One of the most distinctive and recognizable guitars ever made is the Brian May Red Special. Built by Brian and his father Harold, beginning in 1963, the original Red Special was built largely from wood taken from an 18th century fireplace mantel that a family friend was about to throw away. Made of oak, blockwood, and mahogany veneer, the guitar body has various chambers that nearly make it a semi-hollow body. The neck was hand shaped and uses an oak fingerboard; it even has two worm holes in it!
But, although unlikely, this “peasant” guitar was used to make one of the most recognizable guitar tones in rock and roll and helped propel one of the greatest bands of a generation.
Since that time, several companies have attempted to replicate the original Red Special and one of the most highly regarded is the Classic model from RS Guitars. Built to very exacting specifications, this guitar is a near perfect reproduction of the original Brian May Red Special.
Customers should note that the player will not sound like Brian May, just by plugging in this guitar, but there are a lot of cool aspects to it. The RS Classic sports three custom-wound Adeson replica pickups, each with its own on/off switch and phase switch. You can get some very cool sounds out of this instrument and approximate the classic tone with nearly any amp.
Of course what’s really cool about playing this guitar is the historic vibe that it has. Playing this guitar is not something you will easily forget. We’ve all read about Brian May’s thick neck, but until you feel this guitar, it is impossible to get a sense of it. This thing is HUGE! It makes the neck on a Jeff Beck signature Strat feel like a 1980’s Jackson! However, it is silky smooth and amazingly comfortable to play.
Experimenting with different guitars should broaden the player’s perspective and the RS Classic certainly does that.
| Here are the specs for this RS Guitars Brian May Replica: |
| Body: |
Mahogany sound chambered body with oak insert |
| Top: |
5/8" AAAA grade flame maple |
| Neck: |
Mahogany with authentic style neck profile and dimensions; nut zero fret with string guide; 4 degree headstock angle; 1.5 degree neck pitch |
| Construction: |
Set-in neck; custom extended neck join (to inner body) |
| Fingerboard: |
Ebony; authentically place mother of pearl fretboard inlays |
| Scale: |
24 inch |
| Nut Width: |
1.84" |
| Tuners: |
Sperzel locking |
| Bridge: |
Authentic style knife-edge tremolo with straight roller bridge |
| Controls: |
Master volume; master tone; on/off/phase switches for each pickup |
| Pickups: |
3 custom wound Adeson replica pickups |
There are lots of cool things about experimenting with this guitar. The sound is definitely unique; the neck will test your limits on "fat"; and the vibe is over-the-top.
We're sorry, but this instrument is not for sale. We do not represent RS Guitars. Please contact them directly if you are interested. For Guitar Affair members, we will be happy to help you select the right Brian May replica if you are interested in owning one.
