Brian Mays Tone

Re: Brian Mays Tone

sosomething said:
Yeah, I know. We could discuss his feel for days! His tone was always so thick and singing... Like a human voice. He's about the only player that could be in a band with F. Mercury and match him for inflection and bombast.

But yeah... not to derail... :)
Click to expand...

Not de-rail..the title asks Brian May's tone.......I sure cannot tell you how much of that is gear.........or feel. I can guess that the majority is feel, anyone can buy the gear, I've only heard one guy play like that.

-dave
 
Re: Brian Mays Tone

He had used a phaser on "Keep Yourself Alive" and probably a few others. I think he also used a Cry Baby a couple of times. Delay is also important.
But yep, it's mostly about the guitar and amp.

There should be a "star licks" lesson with him on youtube where he explains how he gets his tone. Couldn't find it though....
 
Re: Brian Mays Tone

In the earlier days he used a Foxx Foot Phaser, but then retired that and then moved over onto a BOSS CE1 Chorus.

I think alot of his Chorus and Delay FX nowadays are now gotten from rack FX, but I'm not sure which.
 
Last edited:
Re: Brian Mays Tone

The most important aspects are guitar, treble boost, amp, pick/sixpence and fingers...
 
Re: Brian Mays Tone

Brow said:
I'm going to have to disagree with this post.
I have a good friend thats a HUGE Brian May fan. Hes has 1 of those Burns Red Special guitars and has even gone so far as to build a copy of the guitar himself (yeah, he's that big of a fan!).
He has 3 AC30s in total (2 CCs and 1 early 90s re-issue Blonde AC30) and with the guitar and Treble Booster, any of his Vox amps sounds like the Brian May tone.
As said previously though, I'd say the guitar itself has more to do with the
tone than anything (apart from his fingers), but an AC30 and a Treble Booster help :)
Click to expand...

I guess you;re right if it's an AC30CC...the AC15CC is a top boost mopdel and those just don't do the Brian May thing...

However the Red Special is not the big deal, and to be honest neither the AC30!!!

Truth is that if you have a killer sounding amp with that kind of harmonically rich distortion you can get there...the big deal is the treble booster!!!

There is a local guy in Atlanta that gets a KILLER Brian May tone from a pair of tweed Deluxes, a Strat and a treble booster!!!
 
Re: Brian Mays Tone

A Strat with bridge/middle in series and a decent treble booster will get you pretty close...
 
Re: Brian Mays Tone

the guy who invented fire said:
Brian May still is in Queen...

...
Click to expand...


LOL . . . many folks feel Brain May is just milking the QUEEN mane now !

Queen died with Freddy.

I LOVE May's work that he did with Queen & i think he is one of the most under-rated guitarist out there and he needs a lot more credit comming his way, but NOW, he is just using the QUEEN name...imho !

Doing the We Will Rock You theater show in London was a very good call - i saw it twice now, but i (and alot of folks from the UK especially), feels that if he wants to carry on with some other vocalist, at least change the name !

Even John Deacon does not want anything to do with the new "project", or anything since Freddy past away !
And rightfully so . . .

. . . i say, "Good Man" !


James






PS :

...look what the Zep boys decided when their DRUMMER past away !
They called it a day, and many folks (general public) would NEVER have noticed a change in their sound.
If Plant passed away, everyone would have noticed the new singer standing out like a sore thumb, trying to full the shoes of a ledgend i.e. impossible, and looking stupid in the process !

My 2cents
 
Re: Brian Mays Tone

Those are single coil pickups but they are very different from a Fender style single coil...they do not use 6 seperate magnets for the poles like a Strat or Tele...they have dead steel slugs and a bar magnet more like a P-90...you can buy them from Kent Armstrong, DiMarzio also made some in the 80's that were used in the Guild Brian May model and FWIW< the Duncan Custom shop makes some too...
 
Re: Brian Mays Tone

I couldn't disagree more...this is way off topic but you brought it up so we'll dance a minute...

If Brian wanted to milk Queen he would have kept it going all thesee years however he did loads of other projects until he found a way to revive Quees and I give him props for that.

Brian and Paul Rodgers as well as everybody else invloved know that it ain't thre old Quees but I happen to think it's MUCH better than most of the bands of yesterday that have made "comebacks" in recent years...

As for the Zep comparison after their reunion show last year they were allk offered loads of cash to do morew shows and EVERYBODY except Plant were ready to do it...Robert was the only one that couldn't be bought!

...and while we're at it, Zep should have hung it up LONG before John died...they had become a terrible excuse for a rock band, writing terrible songs, recording terrible albums and preforming terrible live shows...

SlowGroove said:
LOL . . . many folks feel Brain May is just milking the QUEEN mane now !

Queen died with Freddy.
I LOVE May's work that he did with Queen & i think he is one of the most under-rated guitarist out there and he needs a lot more credit comming his way, but NOW, he is just using the QUEEN name...imho !
Doing the We Will Rock You theater show in London was a very good call - i saw it twice now, but i (and alot of folks from the UK especially), feels that if he wants to carry on with some other vocalist, at least change the name !
Even John Deacon does not want anything to do with the new "project", or anything since Freddy past away !
And rightfully so . . .
. . . i say, "Good Man" !
James
PS :
...look what the Zep boys decided when their DRUMMER past away !
They called it a day, and many folks (general public) would NEVER have noticed a change in their sound.
If Plant passed away, everyone would have noticed the new singer standing out like a sore thumb, trying to full the shoes of a ledgend i.e. impossible, and looking stupid in the process !
My 2cents
Click to expand...
 
Re: Brian Mays Tone

I've gotten convincing BM style tones out of an Orange AD30 head with EL84s, a Les Paul with low output pickups and a Treble Booster infront.

So I do agree that a treble Booster definitely plays a big part in the sound. Especially with such a dark sounding amp as a Vox or an Orange
 
Re: Brian Mays Tone

Burns Red Special played with sixepence into VOX Brian May Signature AC30 (includes treble booster i think!).
 
Re: Brian Mays Tone

Tonewise: you have said it all. Thanks for the Stalicks links!

OFF:

Queenwise: Freddie was a one-time wonder. One of the best singers ever walked on the Earth. No one can replace him.

Anyway, I never supported the idea that Queen should lay in the coffin with Freddie. My favourite Queen songs were written by May and Taylor so I'm happy to see any kind of reunion - even with an another singer. Besides, that singer is caled Paul Rodgers, one of my other all-time favourites.
 
Re: Brian Mays Tone

The Burns Tri-Sonics can be bought as seperate units. You may have spotted the spinning guitar in my sig. I'm a huge Queen fan, and was convinced that Queen died with Freddie. I think that what Brian and Roger have done with Paul is to keep the music, which deserves to be out there, alive and being performed to an audience. I think they've done it with the upmost respect, and in no way do I believe that they've simply cashed in on the Queen name.
 
Re: Brian Mays Tone

Greg Fryer has been quoted as saying that May's tone is 40% his guitar, 30% the treble booster, and 30% the amp.

I have a Brian May Signature guitar that I play through a BBE Freq Boost (treble booster) into an Orange Tiny Terror (el84-based class A amp), which feeds an Avatar open-back 2x12 loaded with Celestion G12H30s. To simulate the warmer tone of an AC30's normal channel, I turn the amp's tone control down quite a bit and I don't put the gain much past 1 or 2 o'clock. People have come to me at gigs to compliment me on the tone.

It's just an awesome sounding set-up that isn't crazy expensive.
 
Re: Brian Mays Tone

Dr. Lo said:
Greg Fryer has been quoted as saying that May's tone is 40% his guitar, 30% the treble booster, and 30% the amp.

I have a Brian May Signature guitar that I play through a BBE Freq Boost (treble booster) into an Orange Tiny Terror (el84-based class A amp), which feeds an Avatar open-back 2x12 loaded with Celestion G12H30s. To simulate the warmer tone of an AC30's normal channel, I turn the amp's tone control down quite a bit and I don't put the gain much past 1 or 2 o'clock. People have come to me at gigs to compliment me on the tone.

It's just an awesome sounding set-up that isn't crazy expensive.
Click to expand...

I've been gassing for a Brian May siggy guitar and a Tiny Terror for absolutely ages!!
 
Re: Brian Mays Tone

The guitar is part of it. Check out how close the bridge pickup is to the bridge. It's a lot closer than a typical single coil guitar. The Red Special guitar also has some weird electronics for messing with phase.

I have zero problems with continueing the music of Queen without Freddy. I'd wager that's what Freddy would have wanted. Paul Rogers does an excellent job.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top