Posted July 26, 2010 | 371 readers liked this post.
The Red Special is an electric guitar owned by guitarist Brian May and custom built by May and his father at home. He has used it on albums and in live performances for more than 30 years.
Brian May built this guitar with his Dad when he first started getting interested in guitars, as he couldn’t afford a Fender guitar.
Most of the wood came from an 18th century fireplace mantel that a friend of the family was about to throw away. The neck was hand-shaped into the desired form; this was difficult because of the age and quality of the wood. According to May, there are two wormholes in the neck of the guitar.
If you’re interested in purchasing one of these ‘red special’ guitars, you can find out more info at Brian May Guitars
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3 Responses
Obviously Brian is just a genius and so was his dad by the sounds of it.
A genius and a really nice guy. Brian’s sound is unique and recognizable, a product of his one off guitar and of course his choice of amp, Vox AC 30, which he generously accredited to Rory Gallagher’s influence.
Brian made the tremolo himself – he made it from a motor scooter part. He also hand wound the pickups and I believe the knobs on the red special were old radio dials. Waste not, want not…