Brian May Special, Antique Cherry - Secondhand

Full Description

It sure is special

The original Red Special guitar was constructed by Brian May and his father back in the mid-sixties. Its solid body was made from a recycled oak table, while the neck was made from mahogany - taken from the now legendary fireplace mantel that makes this guitar one of the world's most famous and recognisable guitars.

The Special combines those same distinctive aesthetics and sound of the original Red Special model with a selection of modern appointments and superb quality, production-line craftsmanship.

Faithfully reproducing the original's unique character and tonal versatility, the Special is not just a standard replica model. This new edition is specially designed to provide modern players of all musical levels with an affordable pro-grade instrument that is perfect for any performance environment. It is perfect for Queen fans looking to recreate that iconic sound that put Queen on the map.

Chambered design provides resonance

This elegantly designed electric guitar features a double-cutaway mahogany body, along with an acoustic chamber - modelled on Brian's original design. An acoustic chamber not only decreases the weight, but it also provides you with a natural resonance and a rich, balanced tone. Its double-cutaway design also provides you with easier access to the higher frets, and enhances hand flexibility across the whole fingerboard.

Get that Brian May sound

As well as offering a natural resonant tone, the Special is equipped with a trio of sonic style pickups that are modern replicas of the Burns tri-sonics that Brian installed on the original Red Special. These upgraded replicas not only deliver a faithful reproduction of the originals, but they also feature a higher impedance and produce a powerful sonic character that will cut through any mix. The three pickups are wired in series for an increased output and a fuller signal.

Controlling this powerful trio is easy with the switching system, which consists of two banks of three switches for achieving the perfect tone. You'll be playing Killer Queen in no time.

Easily achieve those iconic riffs with comfort...

The Brian May Special Electric Guitar features a one-piece mahogany neck which has been delicately engineered with a comfortable contour and D-shape profile, offering you optimum playability. This elegant mahogany neck is glued-in for a precise tone and sports a generous 45mm nut width and smooth 24 fret ebony fingerboard.

No fret-buzz!

In addition to the comfortable mahogany neck, the Brian May Special also features a zero fret, which is an extra fret located directly in front of the nut. This innovative fret serves to keep the string action correct at the end of the fretboard, and prevents wear on the nut. The strings rest on top of the zero fret, which is higher than the other frets, allowing for great playability and no fret buzz. It also ensures open and fretted notes sound the same.

Its all about the tremolo

The Special is equipped with a Wilkinson knife-edge tremolo which not only provides you with a smooth, comfortable performance, exceptional stability and sustain, but also offers a striking appearance.

Perfect tuning

The Special is also equipped with Grover's innovative Rotomatic locking tuners which automatically lock your strings as you tune, allowing for super-fast string changes and ensuring rock-solid tuning stability, even with heavy tremolo use. This is an ideal feature for professional musicians who perform often and require frequent string changes.

Rig Rundown

If you're looking to buy this guitar, it's probably safe to say that you are a Brian May fan. Why not check out Premier Guitar's Rig Rundown for Brian May. We sell a range of products to help you achieve the exact sound, including the classic Vox AC30 and the TC Electronic G-Major 2 Guitar Effects Processor.

Reviews

"Brian May fans will love this guitar; great price, attention to build quality and an obvious visual appeal tick the important boxes" Music Radar

Read the full review here.

Specifications

Body

• Series: Brian May Special
• Body Top: Bookmatched Mahogany Top
• Body Back: Acoustic Chambered Mahogany
• Total Length: 99cm
• Body Length: 41cm
• Upper Bout: 25cm
• Lower Bout: 36cm
• Depth: 4cm
• Body Binding: 6-Ply Pinstripe, Front + Back
• Body Finish: Gloss
• Body Colour: Antique Cherry

Neck

• Neck Material: 1-Piece Mahogany
• Neck Construction: Set Neck
• Scale Length: 610mm (24")
• Fingerboard Radius: 250mm (9.8")
• Fingerboard: Ebony
• Number of Frets: 24 + zero fret
• Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
• Nut: Graphite/PPS Black (45mm x 6mm)
• Nut Width: 45mm (1.77")
• Position Inlays: White Dots

Hardware & Electronics

• Pickups: 3 x BM Brand Custom Tri-Sonic Style Series Wired Single Coil
• Controls: Master Volume + Master Tone (250k)
• Pickup Switching: White Slider Switches | 3 x Pickup On/Off | 3 x Pickup Phase In/Out
• Bridge: Wilkinson WVP Knife Edge Tremolo (36mm Block) with Brass Saddles and Custom BMG Trem Arm
• Tuning Machines: 3-A-Side Grover 406 Mini Locking Rotomatic Tuners
• Strings: D'Addario XL-120 Super Light, Plain Steel .009 - .011 - .016, Nickel Wound .024 - .032 - .042
• Pickguard: Main Control Plate | Half-Moon Tail Plate | Matching Truss Rod Cover