Few guitars in the history of popular music are as instantly recognisable as Brian May’s Red Special. While many legendary players are associated with famous Fender and Gibson models, May’s story is unique. The guitar that helped create some of the most iconic sounds in rock history wasn’t bought from a shop or built by a master luthier—it was constructed by a teenage Brian May and his father Harold in their family home. More than sixty years later, the original instrument remains his primary guitar and one of the most famous custom-built instruments ever created.
Why Build a Guitar?
In the early 1960s, a young Brian May dreamed of owning a professional-quality electric guitar. The problem was that instruments from Fender, Gibson and Höfner were well beyond the budget of the May family. Rather than giving up, Brian and his father Harold—a skilled engineer—decided to build one themselves. Their goal wasn’t simply to create a copy of an existing guitar. They wanted to design an instrument that could outperform anything commercially available at the time.
Work began in 1963 and continued over the next two years, largely during evenings and weekends. The project became a true father-and-son collaboration, with both contributing ideas, engineering solutions and countless hours of craftsmanship.
Built From Scrap Materials
One of the most fascinating aspects of the Red Special is the unconventional collection of materials used in its construction.
The neck was carved from a centuries-old mahogany fireplace mantel that a family friend was planning to discard. Brian later recalled finding worm holes in the wood, which were filled with matchsticks during construction. The body incorporated blockboard, plywood and sections of oak salvaged from household furniture. Decorative inlays were fashioned from mother-of-pearl buttons.
Much of the hardware was handmade. The tremolo system utilised motorcycle valve springs, while various metal components were fabricated by hand. This resourcefulness wasn’t merely born from necessity; it also allowed the pair to create exactly the instrument Brian envisioned.
The resulting guitar featured a distinctive reddish-brown finish that eventually inspired the name “Red Special.” May also affectionately refers to it as “The Old Lady” or “The Fireplace,” a nod to the reclaimed mantelpiece used for the neck.
Revolutionary Electronics
The Red Special’s electronics were unlike anything available on production guitars during the 1960s.
The instrument features three Burns Tri-Sonic pickups, each controlled by its own on/off switch and phase-reversal switch. This arrangement allows for an enormous range of tonal combinations. While many guitars of the era offered only a handful of pickup selections, May’s design provided a remarkable palette of sounds, from thick lead tones to the nasal, harmonically rich out-of-phase sounds that became a hallmark of Queen recordings.
The shorter 24-inch scale length, combined with relatively light strings and the unique tremolo system, further contributed to the guitar’s highly expressive character. These design choices helped create the singing sustain and vocal-like phrasing that would define May’s playing style.
The Sound of Queen
When Queen emerged in the early 1970s, the Red Special became central to the band’s sound. Unlike many rock guitarists who switched between multiple instruments, May relied almost exclusively on the guitar he had built as a teenager. It can be heard on virtually every Queen album and performance throughout the band’s history.
Combined with a treble booster and a cranked Vox AC30 amplifier, the Red Special produced a tone unlike anything else in rock music. The guitar’s ability to sustain notes, generate controlled feedback and layer harmonised guitar parts became a defining element of Queen’s recordings.
Listen to tracks such as:
- “Bohemian Rhapsody”
- “Killer Queen”
- “Brighton Rock”
- “Somebody To Love”
- “We Will Rock You”
- “We Are The Champions”
and you’re hearing the Red Special at work. The instrument became so integral to May’s identity that many listeners could identify his playing within a few notes.
Surviving Decades of Touring
Remarkably, the original Red Special remains in regular use today. While many vintage instruments are retired to museums or private collections, May continues to perform with the guitar he built over sixty years ago.
The instrument has undergone maintenance and restoration over the years, most notably during a careful restoration in the late 1990s and further conservation work in 2016. However, the guitar remains largely original and continues to function as a working instrument rather than a museum piece.
Its longevity is a testament not only to Harold and Brian May’s craftsmanship but also to the deep connection between musician and instrument.
Replicas and Legacy
As interest in the Red Special grew, numerous replicas were produced. Early copies included instruments built by John Birch, while later official versions were manufactured through Guild, Burns and eventually Brian May Guitars. These models brought the design to a wider audience while preserving the spirit of the original instrument.
Despite the availability of replicas, the original remains unique. Every scratch, modification and worn section of finish tells the story of a guitar that helped shape rock music.
More Than Just a Guitar
The Red Special stands apart from virtually every other famous electric guitar because it represents more than craftsmanship or design innovation. It is the embodiment of creativity, determination and ingenuity.
When Brian May couldn’t afford the guitar he wanted, he built one. Rather than becoming a compromise, that homemade instrument became the vehicle through which some of rock’s greatest songs were created. Decades later, it remains one of the most important guitars in music history.
Few instruments can claim to have helped define an artist’s sound. Fewer still were designed and built by that artist before their career even began. The Red Special is therefore not just Brian May’s guitar—it is an essential part of the story of Queen and one of the most remarkable instruments ever made.
