Premier Guitar just put out a very interesting Rig Rundown of Brian May. I’ve always been slightly fascinated with this guy. Primarily with his very distinct tone bread from an early DIY ethic. I love the fact that he built his guitar with his father, and that guitar today is still his #1 go to axe, even though he has other versions created by others.
Here is the video by Premier Guitar:
After watching the video, there were a few interesting points I was surprised with.
Frets – I was super surprised that his number one guitar (Red Special) has NEVER been refretted. I thought that was insanely odd, for the amount of play time that would have had, that the frets have held up. I know he plays .009s and use to play .008s, but still, you think 40+ years of bends would wear the frets down.
Coins – I do remember hearing he played with coins vs. picks, but again, I think this is odd. But again, if that’s what you’re use to, I could understand, but was surprised he’s not using metal picks. I would think the blunt edge would be difficult to work with, but that’s part of his tone-puzzle.
Treble Booster – I was surprised that he runs the treble booster in front of the wireless pack, and on his strap. Very cool. I can see with volume control and the Vox AC30s, how he can get the sweet variety of tone by using the treble booster to increase his signal. I would figure this would be the same post-wireless, so that was interesting.
What did you guys think? Comment below!
