How do you get the Brian Mays guitar sound?
Brian always uses one of the two input channels on a Vox AC30, namely the “Normal channel”. The bright or “Top Boost” channel is by nature very bright sounding and rather harsh at high volume. By contrast, the normal channel has more bass and is rather “woolly sounding” as the amp is turned up.
How do you set up a guitar slide?
Playing. Let’s start with the string gauge this less pole has 10 to 46 gauge strings right now which is definitely too thin and too soft for slide plane.
How high should the action be on a slide guitar?
Takeaways. Action – 3/16″ above 12th fret E string. This is only a recommendation. It could be higher or lower depending on your skill and how hard you strike the strings.
Does Brian May use humbuckers?
Humbuckers, with their intrinsic warmth and power, make the job of mimicking the rockier tones of the Red Special with a Les Paul far easier, and it’s interesting to note that Brian used one as a spare throughout the 70s, albeit a Les Paul Deluxe that was loaded with mini humbuckers.
What tuning does Brian May use?
During a typical show, May switches guitars during two songs. “Fat Bottomed Girls,” which is in dropped-D tuning, is played with a Red Special replica that’s green and was built by British luthier Andrew Guyton.
Does Brian May use a wah pedal?
Brian May’s Guitar Pedals
Brian also used a wah pedal in fixed positions as a tone control played through the Deacy amp for the jazz band-inspired “Good Company”.
Did Brian May use a Les Paul?
Gibson Les Paul Deluxe
Brain wasn’t satisfied with the Stratocaster/Vox AC30 combo, so he started using the Les Paul instead for the 1974-1975 tour. This ended up being disappointment also, and Brian went back to playing his Red Special – and ordered John Birch replica as a backup.
Do you need high action for slide?
If you’re serious about playing slide, you need to raise your guitar’s action so that the strings don’t hit the frets. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you need a very high action to get a good sound – a medium action can often be high enough.
What open tuning is best for slide guitar?
The most common open tunings for slide guitar playing are open E, D, G and A. Allman and Trucks, widely considered to be two of the greatest slide players ever, have mostly preferred to play slide in open E tuning, which is spelled, low to high, E B E G# B E.
Does Brian May use single coils?
The Guitar
Brian May’s ‘Red Special’ has a very distinctive tone. Although having what appears to be 3 single coils in that guitar, there are several switches on the guitar that allowed him to select more complex wiring combinations than on a normal 5-way strat switch combination.
Did Brian May ever play a Les Paul?
What guitar scale does Brian May use?
The BMG Bass
| Body | Mahogany, cream edge-bound |
|---|---|
| Bridge | Chrome Hi-mass, roller bridge |
| Scale Length | 800mm (31.5″) |
| Neck Width @ Nut | 45mm (1.34″) |
| Neck Width @ 12th Fret | 52mm (2.0″) |
What gauge did Brian May use?
“How do you string your electric guitar? I use Rotosound round-wound strings, gauged . 008, .
Why does Brian May use a treble booster?
The treble booster, which May always kept on, actually cuts muddy bass frequencies and boosts upper midrange to accentuate the inherent “honk” of the Red Special’s Burns Tri-Sonic single-coil pickups while also boosting the guitar’s signal to produce more distortion and compression at full gain.
How heavy is Brian May’s guitar?
Brian May Red Special Specifications
| Original Red Special | |
|---|---|
| Mass | 8 lbs (3.6 kg) |
| Cost when new | £17.45 in 1963 (“Queen and I: The Brian May Story”, Laura Jackson, 2007) Equivalent to £374 in 2020 (average 5.5% inflation) |
| Body width | Approximately 13 7/8” (352.4 mm) |
| Body length | 16” (406 mm) |
What pickups did Brian May use?
Brian used three Burns Tri-Sonic pickups which he re-wound with reverse polarity and potted the coils with Araldite epoxy to reduce microphonics.
What finger do you use for slide guitar?
There’s also no set finger to place your guitar slide on. Many guitarists opt to put the slide on their pinky, but some players (like the aforementioned Duane Allman) wear it on their ring finger, and other guitarists like Bonnie Raitt and Joe Walsh buck convention completely and play slide with their middle fingers.
What tuning does Duane Allman use for slide?
He usually played slide in open tunings, most often open E (low to high, E B E G# B E) and occasionally open A (E A E A C# E). He also played slide in standard tuning on songs such as “Dreams” and “Mountain Jam.” In the early days, Duane would re-tune his gold-top Gibson Les Paul between songs in order to play slide.
What tuning does Derek Trucks use for slide?
open E tuning
Derek Trucks Style: Open E – Performance
Like Duane Allman, Derek always plays slide in an open E tuning (he plays everything in the open E tuning), and this example offers a solo in his style played over a “Blue Sky” type of backing track.
How many frets does Brian May’s guitar have?
24 frets
The guitar featured 24 frets – ‘a nice, neat double octave, ‘according to Brian – with a zero fret and a loose-tensioned 610mm (24″) scale length – the latter, in theory, making for a more bend-friendly playing experience despite the 184mm (7.25″) fingerboard radius which toughens the feel of May’s favourite .
What techniques does Brian May use?
As well as his gentle dynamic melodious style, Brian is no slouch when it comes to technique. He employs such techniques as two handed tapping, fast alternate picking through both major scale lines and chromatic scales and performs fast left hand hammer-on/pull-off pentatonic phrases.
How many amps does Brian May use?
Brian May’s Guitar Amps:
He uses up to nine amps on stage, and a custom switching unit which allows him to use different amps at different times, in order to avoid any damage which may come as a result of the stress put on them.
Why does Brian May play with a coin?
Speaking to Radio X in 2021, May revealed why he originally chose a coin over a pick, explaining that it was primarily to do with the sound it produces, as well as his hatred of how malleable picks are. “I use a coin to play guitar because it has a particular sound and feel,” he said.
What is the most common tuning for slide guitar?
Open D tuning is very popular with slide guitar (or ‘bottleneck’) players, as it allows them to play complete chords using the slide. This tuning is also used in regular (non-slide) guitar playing. The full and vibrant sound it produces – particularly on an acoustic guitar – also makes it ideal for fingerstyle playing.
Who is the greatest slide guitarist?
Johnny Winter. The almighty John Dawson Winter III, better known as Johnny Winter, is of huge importance to the blues rock genre. During his career, which lasted for more than five decades, he cemented his place in the guitar community as one of the biggest slide players of all time.