation and open-string tone. Key measurements include a nut width of 46 mm (1.81 inches) and a fretboard radius of 184 mm (7.25 inches), which together support the guitar's unique feel and responsiveness.

Electronics and Hardware

The electronics of the Red Special incorporate a custom wiring scheme designed by and his father Harold, enabling flexible pickup combinations through series and parallel configurations via dedicated switches. This setup allows for 14 distinct tonal variations by selecting any combination of the three pickups and adjusting their relative phases, providing a wide range of sounds from thick humbucking-like tones to bright, nasal leads. The control layout features three individual volume knobs, one for each pickup, permitting precise balancing of their levels in any combination, alongside three phase reversal switches—one per pickup—for independent out-of-phase operation that alters the tonal character dramatically. A master volume knob handles overall output, while a master tone knob, typically a treble-cut control, shapes the high frequencies across all selections. These controls are mounted on an aluminum plate beneath the black Perspex scratchplate, with the switches using simple slider mechanisms for quick adjustments during performance. Non-electronic hardware elements emphasize the guitar's DIY origins and resourceful construction. The volume knobs are repurposed from radio dials, offering a vintage, textured grip that contrasts with the modern functionality. The tailpiece is a custom-made mild floating unit serving as the string anchor, contributing to the instrument's unique sustain and tuning stability. The bridge is handmade from Perspex and brass, featuring individual adjustable saddles for precise intonation control on each string. The output connection is a standard 1/4-inch mono jack, ensuring compatibility with conventional amplifiers without any onboard preamp or modern modifications in the original .

Technical Specifications

Scale Length and Frets

The Red Special employs a scale length of 24 inches (610 mm), shorter than the typical 25.5-inch Fender or 24.75-inch Gibson standards, which eases string bends and enhances playability for techniques like those used by . The guitar has 24 frets made from medium jumbo gauge wire, with dimensions of 2.4 mm crown width by 1.2 mm crown height, providing a clean double-octave range up to the 24th fret. Its fretboard radius measures 7.25 inches (184 mm), balancing flatness for chords near the nut and curvature toward the higher frets to support fluid lead playing. Low action is facilitated by a at the nut position for responsive fretting without excessive buzzing. Intonation accuracy is maintained through custom saddle positioning on the bridge, compensating for the short scale and to ensure even tuning across the fretboard.

Pickups and Wiring

The Red Special guitar features three Burns Tri-Sonic single-coil pickups, one each in the neck, middle, and bridge positions, utilizing ceramic bar magnets for a powerful . These pickups, originally sourced from 1960s Burns models, were modified by and his father during construction; the coils were potted in Araldite epoxy to reduce and feedback, and the units were direct-mounted to the body for enhanced sustain and resonance. Positioned along the guitar's 24-inch scale length, the pickups maintain standard relative spacing adapted to the shorter scale, with the bridge pickup around 12 inches from the 12th fret—optimized for balanced string coverage and tonal blend. The middle pickup is reverse-wound with south polarity (opposite the north polarity of the neck and bridge pickups), enabling hum cancellation when combined with either adjacent pickup, a configuration that minimizes 60-cycle hum in dual-pickup modes without altering the single-coil character. The wiring employs a custom circuit designed for maximum versatility, incorporating six miniature slide switches—on/off and phase reversal for each pickup—allowing 256 possible combinations, including out-of-phase pairings that produce thin, nasal tones reminiscent of early rock effects. This setup routes signals through a single 220 kΩ volume and a treble-cut tone circuit with a 22 nF , preserving the pickups' raw output without active electronics or additional filtering. Tonal characteristics stem from the Tri-Sonics' low (approximately 1.6–2.3 H) and DC resistance (7.0–7.4 kΩ), yielding a bright, treble-heavy response with pronounced compression and clarity, ideal for both clean articulation and high-gain overdrive. The original wiring remains intact in the guitar, with no subsequent electronic modifications beyond routine maintenance, ensuring consistent performance across decades of use.

Tremolo System

The tremolo system of the Red Special, technically a unit, was custom-designed and hand-built by and his father Harold in the early using scavenged materials to create an effective pitch modulation mechanism on a limited budget. The arm itself incorporates a bag support as the main shaft, silver-soldered to a swivel, with the tip formed from a knitting needle end for smooth operation. The fulcrum employs a knife-edge pivot crafted from a knitting needle, allowing the hand-carved mild steel rocker plate to tilt freely while maintaining precise control. This design enables pitch variations, including dive bombs, by leveraging the arm's responsive leverage against the bridge assembly. The mechanism functions as a floating bridge , where the rocker plate holds the strings and pivots on the knife-edge bearing, with downward or upward arm movement altering string tension to bend pitch. Tension is counterbalanced by two springs—sourced from a 500cc Norton —mounted on bolts within the , ensuring the bridge returns to its neutral position after manipulation. The bridge integrates directly with the body's structure, with the tremolo housing extending into a rear cavity routed specifically for the springs and arm clearance, promoting a compact and resonant setup. The saddles on the rocker plate are adjustable for intonation via slotted positions, accommodating the guitar's 24-inch scale length without the need for modern locking tuners. Tuning stability in the system arises from the precise balance between string tension and spring resistance, allowing reliable pitch return even after aggressive use, though heavy can introduce slight detuning that contributes to the instrument's characteristic warble effect. operates the using a two-handed technique, gripping the arm with one hand while stabilizing the bridge or strings with the other to execute bombs and subtle shimmers for expressive tonal modulation.

Musical Applications

Studio Recordings

The Red Special made its debut on Queen's self-titled 1973 album, where employed it for all tones, leveraging its unique wiring and pickup configurations to craft the band's signature layered sound. On the opening track "," May used multitracking with the Red Special to build intricate guitar harmonies and solos, emphasizing the instrument's bright, articulate response during the recording sessions at De Lane Lea and . This approach set the foundation for Queen's orchestral guitar style, though May later reflected that excessive overdubs contributed to a somewhat stiff overall tone on the album. In subsequent albums, the Red Special continued to define key studio moments, particularly on 1975's A Night at the Opera. For "," May multi-tracked multiple guitar layers using various Red Special pickup combinations—such as bridge and neck positions—to create dynamic riffs and the song's iconic section, blending overdriven leads with harmonic depth. On 1977's , the guitar featured prominently in "," where May generated feedback on the E note, power chords in C, and melodic phrases in open A positioning during the track's climactic final seconds, complementing the song's percussive stomp . These recordings highlighted the Red Special's versatility in producing both aggressive and ethereal tones. Queen's studio techniques with the Red Special often involved stacking multiple Vox AC30 amplifiers to achieve the instrument's characteristic overdriven sustain and choral-like quality, with minimal effects beyond a treble booster for added bite. Direct injection was occasionally used alongside these amp stacks to capture clean signals for layering, enabling the Red Special's raw harmonics to shine in controlled environments without excessive room reverb. This setup remained largely consistent through the 1980s, as seen on 1986's A Kind of Magic, where May relied on the guitar's 14th-fret chord motifs and Mixolydian licks in tracks like the title song, preserving the overdriven edge with few alterations to his core rig. Following Queen's active years, May maintained the Red Special and its traditional setup for solo work, notably on his 1992 album Back to the Light. The guitar provided haunting instrumental textures on tracks like "Nothin' But Blue" and "Too Much Love Will Kill You," utilizing Vox AC30 stacks to retain the familiar overdriven warmth and multi-tracked harmonies that echoed his Queen-era sound. This continuity underscored the Red Special's enduring role in May's studio palette, even in post-band projects.

Live Performances

The Red Special served as Brian May's primary instrument throughout Queen's touring years from 1973 to 1986, where it was employed for lead solos and rhythm work in virtually every concert. Its distinctive tone, derived from custom-wound pickups and a unique tremolo system, became synonymous with May's layered guitar arrangements on stage, often amplified through stacks of Vox AC30 amplifiers to replicate the band's orchestral sound. The guitar featured prominently in landmark events, including the band's triumphant two-night stand at in July 1986, which marked the finale of the Magic Tour supporting . May wielded the original Red Special for high-energy performances like "," delivering its signature crunch and sustain to a crowd of over 150,000 across both shows. To safeguard the instrument during demanding tours and shoots, replicas—such as the early John Birch model—were occasionally substituted in high-risk scenarios, including music videos like "," where physical mishaps or environmental hazards could damage the irreplaceable original. Adaptations for reliability included a custom flight case for secure and , ensuring the guitar's protection amid the rigors of international touring. Backups like the John Birch replica provided occasional redundancy during this era, stepping in when the original required maintenance, though May preferred its unparalleled warmth and sustain for core duties. The Red Special's studio-developed tonal characteristics, emphasizing rich harmonics and dynamic response, directly shaped live setups, allowing May to achieve similar multi-tracked effects through real-time performance. Following Freddie Mercury's death, the original Red Special remained central to May's post-Queen endeavors, appearing on tours with from 2005 to 2008, where it handled pivotal solos in sets blending Queen classics and Rodgers' catalog. This continued into collaborations with starting in 2012, with the guitar deployed for essential leads in ongoing global tours, including from 2023 to 2024. As of 2025, the instrument's enduring playability was demonstrated during the performances in 2023 and 2024, as well as at the September 2022 tribute concert at , where May performed Queen material with members using the Red Special, honoring both Hawkins and Mercury in a set including "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions."

Replicas

Official Replicas

The first official replicas of Brian May's Red Special were commissioned from John Birch in the mid-1970s, with the initial copy completed in 1975 by Birch and collaborator John Diggins. These guitars served as reliable backups during Queen's live performances and appeared prominently in music videos such as "" and "." Crafted to closely match the original's handmade aesthetics and functionality, the Birch replicas featured a 24-inch scale length, three single-coil pickups, and a custom system derived from vintage motorcycle components. In the , Guild Guitars produced the BHM1 model as an authorized reproduction, manufactured in with input from May to ensure fidelity to the original design. Equipped with Tri-Sonic pickups, a chambered body, and the signature 24-inch scale, these guitars addressed the need for durable stage instruments during Queen's peak touring years. Guild followed with the BM-01 limited edition of 1,000 units, incorporating custom pickups and an accurate remake of the original's , further refining playability and tone. The reissues in the early marked a return to UK-based production under May's endorsement, replicating the Red Special's exact specifications including the 24-inch scale length, three series-wired single-coil pickups, and Wilkinson-style knife-edge . These models, available in cherry red finishes, emphasized the guitar's acoustic chambering for enhanced sustain and were praised for their affordability while maintaining the original's tonal versatility. A 2012 limited edition highlighted refined craftsmanship during the transition to independent production. In the mid-1990s, custom luthier Greg Fryer crafted high-fidelity one-off replicas commissioned by May for his personal use as backups, including three guitars named 'John,' 'Paul,' and 'George Burns' completed in 1996-1997. These featured precise recreations of the original's wiring and pickup layout, using materials closer to the homemade specs, though with modern tweaks for reliability; for instance, 'Paul' later incorporated white slide switches for the pickups. Fryer's builds emphasized playability and tonal match, drawing from detailed study of the Red Special. Since the 2010s, Brian May Guitars (BMG) has overseen a dedicated line of official replicas, including the Special and Super models, developed in collaboration with May and luthiers to preserve the instrument's legacy. The BMG Special and Super variants, produced in facilities adhering to May's standards, feature hand-wound Tri-Sonic-style pickups, a 24-inch scale with 24 frets, and custom knife-edge tremolo systems for precise intonation and vibrato control. New colorways, such as Antique Cherry introduced in 2022 and Emerald Green in 2023, offer modern aesthetic options while upholding the original's structural integrity, with bodies crafted from chambered mahogany or sapele for balanced resonance. In 2023, BMG introduced the Vision model, blending the Red Special's short scale and pickup configuration with a Les Paul Doublecut-inspired body for added versatility. These replicas draw from the Red Special's inspirations in 1960s DIY engineering and household materials.

Unofficial Replicas

Unofficial replicas of the Red Special have been produced by independent luthiers and manufacturers without Brian May's endorsement, often prioritizing visual similarity and affordability over exact replication of the original's handmade construction. These copies emerged in the as the guitar's iconic status grew with Queen's popularity, using more readily available materials to approximate the distinctive shape, red finish, and tri-sonic pickup configuration. In the , Japanese manufacturer Greco introduced the BM900 model through its Fujigen factory, marking one of the earliest commercial copies. Launched in 1976 as part of Greco's Project Series, the BM900 featured a solid body, set neck, and fretboard with 24 frets, mimicking the Red Special's double-bound body and deep red finish but employing a Gibson-style Harmonica bridge and vibrato instead of the original's knife-edge . These affordable imports used cheaper woods like instead of the original's oak and blockboard, with Greco-branded pickups varying in quality from the tri-sonics of the Red Special, yet they achieved notable visual accuracy for budget-conscious players. Production ceased in 1980, followed by more accessible BM-80 and BM-90 variants in the 1980s. German luthier Scheithauer Guitars has offered the Mayday model since the late 1990s, a Red Special-inspired design handcrafted in with modern enhancements like locking tuners and a 24-fret . The Mayday employs a hollow chambered body with an center block, , and fretboard, paired with Burns Tri-Sonic style pickups wired in series for a dark, percussive tone, alongside a modified knife-edge for improved tuning stability. While visually accurate in shape and red gloss finish, it diverges with its semi-hollow construction and 628 mm scale length, using laminate hardwoods rather than solid pieces for lighter weight and resonance. Priced starting at €2,950, these custom pieces target enthusiasts seeking upgraded over strict historical fidelity. DIY kits and plans for building Red Special replicas have been available since the 1980s, gaining momentum with the 2014 publication of Brian May's book Brian May's Red Special: The Story of the Home-Made Guitar that Rocked the World, which includes detailed blueprints, X-rays, and construction notes derived from the original's restoration. These resources enable hobbyists to replicate the guitar using accessible woods like substitutes and aftermarket tri-sonic pickups, often resulting in variations in pickup quality and precision but strong emphasis on the signature aesthetic. International clones, such as those from Japanese builders like K'z Guitar Works, continue this tradition with high-quality unofficial copies using premium materials for tonal approximation, though typically at lower cost than official versions. In contrast to official replicas, which adhere closely to May-approved specifications for authenticity, unofficial versions frequently incorporate cost-saving materials and ergonomic updates, allowing broader access while capturing the Red Special's visual and sonic essence.

Variations and Modifications

Custom Variations

The Mini May, introduced in 2006 by Guitars, is a compact, -oriented of the Red Special design, featuring a three-quarter-sized body, distinctive , and pickguard inspired by the original instrument. With a 22.9-inch scale length, it prioritizes portability and playability, equipped with a single Tri-Sonic-style pickup, through-body fixed bridge, and lightweight meranti construction, making it suitable for carry-on . In 2007, the Rhapsody electro-acoustic guitar emerged as a hybrid variant, blending acoustic projection with electric amplification while echoing the Red Special's iconic double-cutaway body shape for enhanced upper-fret access. This small-bodied model incorporates a solid top, back and sides, and a Fishman Flex Blend system with a Sonicore pickup and soundhole , allowing versatile tonal options from fingerstyle to amplified performance. The Bri-Bass represents a reconfiguration of the Red Special aesthetic, featuring a longer 31.5-inch scale length to accommodate four strings and deeper low-end response, with a bound body, set , and dual pickups—a at the and Tri-Sonic single-coil at the bridge—for versatile studio experimentation across genres like rock, , and . Its compact double-cutaway form maintains the original's visual flair while enabling punchy mids and bright highs in recording settings. Post-2022, Brian May Guitars expanded the BMG Special series with non-red finishes, including natural wood grains that highlight the body and black variants like Black 'N' Gold and Black Classic, offering aesthetic alternatives to the traditional cherry red while preserving the core wiring and pickup configuration. These limited-edition options, such as the pickguard on the Black Classic introduced in 2024, cater to players seeking customized visual expressions without altering the instrument's tonal heritage. In June 2024, Brian May confirmed discussions with Gibson for the production of official Red Special models by Gibson Custom Shop and Murphy Lab, potentially introducing high-end replicas that adhere closely to the original design.

Restorations

In 1998, Greg Fryer conducted the first comprehensive restoration of the original Red Special at 's Allerton Hill studio in , following the construction of three accurate replicas in 1996–1997 that allowed the instrument to remain playable during the process. The work addressed wear accumulated over decades of use, including refinishing the fretboard by sanding it smooth and applying a coat of Rustins Plastic Coating to restore its original sheen, while inlaying new white resin dots and stripes for the markers. Veneer repairs focused on the edges, using period-appropriate materials and techniques to repair splits and dings without compromising the guitar's handmade character. The was replaced to improve intonation, and the fifth-fret dot marker was recreated by hand-shaping mother-of-pearl in May's original style. The restoration process, which spanned from December 1997 to August 1998, emphasized preservation of the instrument's authenticity; original components like the pickups were rewaxed in paraffin to prevent feedback, and binding issues were reglued using traditional methods. X-rays were taken during disassembly to reveal hidden structural damage and internal details, aiding precise repairs and contributing to documentation in the 2014 book Brian May's Red Special. This ensured the guitar's playability was enhanced while its unique tone—derived from the body and custom wiring—remained unaltered. A subsequent mini-restoration in April 2016 was handled by Guyton, targeting cosmetic and mechanical wear from ongoing use. The body finish was repaired by filling cracks with superglue for stabilization, followed by flatting, repolishing, and touch-up painting to address edge and end damage. The and bridge assembly were disassembled, cleaned, lubricated, and reinstalled for smoother operation, while a cracked central dot at the twelfth was replaced to prevent further issues on the notably thin fretboard. Electronics received basic cleanup to maintain reliable switching, and all work prioritized retaining original parts. As of 2025, the Red Special remains fully functional and serves as Brian May's primary instrument, recently featuring new pickup installations during live demonstrations and showing no major structural concerns after these interventions.

Legacy

Influence on Guitar Design

The Red Special's DIY origins have profoundly inspired amateur and professional guitar builders, encouraging a wave of home-crafted instruments since the release of Brian May's 2014 book, Brian May's Red Special: The Story of the Home-Made Guitar that Rocked Queen and the World (updated edition 2020), which provides detailed construction plans and materials sourcing guidance based on the original 1960s build. This resource has fueled countless replicas, emphasizing accessible woodworking and electronics modifications using household items like fireplace mantel wood for the body and neck. Its tonal characteristics, driven by custom-wound Tri-Sonic pickups—originally adapted from Burns designs—have been revived in contemporary instruments, with modern replicas capturing the pickups' bright, feedback-prone response and "rushing" harmonic overtones during bends. The guitar's innovative phase-switching circuit, allowing out-of-phase combinations for nasal, quasi-acoustic tones, has influenced boutique wiring schemes in high-end models, enabling versatile sound sculpting without external effects. The 24-inch scale length, shorter than standard Fender (25.5 inches) or Gibson (24.75 inches) designs, promotes easier string bending and lower tension for fluid , a feature adopted in some compact shred-oriented guitars to enhance playability during extended leads. This ergonomic choice, combined with the guitar's thin, chambered body, prioritizes comfort and resonance, setting a precedent for player-centric modifications in custom builds. Manufacturers such as have directly echoed the Red Special through official reissues since 2001, incorporating authentic Tri-Sonic pickups, Wilkinson hardware, and multi-switch selector systems to replicate its visual and sonic hallmarks. Similarly, collaborations with and the Guitars line have produced limited-edition models, while luthiers like Greg Fryer have crafted high-fidelity customs, extending the design's principles into professional-grade production. The Red Special's setup has popularized techniques like harmonic layering via delay echoes and tremolo arm warbles for ethereal swells, emulated by modern players seeking its signature blend of orchestral depth and rock aggression; its specific 24-inch scale and lightweight construction enable these expressive methods with minimal physical strain.

Cultural Significance

The Red Special stands as an iconic emblem of Queen's signature sound, embodying Brian May's innovative spirit and the band's groundbreaking style. Replicas of the guitar were meticulously crafted for the 2018 biographical film , where Andrew Guyton produced period-accurate versions to depict its role in the band's early years, earning praise from May for their fidelity to the original's details. The instrument's story has been chronicled in media, including the 2020 updated edition of Brian May's Red Special: The Story of the Home-Made Guitar that Rocked Queen and the World, co-authored by May and Simon Bradley, which details its creation and enduring legacy. May has frequently discussed its profound sentimental value in interviews, calling it his "lucky charm" and the "most expensive object in the world" due to its deep emotional ties to his father, with whom he built it as a teenager. The Red Special's DIY origins have also inspired broader cultural interest in engineering and craftsmanship, exemplified by an 18-year-old student's 2025 project to construct a guitar from scrap wood inspired by Brian May's DIY approach. Due to its irreplaceable role in Queen's history, the original Red Special is regarded as priceless, while official replicas command significant value, with some selling for up to £11,600 or at . High-fidelity replicas are prized by collectors and displayed in private collections, underscoring the guitar's status as a . Tributes continue through enthusiast events, such as the 2024 Red Special in the UK, where May joined fans for a Q&A session celebrating the instrument's impact. In 2025, amid Queen's 50th anniversary retrospectives for and A Night at the Opera, May highlighted the Red Special's contributions to the band's iconic performances, including the legendary 1985 set, in exclusive interviews for the series Queen The Greatest. These commemorations reaffirm the guitar's place in as a symbol of creativity and perseverance.

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