Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
  • Guitars
  • Amps
  • Pedals
  • Drums
  • Synths
  • Software
  • Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Recording
  • Buyer’s guides
  • Live
  • DJ
  • Advice
  • Acoustic
  • Bass
  • About Us
  • More
    • Reviews
Magazines
  • Computer Music
  • Electronic Musician
  • Future Music
  • Keyboard Magazine
  • Guitarist
  • Guitar Techniques
  • Total Guitar
  • Bass Player
More
  • How to make an AI cover song
  • 30 beautiful acoustic guitar chords
  • 86000+ free music samples

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  1. News

In pictures: Brian May's Red Special up close

By Guitarist magazine
published 3 October 2014

Take a closer look than ever before at the Queen legend's guitar

In Pictures: Brian May's Red Special up close
The guitar that Brian built with his father in the early 1960s has been on almost every Queen recording
(Image credit: Joseph Branston/Future PLC)

In Pictures: Brian May's Red Special up close

Issue 386 of Guitarist magazine saw us get up close and personal with Brian May of Queen's iconic Red Special guitar like never before, to coincide with the release of Brian May's Red Special: The Story Of The Home-Made Guitar That Rocked Queen And The World by Brian May with Simon Bradley from Carlton Books.

Co-author Simon Bradley helps us lift the lid on the most iconic home-made guitar in rock history as we explore the making of the book and Simon's personal recollections of playing and dismantling the legendary instrument in the process.

Page 1 of 14
Page 1 of 14
The neck
(Image credit: Joseph Branston/Future PLC)

The neck

The neck is made from a piece of mahogany cut from the remains of a century-old fireplace, and is mirror-smooth after 50 years of use.

Although its nut width is a pretty standard 46mm, it is a truly massive palmful. Yet it’s still eminently playable, and the fact that it’s never been refretted beggars belief.

Page 2 of 14
Page 2 of 14
The scratchplate
(Image credit: Joseph Branston/Future PLC)

The scratchplate

The scratchplate was traced and hand-cut by Brian from a single sheet of black Perspex and, although it’s taken quite a battering over its 50-year life, it’s in reasonable condition.

That said, it’s among the most fragile parts of the guitar, and the surrounds are replacements, made by Greg Fryer out of 3mm thick black acrylic in 1998.

Page 3 of 14
Page 3 of 14
Switching
(Image credit: Joseph Branston/Future PLC)

Switching

The switching system follows a concept that Brian came up with to give as many tonal options as possible.

The book shows the array in detail and also features several original plans that illustrate the workings of the switches. The ‘May Star’ was inlaid by Greg Fryer in 1998 to fill a hole in the scratchplate that had been left by the removal of a Vox fuzz unit Brian had installed very early on.

Page 4 of 14
Page 4 of 14
Fingerboard
(Image credit: Joseph Branston/Future PLC)

Fingerboard

The fingerboard is oak, stained black and coated with numerous layers of clear Rustins coating. It has a 7.25-inch radius that was meticulously hand-shaped by Brian, using planes, jigs and lots of sandpaper, and now resembles glass in both its feel and appearance.

As is well known, the 16 fret markers are hand-shaped mother-of-pearl shirt buttons, and Brian still possesses a handful of the spares that were liberated from his mother’s sewing box.

Page 5 of 14
Page 5 of 14
The knobs
(Image credit: Joseph Branston/Future PLC)

The knobs

The original knobs were replaced by these ones made by Brian on a lathe just before Queen formed, around 1970.

The sliver of yellow tape is a very recent addition and allows Brian to see where the knob is set during low stage lighting.

Page 6 of 14
Page 6 of 14
Vibrato
(Image credit: Joseph Branston/Future PLC)

Vibrato

During late 1963, the vibrato underwent extensive testing and four refinements, even before being fitted to the guitar.

The tailpiece pivots on a case-hardened knife edge, and two springs taken from some motorcycle valves are set behind it to pull the strings back to pitch. It’s a truly frictionless system that hasn’t needed any adjustment in 50 years.

Page 7 of 14
Page 7 of 14
Bridge and pickups
(Image credit: Joseph Branston/Future PLC)

Bridge and pickups

The bridge was made from a single piece of aluminium found in Harold May’s workshop, and Brian filed and shaped it to a scrupulously-planned design before slicing it into six pieces. It’s still original, although the roller saddles certainly aren’t – the book details the inventive process involved in their manufacture.

After experiments with making his own pickups proved ultimately unsuccessful, Brian bought three Tri-Sonic single coils from the Burns music store, which at that time was located under the Centre Point building in Tottenham Court Road. The damage on the bridge pickup’s casing, caused by Brian’s sixpence picks, has all occurred since 1998.

Page 8 of 14
Page 8 of 14
Zero fret
(Image credit: Joseph Branston/Future PLC)

Zero fret

Brian’s first guitar, an Egmond acoustic, had a zero fret, so he adapted the idea for the Red Special.

The strings float within the nut slots, and tuning stability is maximised by the straight string-pull of the three-a-side headstock. The zero fret itself has been replaced over the years, and Brian keeps a box of spares close by.

Page 9 of 14
Page 9 of 14
The neck join
(Image credit: Joseph Branston/Future PLC)

The neck join

Contrary to wisdom perpetuated in the darker parts of the internet, this bolt and screw array actually secures one end of the 3/16th steel truss rod, rather than being solely responsible for holding the neck.

The neck is further stabilised by two hefty screws set in the neck mahogany between the bridge and middle pickups and screwed into the guitar’s central oak insert below. The book uses photographs and the original plans to explain this marriage in full detail.

Page 10 of 14
Page 10 of 14
The body
(Image credit: Joseph Branston/Future PLC)

The body

The body, ingeniously fashioned from blockboard, is still in pretty good shape considering what it’s been through, although it did need some extensive work when Greg Fryer undertook a complete restoration in 1998.

However, the thin mahogany veneer is already starting to come loose again, hence the need for protective strips of black tape on the body’s rear.

Page 11 of 14
Page 11 of 14
Machineheads
(Image credit: Joseph Branston/Future PLC)

Machineheads

Along with the volume and tone pots, the machineheads are the only fixtures to have been regularly upgraded over the Red Special’s life.

The originals wore out in fairly short order, and these locking Schaller M6 units are the latest replacements.

Page 12 of 14
Page 12 of 14
Binding
(Image credit: Joseph Branston/Future PLC)

Binding

The body is bound front and rear with strips of white plastic shelf-edging that Brian warmed in water to make malleable before slotting them into hand-cut grooves around the body’s edges.

When Greg Fryer undertook extensive repairs of the guitar in 1998, he had to pay particular attention to the binding, as part of it had come away from the body.

Page 13 of 14
Page 13 of 14
Sixpence
(Image credit: Joseph Branston/Future PLC)

Sixpence

Brian himself stuck this sixpence, one of thousands made to promote his first solo album, Back To The Light, to the Red Special’s headstock.

He did this around 1998, and it does make a nice addition to the guitar’s overall vibe.

Brian May's Red Special: The Story Of The Home-Made Guitar That Rocked Queen And The World by Brian May with Simon Bradley is available now from Carlton Books.

Buy Guitarist issue 386 to read the inside story.

Page 14 of 14
Page 14 of 14
Guitarist magazine
Guitarist magazine
Social Links Navigation

Guitarist is the longest established UK guitar magazine, offering gear reviews, artist interviews, techniques lessons and loads more, in print, on tablet and on smartphones 

If you love guitars, you'll love Guitarist.
Find us in print, on Newsstand for iPad, iPhone and other digital readers

More about guitars
Lexrst By-Tor Drive

An Alex Lifeson signature pedal has arrived much sooner than we expected: you can get the Lerxst By-Tor Drive pedal right now

English singer-songwriter and former Wings and Moody Blues guitarist, Denny Laine posed wearing a leather jacket outside near an harbor 1981

"He was an outstanding vocalist and guitar player" – Paul McCartney leads tributes to Denny Laine as the Wings and Moody Blues founder passes away aged 89

Latest
Taylor Swift Eras Tour guitar

“This is the proudest and happiest I’ve ever felt”: Taylor Swift is named Time’s Person of the Year

See more latest ►
Most Popular
Japanese ambient musician Michiru Aoyama has woken at 5am to record a new album every day since 2021 – he's now earning $3,000 a month from his music on Spotify and Bandcamp

By Rob Laing5 December 2023

“If you want authentic Soldano tube tone with the modern flexibility of digital control, the Soldano Astro-20 is the amp for you”: Mike Soldano’s latest tube amp is a versatile 20-watter with IRs and MIDI

By Jonathan Horsley5 December 2023

Max Richter unveils new piano plugin based on the renowned composer's Steinway D SPIRIO | r: "If you want to evoke the intimate stories we all carry inside us, then you will be well served by this instrument"

By Matt Mullen5 December 2023

Meet XLN Audio's AI-powered "happy accident machine": Life is a potentially highly addictive field recorder and plugin that makes instant beats from found sounds

By Will Groves5 December 2023

Fender marks 70 years of the Stratocaster with new colour options, and limited edition American Professional II and Player Series Anniversary editions

By Jonathan Horsley5 December 2023

Moog takes a deep dive into the world of bass sounds with the new Mariana soft synth, and the good news is that it runs on iOS, Mac and Windows

By Ben Rogerson5 December 2023

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called soundcheck”: Watch Prince shred on his Yellow Cloud guitar as the NPG warm up for their Special Olympics 1991 set

By Jonathan Horsley5 December 2023

7 free plugins you need to know about this month

By Matt Mullen5 December 2023

"I don't think it ever really goes away" – Brian May admits he still suffers with imposter syndrome

By Rob Laing5 December 2023

“I don’t want to generalise and say that he made everything sound good, but he did”: Joe Satriani reveals his strategy for replicating Eddie Van Halen’s tone on upcoming Sammy Hagar tour

By Jonathan Horsley5 December 2023

Modalics releases MINDst Drums, a new sampled drum kit plugin that promises realism and authenticity

By Matt Mullen5 December 2023

  1. Telecaster guitar
    1
    The 7 ways I learned to improve my guitar tone – that won't cost you money
  2. 2
    "It's just a good-looking toy": Is it worth buying a Teenage Engineering EP-133 KO II when you can do everything that it does (and more) on a free app?
  3. 3
    Learn four guitar chords from Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits songs
  4. 4
    7 of the best new hardware synths in 2023
  5. 5
    “I don’t want to generalise and say that he made everything sound good, but he did”: Joe Satriani reveals his strategy for replicating Eddie Van Halen’s tone on upcoming Sammy Hagar tour
  1. Epiphone Greeny
    1
    Why does the Epiphone Greeny Les Paul cost $1,500?
  2. 2
    The 7 ways I learned to improve my guitar tone – that won't cost you money
  3. 3
    Believe it or not, the Behringer UB-Xa synth is now on sale - and it’s even cheaper than we thought it was going to be
  4. 4
    "It's just a good-looking toy": Is it worth buying a Teenage Engineering EP-133 KO II when you can do everything that it does (and more) on a free app?
  5. 5
    Teenage Engineering TP-7 review

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.