Sounds Pt. 2 - Brian May

[TheLoony]

I'd say he has, behind maybe Tom Scholtz, as distinctive a sound as any before or since as anyone around. Rightly or wrongly.

I know he built guitars with his dad before Queen, IIRC to get the feedback in the "right place". So, what exactly was he doing then and how did that contribute to his sound?

What else? The whole thing in the Making of ANATO, with him creating trombones and such with guitars, crikey. That's probably studio trickery. But, it's not all studio effects as he has this same sound(ok, maybe not trombones) live. I'm watching Hungarian Rhapsody and it's there. All the live stuff I have it's there.

That sound. Why is it so different. I realize Tom Scholtz made all his electronics, so how did Brian May get that sound?

Whatever he does, I dig it immensely. Loving this show also, much better than Wembley.

[Koreabruce]

You have excellent taste in guitar players! He had a particular palette of sounds in mind when he and his dad went about constructing what later came to be called the Red Special. He used the Burns pickups I think because they were what he and his dad could afford at the time, but they also designed the individual phase switches for each pickup that allow them to be in or out of phase with each other - hence some of the screaming, biting tones (think of the guitar solos in Bohemian Rhapsody and Save Me, for example.). He also employed a treble booster to clean up the muddy mid-range that was inherent in the Burns pickups. The creamy smooth distortion he used for building some of those trombones, cellos, and other orchestral parts was obtained by using both the treble booster and a small transistor amp that bassist John Deacon designed (that's why it's called the Deacy Amp). He also said that his main amp of choice, the venerable Vox AC30, was inspired by attending shows by Rory Gallagher. It had "the sound" he heard in his head.

Check this video out - it's VERY informative:

[Koreabruce]

[Sputnik]

I think there are three things that make May's sound unique; his guitar, his amps, and his own sense of musicality.

May's guitar has three single coil pickups, with switching to run them in virtually any combination, in or our of phase. So he can produce a wide palette of sounds, which he blends on the studio albums to produce those guitar orchestrations. Unlike humbuckers, single coils retain a lot of clarity even when you use a lot of overdrive. And May's guitar has a sort of natural mid-rangey tone. Combined with the pickups, this produces a really present sound, very clear and bright but with enough of that mid-range to "cut through."

May's sound also depended a lot on those smallish VOX amps. Like his guitar, VOX amps have a very present tone, not as bright and trebly as Fender, or dark like a Marshall. And there's just simply nothing like the tone of a smaller tube amp being cranked, and paired with May's guitar this produced a signature sound. May is noted for his use of echo and harmonizer, but I'd say the real core of his sound is that Red Special/VOX combination, that gave him the foundation.

Finally, most people say the sound is in the fingers, not in the guitar/amp, and I think there's a lot of truth to this. May had a concept of what he wanted to hear, and worked with his equipment to achieve that sound. The same pieces in a different player's hands would sound different.

Whether you like Queen or not, May was a special player who approached sound in a very different way than a lot of others. Not everyone builds their own guitar, and I imagine it went through several stages until he and his dad got "that sound" they were looking for. So it's small wonder he wound up with a sound that is almost instantly recognizable and remains largely unduplicated.

Bill

[kayfabe58]

Brian also had the ability to understand the piece at hand...when he mimicked different instruments, he conceived the part with natural purpose (he didn't play a guitar line with another instruments sound-when he mimicked a trombone: he played a trombone part)

[trurl]

After all is said and done about the gear it's also just his touch. I know a lot of players who pick up a guitar or bass and plug into almost any rig and suddenly it's "them". And vice versa, even if you have a Red Special guitar, the right Vox amp, the right stomp boxes, even the right pick you're not *really* gonna sound like him Or Edge, or any of those guys. Really, from a gear standpoint I tend to think 80% of his sound is the guitar itself and his picks/pick technique though.

[Vic2012]

I read something once where Brian says he used coins as picks. He got that fuzzy pick sound by using the edge of a dime.

[trurl]

I've heard the same...

[Koreabruce]

I read something once where Brian says he used coins as picks. He got that fuzzy pick sound by using the edge of a dime.

He talks about that and even demonstrates it in the second video above. He uses an old English sixpence.

[klothos]

I read something once where Brian says he used coins as picks. He got that fuzzy pick sound by using the edge of a dime.

I've heard the same...

yup....so does Billy Gibbons

On Topic: LOVE Brian May's playing, tone, feel, and chops. GREAT guitarist!

[trurl]

He talks about that and even demonstrates it in the second video above.

Ah, there you go... watching it now. LOVE Rig Rundown!

[TheLoony]

Thanks guys. Interesting stuff but I really don't have the energy or time to respond. I'll watch those videos(golly, could have just gone to Youtube and got the answer but that's too easy and I like the varied responses I get here) and do a lengthy response probably Monday when I have the time. If I have the time.

It's true, though. All that Rockman stuff on the market and no one sounds like Tom Scholz and the same applies here. In hard rock, those two stand heads and shoulders above anyone else as far as distinctive tones and sounds. No one sounds anything like them as far as I know of. Only other one I can think of is Gary Moore and he's unknown to the general public and gets lost in any guitar player conversations.

@Koreabruce - "You have excellent taste in guitar players!". I'm a drummer. Go figure.

[BravadoNJ]

he's The Guv'nor

[Koreabruce]

@Koreabruce - "You have excellent taste in guitar players!". I'm a drummer. Go figure.

Well, my drummer buddy of many, many years said he really enjoyed jamming with me when we used to do hours of guitar/improv , so there you go!

[davis]

Wow, great stuff there!

[No Pride]

LOVE Brian May's playing, tone, feel, and chops. GREAT guitarist!

Indeed! I'll admit that most of my guitar heroes are fusion guys, but amongst the rock players, Brian is somewhere in my Top 5. His phrasing, bending, finger vibrato, sense of melody and attitude... excellent! Great songwriter and soulful singer too! Not to mention all around good guy.

[No Pride]

No one sounds anything like them as far as I know of. Only other one I can think of is Gary Moore and he's unknown to the general public and gets lost in any guitar player conversations.

Gary Moore is far from obscure, especially after he decided to make blues albums. Those albums are fine, but I liked him better when he was playing heavy rock in the '80s (and some fusion with Coliseum II before that). He was a great player! R.I.P. Gary.

he's The Guv'nor

No, Jeff Beck is the Guv'nor. In fact, Brian dedicated a tune to him on one of his solo albums and had him play on it.

[TheLoony]

Great stuff and thanks to all. Those videos are great. I never would have thought Brian getting a gig talking about his guitar and that there would be enough crazies like myself to attend.

Fascinating. You too can build your own guitar if you have a unused table and a broken fireplace. Who knew?

The holes, that part obviously I never would have known of. Seems a pretty killer idea. Is this done much? I don't remember seeing any guitars with holes but hey, maybe I just don't remember.

One thing. What does in and out of phase mean? I don't really understand pickups so I don't know what that means.

Learn something new everyday, I try. This one I've wondered about for years and now I have the answers. Very cool.