This was a much closer copy than the previous instrument, and around 2000 instruments including cheaper modified variants on the red special theme were released. The book goes into great detail of how brian and his father made the red special in their garage over almost 2 years when brian was a teenager 1618. Brian talks about every aspect of the red special, from its birth to playing on the roof of buckingham palace, from live aid to the closing ceremony of the london 2012 olympics and beyond. In 1963, brian may and his father harold started to build the red specialan electric guitar meant to outperform anything commercially made. I had 3 brian may dillion models, all in the red special color. Brian may red special guitar library public group facebook. No need to add more info on here as there has been tonnes of info published about the red special.
Again guild tried to produce a redspecial, this time with further more detailed input from brian, and in 1993 the bm01 brian may signaturepro was released. Brian may guitars have been developed in a partnership between the man himself and barry moorhouse of house music to produce true to the original versions of may s famed, handbuilt, red special guitar. Brian may and his father harold started to handbuild an electric guitar in 1963. They are designed around the original specifications of the legendary queen guitarists iconic red special. This one was autographed during one of the later queen tours with adam lambert suffice to say that this is. Weve been privy to the developments of the bm super for a while now and were very happy to finally see the finished article on the market. It looks like the red special and has the trisonic pickups and brian may wiring, but its specs are different than the bmg red specials. After may is gone, this guitar will fetch over a million maybe more if two people want it bad enough. In the captivating new carlton photobook brian mays red special, the. A great book to read if you are into brian may and want to know the history of how he and his father built the red special. Always the innovator, brian has contributed greatly to the success of the band and has influenced countless other musicians in the process. You can find out more about the history online, and brian mays company is at brian may guitars the official web site for brian may guitars you can buy the guitars there. I designed an instrument from scratch, with the intention.
Nov 05, 2014 on wednesday 1st october, carlton books celebrated the launch of brian mays new book, published to celebrate the 50th birthday of one of the worlds most iconic guitars, brian mays red special. Brian may red special signature guitar in antique cherry is inspired by brian mays legendary red special, this instrument that has achieved iconic status and a unique place in rock history, and designed in conjunction with queens brian may himself. What an amazing book about brian may s faithful lady companion the red special guitar that has been his faitful sidekick for almost 50 years. See more ideas about brian may red special, brian may and guitar. Brian subsequently used it on every queen and solo album that he recorded and at the vast majority of his live performances. Brian harold may was born 19 july 1947 in hampton, middlesex, the only child of ruth irving fletcher and harold may, who worked as a draughtsman at the ministry of aviation. They make a replica of the red special in a number of different colours, as well as three other models an acoustic, a mini version of the red special, and a bass guitar.
Brian mays john birch guitar the guitar that starred in the queen videos for we will rock you and spread your wings, and also, the only guitar that brian may destroyed. Aug 11, 2016 this may, i was asked by pete malandrone and brian may to restore the cracked and worn finish on the original red special. This is a 2009 made in korea brian may guitar special. The brian may special model guitars feature a plethora of unique features taken straight from his signature guitar. A group for people interest in building the red special, to. His mother was scottish, while his father was english. I was a dillion dealer in my store for about 15 months from 20032004.
Inspired by brian may s legendary red special, an instrument that has achieved iconic status and its own unique place in rock history, the bmg special is a stunning guitar, blessed with superb build quality, awesome playability and an astonishingly rich diversity of killer tones. Oct 01, 2014 the red special guitar was built by brian may and his father in 1963. With the red special now back in top form and with a trio of faithful replicas waiting in the wings, brian may. Its got a solid mahogany body, rosewood fretboard, longer scale length than the bmg, and its strung with 10s instead of 9s. A young brian may playing the brand new red special. In this book you will discover everything you ever wished to know about brians unique instrument.
May attended the local hampton grammar school, then a voluntary aided school. The name red special came from the reddishbrown colour the guitar attained after being stained and painted with numerous layers of. Again guild tried to produce a red special, this time with further more detailed input from brian, and in 1993 the bm01 brian may signaturepro was released. A very early attempt at this was by luthier john birch, who famously built brian a blondegold replica of the red special as a backup. I decided in around march this year 2008 to build my own version of the now legendary red special guitar owned and played by brian may. A hendrix freak could always save and buy a perfectly good strat but unofficial copies of the closelyguarded red special were often very wide of the mark. The super is built in japan by luthier kazutaka ijuin, who is. Picked up my burns red special on december 6th from deano and the guys at house music.
New to collection, genuine brian may guitars, brian may signed. Brian mays red special the story of the homemade guitar that. Brian mays red special guitar by brian may, 9781787390782, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Brian may red special guitar library has 1,644 members. To whet the appetite, here are 10 factoids about the worlds most famous electric guitar. Jun, 2017 a young brian may playing the brand new red special. Sometimes, the red special is referred to, by may and by others, as the fireplace or the old lady. Always the innovator, brian has contributed greatly to the success of the band and has influenced countless. Brian dreamed of a guitar that would outperform any of the existing commerciallymade electric guitars. It as 24 frets with a zero fret, 24 scale neck, ebony fingerboard. These include a chambered body delivering a thick rich tone, 3 bm brand trisonic pickups with individual onoff switches wired in series for a powerful output, and a vintage style zero fret in front of the nut to keep the. It is a unique guitar with unique sound, and brians millions of fans will be overjoyed to see it inside and out in this great book. Brian may red special signature guitar in natural brian.
Oct 01, 2014 what an amazing book about brian mays faithful lady companion the red special guitar that has been his faitful sidekick for almost 50 years. The story goes that brian was so frustrated with its tuning issues, that he threw the guitar to his guitar tech, who in turn failed to catch it resulting in the damage you. Apparently, i was second on the list for a brian may guitar and i am sure dave at house music was. We caught up with may and his longtime guitar tech pete malandrone on queens summer tour with adam lambert to talk about his minimal effects, vox amps, and of course, the red special.
The red special guitar was built by brian may and his fathe. The red special is the electric guitar designed and built by queens guitarist brian may and his father, harold, when brian was a teenager in the early 1960s. Many red brian may guitars guitars are eligible for free shipping. One came with bent frets, so i returned it for another. Not only is it unique, an icon of 20th century music, the artist and his father created it out of wood from their fireplace, and you dont have to guess if it. Brian may starlicks master session instructional video brian may, founder of queen, and one of rocks finest guitarists, has set standards of excellence throught his carrer. Guitars brian mays entire career has been almost exclusively spent with the guitar that he and his father built in 1964.
If you are planning to build your own version on his famous red special guitar this book is a must buy, and by itself a really fascinating story of how may and his father planned and experimented with various designs while building this guitar together his father was iirc an electrical engineer who worked on the radar. Buy brian may red special signature guitar in natural with padded gig bag at promenade music. Brian may guitars branches out from the red special with the arielle signature model. The red special is also sometimes referred to, by may and by others, as the fireplace or the old lady. Guild brian may red special, bhm02 red, 1994 guild brian may signature pro 1993, green guild brian may signature pro black, 1993.
Gibson sg3 custom red, 2000s gibson sg3 special custom satin wood, 2007 gibson sg61 reissue cream white, 2002 gretsch guitars. A devastatingly authentic, handcrafted replica of the red special, the limited edition bmg super is the result of a allstar international collaboration between brian may and his long serving guitar tech pete malandrone, house musics barry moorhouse, british electronics wizard adrian turner, australian red specialist greg fryer, japanese. I had waited 9 months for the thing and was itching to see it and hear it. Choosing a brian may special or, even better, a super, will set you apart from the crowd in a way that may, or may not, appeal but that aside, you will get a fabulous guitar in either case and one that will go places other guitars simply cannot venture into. I was thinking about getting this book it cost about. A devastatingly authentic, handcrafted replica of the red special, the limited edition bmg super is the result of a allstar international collaboration between brian may and his long serving guitar tech pete malandrone, house musics barry moorhouse, british electronics wizard adrian turner, australian redspecialist greg fryer, japanese. Brian may guitars manufacture a range of quality electric guitars. You can find out more about the history online, and brian may s company is at brian may guitars the official web site for brian may guitars you can buy the guitars there.
On wednesday 1st october, carlton books celebrated the launch of brian mays new book, published to celebrate the 50th birthday of one of the worlds most iconic guitars, brian mays red special. The book brian mays red special tells the whole story of the guitars life in brians own words, ably assisted by this writer, and is illustrated with some incredible photographs, including many from the guitars build. Join this group to see the discussion, post and comment. Note the disk magnets of the original handmade pickups it was the early 1960s and a young teenaged brian may wanted an electric guitar.
Guitars brian mays entire career has been almost exclusively spent with the. Brian mays home made red special guitar is one of the most distinctive looking and unique sounding guitars in rock history. They are designed around the original specifications of the legendary queen guitarists iconic red special read more. Making the decision was easy, getting it done is proving a little more difficult. Lets explore this instrument to learn how it works and discover how you can mod a production or custom replica to make it even more versatile. Note the disk magnets of the original handmade pickups it was the early 1960s and a young teenaged brian may wanted an. Jul 23, 2014 we caught up with may and his longtime guitar tech pete malandrone on queens summer tour with adam lambert to talk about his minimal effects, vox amps, and of course, the red special.
This was a much closer copy than the previous instrument, and around 2000 instruments including cheaper modified variants on. The guyton red special replica this guitar is limited to 40 red guitars, and 10 green guitars. It is a unique guitar with unique sound, and brian s millions of fans will be overjoyed to see it inside and out in this great book. The brian may range is the closest you can come to the original homemade red special and now includes variants, acoustics and even basses. In this book you will discover everything you ever wished to know about brian s unique instrument. Brian may s john birch guitar the guitar that starred in the queen videos for we will rock you and spread your wings, and also, the only guitar that brian may destroyed. Brian may, simon bradley brian mays red special book get the full story behind the red special, brian mays handbuilt guitara unique instrument that helped make mays musical dreams come true. Brian may guitars, rs, autographed 2000s, red elite.
Apparently, i was second on the list for a brian may guitar and i am sure dave at house music was sick of me phoning to see how things were progressing. In celebration of the instruments 50th anniversary, a book about its construction and history, brian mays red special. Inspired by brian mays legendary red special, an instrument that has achieved iconic status and its own unique place in rock history, the bmg special is a stunning guitar, blessed with superb build quality, awesome playability and an astonishingly rich diversity of killer tones. For many years guitarists have been asking for a totally authentic replica of brian mays legendary red special guitar. Gretsch country gentleman, chet atkins 1964, walnut guild guitars. The dillion is constructed more like a standard guitar. Leave a comment here a rare green brian may signature guitar inspired by brian mays legendary red special,an insteerument that has achieved iconic status a unique place in rock history, and designed in conjunction with brian may himself.
Oct 01, 2014 a great book to read if you are into brian may and want to know the history of how he and his father built the red special. Unfollow brian may red special to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. Constructed totally by brian and his father harold, the red special has graced pretty much every recording made by brian that features electric guitar. Brian may guitars have been developed in a partnership between the man himself and barry moorhouse of house music to produce true to the original versions of mays famed, handbuilt, red special guitar. The story of the homemade guitar that rocked queen and the world book online at best prices in india on. Brian may is one of the most immediately identifiable guitarists of all time, and part of his sonic mojo comes from his unique 6stringthe red special. Oldest first newest first price low to high price high to low featured product a z product z a. What an amazing book about brian mays faithful lady companion the red special guitar that has been his faitful sidekick for almost 50 years. During this time, he formed his first band, named 1984 after george orwell.
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