Promenade Music are delighted to be one of the main European dealers for the Brian May’s Red Special Signature Guitar range.
Brian May’s legendary ‘Red Special’ which is an instrument that has become an iconic guitar and has a unique place in rock history.
The result of a unique collaboration between Sir Brian May, his long-standing guitar tech Pete Malandrone, and House Music, the best-selling BMG Special combines the distinctive aesthetics and sound of the legendary Red Special with a wealth of modern appointments and superb quality, production-line craftsmanship.
All the foundations of the trademark BM sound are present and correct, with construction, pickups and electronics faithfully reproducing the original’s unique character and tonal versatility. But this is so much more than just a replica… With a price-tag and a range of new colours driven by Brian’s concept of a guitar “for the people”, the Special is designed to provide modern players of all musical persuasions with an affordable pro-grade instrument that is the perfect go-to guitar for any performance environment.
Acoustic Chambered Mahogany Body
True to the look and spirit of the “Old Lady”, the instantly recognisable pinstripe-bound, double cutaway mahogany body shape features an acoustic chamber modelled on Brian’s original design that enhances the Special’s natural resonance and decreases weight.
24″ Scale Mahogany Neck
Engineered with a decidedly contemporary feel, and considerably less deeply contoured than the somewhat gargantuan proportions of the iconic original, the glued-in mahogany neck sports a generous 45mm nut width, comfortably spacious “D” profile, and wonderfully smooth 24 fret ebony fingerboard.
Tri-Sonic Style Pickups
Modern replicas of the vintage ’60s Burns design units that are so fundamental to the Red Special’s powerful sonic character, the three series-wired, single-coil pickups feature the same retro-styling and magnet alignment as the originals.
Original BM Switching System
As per the original BM design, the Special is equipped with six white-capped slider switches controlling individual pickup on/off and phase reversal, providing a vast range of tonal variations.
Wilkinson Knife-Edge Tremolo
Trevor Wilkinson’s “Wave” tremolo-bridge provides a striking modern look to the BMG Special as well as smooth, comfortable performance with exceptional stability and sustain.
Locking Tuners
The distinctive BM style headstock sports 3-a-side locking chrome tuners with an 18:1 gear ratio for precise tuning and a thumbwheel locking mechanism that clamps the string securely. These superb quality machine heads allow for quick and easy string change with fewer string wraps and will maintain rock-solid tuning stability and more accurate return-to-pitch, even with lots of vibrato and string bends.
The BMG 2024 Sixpence
Coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the completion of the Red Special and 20 glorious years since the launch of the Brian May Guitars brand, every BMG Special now comes complete with a FREE 2024 Sir Brian May “Official Queen Pick” in a perspex collector’s case.
Complete with Padded Gig Bag
A premium quality, padded gig-bag, made from durable showerproof material, with twin rucksack-style shoulder straps, side and front grab handles, dual front pockets and stitched BMG logo, is supplied as standard with all Special models.
Brian May‘s new Red Special signature guitar delivers everything you would expect from an instrument built to the exacting standards of one of the world’s greatest guitarists but, in keeping with Brian’s vision of a “guitar for the people”, with an amazingly affordable price-tag that belies its superior appointments and performance.
When originally launched to rapturous acclaim, Guitarist Magazine hailed it as their “Best Guitar of the Year” and theatre audiences around the globe have been thrilled to the guitar’s sound in performance in the Queen musical “We Will Rock You”.
Today’s guitars are better than ever and Brian and his long-standing guitar tech Pete Malandrone, have significantly improved upon the guitar’s overall construction as well as refining the bridge assembly, electronics, finishing and colour choices. One of the world’s best artist designed guitar, has just got a whole lot better!
Brian May Red Special Signature Guitar Specifications
– Mahogany body (with acoustic chamber) with Pinstripe binding
– New two-piece scratch plate
– Mahogany neck
– 24″ scale (Depth: 22mm at 1st fret … 24mm at 12th fret)
– 24 fret – ebony fingerboard (width 45mm at 0 fret … 57mm at 24th fret)
– Grover GH305 locking tuners
– Dual truss rod
– Graphite nut
– New bridge & Brass saddles
– BM Custom tremolo arm
– 3 x Brian May retro style , series wired , single coil pick-ups
– Master Volume & Tone controls
– Original BM switching system
– Individual pickup IN/OUT phase plus Individual pickup ON/OFF
The ‘Red Special Story’ and what Brian says about his ‘Red Special Signature Guitar’ by Brian May himself!
“A little over 40 years ago, largely because we could not afford to buy a high quality electric guitar, and partly because we enjoyed a challenge, my Dad and I decided to make an electric guitar. I designed an instrument from scratch, with the intention that it would have a capability beyond anything that was out there, more tunable, with a greater range of pitches and sounds, with a better tremolo, and with a capability of feeding back through the air in a “good” way – i.e. in a self-sustaining mode. Previously (ironically) electric guitars had been designed NOT to feed back, but in the hands of Jeff Beck, Pete Townshend and Jimi Hendrix, they were forced to! My Dad had the technical knowledge and skills to make the dream come true. The result, after two years of spare-time work, exclusively with hand tools, was the instrument I now call my “Red Special” – or the “Old Lady” – the guitar which has been a part of me through 30 years of live concerts and studio work with Queen, all around the world. Through the years there have been a multitude of replicas of the Red Special, built by amateurs and professionals, including two major commercial issues, with Guild Guitars of the USA, and Burns Guitars of the UK. As of 2006, the commercial Red Special has at last come home. I was concerned that it ought to me personally who controlled the manufacture of these instruments, and so I have teamed up with Barry Moorhouse of House Music, and Pete Malandrone, my long-time tech man, and we have created BRIAN MAY GUITARS, our aim being to make the absolute best product at an affordable price, so that all may enjoy the special sound and feel of a Brian May guitar”
Brian May
Call Promenade Music on 01524 410202 for more info.
