Brian May: How I Built The Red Special 🎸
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- čas přidán 20. 08. 2024
- Brian May explains how he built his iconic guitar #guitar #guitarsolo #guitarlesson #guitarist #brianmay
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The man is a literal genius
yep
His father built that guitar not him fool
@@jamesball5743they both built it together ya whalloper
Impressive man.
@@jamesball5743The guy has a PHD, I think that gives him some credit.
Made his Guitar like a Jedi makes their lightsaber.
His guitar is as much a part of him as his arm or leg.
Good analogy👍 I had the opportunity to play the replica he had made by John Birch which he used as a back up live and made an appearance in the we will rock you and spread your wings videos. The guitar had issues with tuning and got a damaged neck and headstock when a guitar tech failed to catch it but it was repaired crudely and is playable...
That guitar is priceless. No wonder he's so good. His talent is tied into emotional memories of making this guitar with his Father.
The tragic thing we should note though is that Brian May's father was clearly a very intelligent and capable man but was still poor. Which, possibly, Brian would have shared had he used his intelligence and education rather than joining a 70s rock band.
@michael1 he still got a PhD, and now studies space dust. He also runs several charities that help with things like wildlife preservation and illegal fox hunting.
The love a father has, to know how much a guitar would mean to his son so when he couldn't afford one he builds one!!!??! What a pops.
There was clearly a lot of love, but definitely some talented woodworking too!
this is a tearjerker for a story.
Both the player and guitar are priceless treasures.
So so true. Unique, incredible, ridiculously humble guitar god.
When Brian gets to cross the rainbow bridge, this guitar will be auctioned off for charity. And it’s gonna fetch hundreds of millions of dollars. Mark my words.
And that special guitar made some truly magical music.
This is one of the greatest stories in Rock and Roll
Dads are a precious resource.
Brian May holds a Doctorate in Astrophysics. Literally a rocket scientist, talented beyond comprehension
I've heard he's made substantial contributions, more than just holding the degree.
Astrophysicists are not rocket scientists
@Mikejones011990 fairly recently, he was an integral part of the team that allowed NASA to get material from an asteroid that hadn't come into the earth's atmosphere, which now allows scientists to research the materials without the effect of the material being superheated by entry into our atmosphere.
Astrophysics and rocket science could not be more different you might as well just said he’s a brain surgeon.
What does a rocket scientist have to do with an astrophysicist 😂
Genius. And don't forget....an actual Astrophysicist!
Cambridge no less!
And one of the nicest, most polite and gracious gents you could ever meet.
@zippyt.libertine3787 how did he get to Cambridge while being poor?
@@karlanthonymargate7362Scholarships?
The whole band ,graduated from university, known as the best educated rock band.
"...just lovingly carved it out." That's a touching story.
As a musician & a person Mr. May is exceptional.
Brain May is a true artist, not only for being a musical genius but for literally building his own guitar from raw materials, a guitar that gave him a legendary sound & made him a legendary guitar player, a guitar that gave us some of the most unique & iconic classic rock songs of all time! #ALivingLegend
Leave it to Brian to have an awesome dad like this, that helped him follow his passion!
Excellent story!
His father could never understand Brian effectively abandoning his formal education to make his living as a rock musician... until he flew him to a concert (on the Concord, no less). After watching the concert, his father's words to him were "OK. I get it now."
@@castleanthrax1833
I didn’t know that!
Thanx for sharing.
Brian May and Eddie Van Halen were just too unique to have guitars that were like anybody else's, and both of them actually made guitars that were in some ways more advanced than the big companies were putting out; incredibly cool!
They were really good friends in real life, and did some musical projects together!
It's such an iconic guitar .
Now, THAT is passion, determination, and overcoming financial obstacles and not laziness. Wonderful example of working for your dreams, everyday, until you get there. Bravo! 🙏 ❤
The circuitry designed and implemented by both he and his father was groundbreaking! The ability to put the pickups in or out of phase etc. etc. Amazing foresight that lead to such an iconic and distinctive tonal fingerprint. His father, I guess, in no small part, is responsible for both Queen's sound and huge success. The Red Special + Brian May - the product is greater than the sum of the parts. Priceless! No amount of money could separate them.
When you explain all of the extra features that this guitar is equipped with and add in that it was home made, it truly becomes an amazing story. I, until just now, had no idea that his guitar was a home build. I just assumed that he bought it at a music instrument shop.
Mark from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺
and he uses a coin as a pick.
@DrDeuteron A thrupenny bit (or threepence coin). Since they went out of circulation he had to have a stash of them. It gives the note more attack and the ridges in the edge can be used for further effects.
@@alexwabinski1343A sixpence, actually.
@@castleanthrax1833 Yes, I think you're correct. Those thrupenny bits were way too small if I remember correctly (this time :))
Talk about a wonderful father/son story!
Fun fact: his father did not want him to become a rock star 😅
Its amazing that he got the bridge placement correct so it would have proper intonation back then. There was no Information easily available like there is nowadays. Kudos Brain and Father May!
They are/were very intelligent folks when they put it together
Also, cutting the fret slots. Which needs to be incredibly precise.
The mind of a physicist has a deep understanding of resonant frequencies
Guitars have been around long before they built one. Measurements were readily available. No secret there
The information wasn't searchable online, like it is today, but it was still easily available. All you'd have to do was find a guitar luthier and ask them. People have been doing it for many years before them.
People talk about Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, BB, King, Jeff Beck… how many of them built a guitar from scratch? One of the reasons Queen was actually the King. The guy is a genius. It was Queen that saved, “Live Aid” from disaster.
J J Cale built his own guitar for the same reason, poverty.
I agree..brian may deserves much more credit, such an innovater.
Respectfully, being naturally (born with the artistic mind for woodworking and engineering) a skilled luthier, is not the same thing as having musical ability! Put Brian obviously has both!
@@sidewaysrain7609thank you for stating this… what an utterly daft comment OP was.
EVH built his own Frankenstein Strat he's way better than BM cyd have ever imagined just the facts ma'am ❤
I bought an autographed Red Special off of his website, one of the most iconic guitars ever. Great sound, and a great story.
I haven't made an instrument with my father but I have made music with him. Nothing like that father son bonding💚💚
I’ve never made an instrument or played music with my dad but we did rebuild my first ever motorbike and the time spent doing it definitely goes down in my special memories of my dad now he’s no longer with us.
I will never tire of Brian telling this story
Brian may is awesome!!
The love of Music is his Universe.
Wow that is really something when you think about it making your guitar great father to help him as well
It's not every day you hear of one of the greatest guitarists of all time invent his own guitar!!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻well done sir Brian 🌟👌🏻
This is one of the coolest father son stories of all time ❤
what an awesome dad
I❤ YOU ,B.May......for your work in music & 4 U are so humble ! Chapeau 🎩
Always amazing thanks for the story Brian
This man is a pure gentleman so accomplished and a very graceful fellow seemingly void of self importance
To build your own guitar today with endless tutorials online is impressive, back then, I don’t even know where you’d begin a project like that
Brian is a legend. Love the guy.
Brian’s such a class act. Awesome father son project, had they known what they were really making 😂🔥
One of the best ever..... It's like the NATURAL with a guitar
Amazing!
Thanks Dad for your efforts and loving support to Brian, sure you make a wonderful job with your son👏👏👏👏...🇲🇽✌😎
This guy is a fckn treasure. I’m not the biggest Queen fan but Brian May was sent to us from a higher place.
That guitar shall NEVER be sold to a collector! When Brian is long gone and up in Heaven, his beautiful guitar should be prominently displayed at a Rock-n-Roll museum somewhere for everyone to marvel.
I could listen to this legendary bloke talk shop for hours.
And while he can get hundreds of expensive guitars very easily, he still prefers the guitar that carries his father's memories
You should hear his story about his first Jaguar.
Brian’s guitar has an unmistakable unique tone, matched with his ability was just another driving force which propelled Queen to Super Stardom…
I also build my own guitar. But I had the internet to guide me. I can't imagine doing it back in the day without internet. Really impressive!
Now we can say that father was one of a kind.
Top of my list of rock guitarists. Seems like a cool dude too.
That’s amazing he’s so underrated very unique sound
Well, it's not rocket science, Dr. May 😂 One of my favorite guitarists and seems like such a down to Earth guy.
You can only be down to earth if you are from this planet and obviously he is not.
@@lucasjames572😂I think you messed that line up... It's supposed to be "one can only truly be down to earth, if they are NOT from this planet to begin".
Btw, Brian May very well may have been poor and had to make his own guitar because he couldn't afford a Fender. But he actually never was anything too shit hot as far as guitarists go. Freddy was really all that band ever had going for it that was special. Even all of those great guitar riffs, were never even of his ideas or composition. Freddy Mercury would dream and write everything himself then go to a piano, hammer out the riff in piano chords and tell Brian and the band "I want you guys to play this, like this." They were more or less just like hired musicians. Working for Freddy Mercury.
my new favourite guitarist
Humble beginnings now that guitar is priceless
such a brilliant mind and musician
One Signature Guitar I want to add to my collection.
A wonderful story of ingenuity! A testimony to artistic talent and craftsmanship and to ambition and drive! And a lesson about fathers and sons working together.
Priceless guitar
To listen to how the guitar was built explains the awesome unique sound. The guitar is priceless Imo.
I love this story.
Awsome I was broke too and made my first guitar buddy 👊✋👊✋🫵🏾🫵🏾that’s an amazing story and what a great memory of your dad
That’s awsome, I’m sure it turned out killer!
I just built a strat for my son. I bought 5 old, cheaap guitars on offer up and took the best parts and put it all together. I'm a custom painter of cars by trade and put a sick flame job on it. I wish I could show a picture here. Something he will keep forever
Excellent story. It made my day.
That is an absolutely insanely difficult thing to do. His father and him are actual geniuses.
Having supportive parents plays a big role in our lives... My dad keeps discouraging me about buying an electric saying it's useless :)
This guitar is amazing
Geniuses can do everything. That's really smart.
I built my first guitar 🎸 with my son in 2015. We worked with a luthier to learn how.
I play this strat almost every day and my son will pass it on to his son someday. I urge anyone who plays guitar or has a child who’s interested to try it.
🎵🎶☮️
When nothing can stop you...
That's a world of wealth he had. All that time he dedicated, all that time his dad spent with him. Hand tools. The craft he learned. A vast amount of knowledge about electric guitars and music in general. They were immersed in all sorts of wealth. Then again I'm pretty sure they knew.
Increíble! Lucky enough to see them preform before they were famous famous. Jaw on floor.
AMAZING AS ALWAYS.
Passion made!!
Priceless story!!!!
Priceless.
What a great Dad
A true icon
Brian May is verifiably genius!
This is possibly the most notably unique guitar ever to be constructed by it's player. We wouldn't have the sound as it was recorded then, were it with another instrument.
What a beautiful guitar and story!
QUEEN = LIFE CHANGING ROCK BAND
And the fact that hes stuck wirh it all this time... really shows the value brian holds to it
Magical story from hope to legend 😊❤
He is an incredible guitarist, person and genius.
My favorite guitar.
well the sound is unique and fantastic
Man I hope we get to do a interview with him soon.
What a great Father.
It's amazing
Wat een geweldige man en gitarist
Great story all around.
Jeff Cook’s father also made a guitar from wood for Jeff when he was a little boy. It wasn’t an electric guitar and it wasn’t real elaborate but Jeff loved it. Jeff Cook was the lead guitar player for the country group Alabama.
So freaking awesome
😮 GREAT STORY 😮 LOVE IT
I have 2 Limited Edition Black n Gold Brian May guitars which I’m modding and updating and I can’t sell either! The trisonic pickups each with their own in/out phase switches make these one of the most versatile guitars ever! 👍
Dr Bri is a genius, period; and he’s not too shabby on a guitar either, lol! 🇬🇧
Very poor?? His dad was an electronics engineer and Senior draftsman at the ministry of aviation. That being said he's one of the greatest when it comes to guitar.
He put love into that guitar and man did it perform for him! I have one rock star to meet yet in my life and it’s him!
I play guitar and i like to tinker with all kinds of technical stuff & crafts. I have build 2 electric guitars with my dad. One made of old birch, chopped from my grandfathers yard and other made of honduran mahogany. Neither of us have any experience or knowledge of guitar making but we had a ton of fun making them. Unique guitars and precious memories of making them with dad. And yes, both of them are very good and sound is strong.
The guy is a Jedi.
He made his first Guitar 🎸❤
Amazing, I think he outdid the stratocaster in the end! And I'm a strat man through and through but every now and then I do love a les paul. I think Brian may have developed both in one. Pure genius
That is a great story.