Brian May's Handmade Electric Guitar - All the Facts

I have always admired the electric guitar that has been owned and played by Brian May since the 60's. It has a different look compared to the bulk of Strat or Les Paul style guitars presently around, and it sounds fantastic too. So I thought I'd dig a bit deeper to understand more about this fascinating electric guitar.

Frequently known as The Red Special, the majority of keen guitarists will at least know that this unique was hand-built by May and his father Harold from an ancient fire place structure - 18th century to be exact. The guitar was formed from this sizable slab of old oak into the stunning shape we know so well. In my honest opinion this was an extremely balanced and appealing shape, superior to a lot of production guitars that can be spotted in High St music shops.

It appears that the guitar's fretboard was also made of oak as opposed to the ebony, maple or rosewood repeatedly used. The body has a thin mahogany top which covers routed areas, giving this unique instrument's construction a positively semi-acoustic feel. As a contrast, a Les Paul model would have utilised a maple top over a solid mahogany body. A few extra nice touches are the individual positioning of the fretboard's pearl dot markers (created from buttons) and the headstock shape which is closer to the design of a Gibson Flying V headstock than anything on the market today.

Together with the design as well as the construction materials used, utilising three Burns single coil pickups helps give this guitar that 'Brian May' sound (the Vox AC30 also plays a part). The guitar pickups were re-wound by May himself and wax potted in epoxy. Wax potting is the procedure of sealing the pickup's coils to avoid any uninvited microphonic feedback but regularly a mix of beeswax and paraffin does the trick, so this was an interesting and more long term option.

The final area to be given a custom solution was the tremolo system. This was produced out of a hard steel knife and a couple of motorbike springs. Custom made rollers were included to make it possible for the strings to move freely.

If you ever needed confirmation that this electric guitar has a unique sound, just listen to the guitar solo in 'Killer Queen'. Not only was this solo a dream but also you'd recognize that tone anywhere.

The original guitar is still alive and kicking though for safety reasons May often chooses to utilise one of the duplicate versions that his company now make. They might not be the real thing but they are seriously close.

Jim Ward is a keen guitar player and often writes about various aspects of the electric guitar. For a great blog on guitars, guitarists and excellent guitar pickups he recommends visting TubGuitarPickups.co.uk, and for a first class information on building guitars he suggests MyLesPaul.com.

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How To Improve The Sound Of Your Les Paul Electric Guitar

So here's the situation - you have spent your hard earned funds on your dream Epiphone Les Paul and now you would like way more from it in the sound area. You're happy with how it looks and yes, of course you'd have preferred a Gibson original, but resources dictated that the Epi was the way to proceed. Unfortunately now the sound it produces is now starting to bug you - so what's the solution?

Let's start up by declaring that the Epiphone LP is a respectable guitar in anyone's book. To the beginner's eye these are considered pretty much equal to the real thing. Yes the maple top is a thin laminate and not the chunky carved top found on the Gibson, but there is a substantial price difference and in my view they represent fantastic value for money.

So why is it that they appear to sound a bit too weak?

The guitar's sound is the buildup of a number of elements, and all the the features on the Epiphone are slightly inferior to its more expensive big brother. The wood, the hardware and especially the pickups have an effect on the overall sound but in my view it's the guitar pickups that let it down the most, and luckily this is something that is simply upgraded with aftermarket designs.

You will notice a lot of choices available to choose from when it comes to picking a splendid set of humbuckers. You will notice the established old boys such as Seymour Duncan and Di Marzio and then there are the newer boutique, hand winding firms. I have long been a fan of Seymour Duncan but I love the new boutique crew. The good ones make use of excellent materials and wind meticulously by hand. Some of them provide an excellent alternative to the 'old firm'.

When it comes to the sound, it is down to you as every guitar player wants something different. Visit numerous websites, investigate the various guitar pickup specs and maybe listen to a number of sound samples. Never get baffled with the science of it all because the magnets, the coil wire and the number of winds may get daunting. Your best bet is to listen and make your judgement from that. Luckily some companies will let you return your pickups if you aren't 100% pleased with the product.

If you've got a large amount cash burning a hole in your pocket you might instead choose to upgrade straight to a Gibson Les Paul Standard or even a 1959 VOS R9. If not, then change those pickups and listen to your Epiphone growl. It's really not hard.

The author has played in various bands throughout the years and owns a variety of electric guitars. He loves to customise his instruments and highly recommends the excellent replacement humbucker pickups and P90 pickups from TubGuitarPickups.co.uk

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The Components That Make Up an Electric Guitar

Neck of the Guitar

First we have the guitar neck. In some guitars this can be one complete piece of timber (e.g. Fender Telecaster) where in others the neck comes with an inlay for the frets. This will often come in a different timber to the neck of the guitar itself. The most common varieties used include Maple, Ebony and Rosewood. Inside of the neck is the Truss Rod, these come in single or double variants and are used to adjust the straightness of your guitar neck to assist against bowing and on some occasions warping. The Truss Rod is generally adjusted using a key or screwdriver at the headstock of your instrument. After that we have the head stock itself which happens to be where you will add the tuning gear (machine heads as well as tuning pegs). Some guitars will also have string guides to keep the guitar strings constantly in place. Finally we have the nut which is found at the top of the neck and contains openings for the guitar strings to sit in. These are typically made from bone and sometimes ivory.

The Body

The guitar body itself is uncomplicated and it is characteristically a robust piece of wood (or pieces glued together) routed to fit the different guitar components. The guitar neck either screws directly on the body or is fixed depending upon the guitar you have selected. Neck through models are usually fixed however run the size of your guitar.

Bridge

The guitar bridge sits right behind the rear pickup which the strings are connected to. The bridge is often hung behind the guitar body. Usually the steadiness is achieved by springs running counter towards the guitar string ends. Bridges can be categorised within either Tremelo or non Tremelo variations.

The Hardware

This is where the bulk of your sound is developed of course. If you decide to personalize this is probably where you would begin as most inexpensive guitars only provide basic pickups. Pickups are available in many kinds yet to give just a basic introduction can be purchased as both one coil or Humbucker. Individual coil is better recognized for clean bluesy sounds whereas Humbuckers are generally used for rock as well as more heavy music. There are also loaded Active Pickups as well as Humbucker pickups and the list goes on. Next we have selector switches to choose the pickup currently in use. After that we have Sound level as well as Tone Potentiometers (also known as pots) another part you could consider customizing to gain better control. Lastly you have the input port to plug the lead into the guitar. Place it all together and you will have your normal guitar.

I hope you enjoyed this article. For some practical articles and resources to help you make your own guitar using a Guitar Kit please visit us at eguitarkits.com the home for Guitar Kits

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3 Simple Steps to Tune an Electric Guitar

Novice guitar players usually have a problem with how to tune an electric guitar. However, this is an easy process that can be mastered with time and patience. Tuning an electric guitar can either be done electronically or manually. The first option makes use of a gadget known as pitch folk or an electric tuner device while for the later tuning is achieved by listening and then using your fingers to adjust the electric guitar headstocks.

Herewith is a step by step guide on how to go about the tuning business.

Step #1: Learn the Notes
Before taking a shot at it, you have to learn the various notes. The notes on an electric guitar are arranged in the following order-top to bottom: E, A, D, G, B, and E with the strings ordered from the thickest to the thinnest. Having known that, you need to establish a reference point.

Step #2: Establish a Reference Point
The reference point can be easily worked out by use of a pitch fork / electric tuner to obtain a standard pitch. Count five steps from the nuts and you will find the fifth fret mark. Strike the First E note and check the pitch on the tuner. Once you have the reference for the first pitch, the top E string, you can begin tuning the electric guitar.

Step#3: Work the Strings
Press the A note on the fifth fret and strike the string while adjusting the relevant head stock. Adjust the A note until it matches the pitch of the First E-Note.

The Third string to work on is the D string. Strike the D-string while holding it down at the fifth fret. Adjust it accordingly using the A-note above it until you obtain a matching pitch.

The next string on line is the G-string. Once again, count five frets and hold down the string then strike it. Adjust it accordingly so it matches the pitch of the D-string above it. When learning the methods of synchronizing an electric guitar, you will have to use your ears keenly to detect subtle differences in pitch between the notes. This skill is learned with time and depends on individual talent and ability. You can however notice the pitch differences by hearing a vibrating noise when you strike two strings that are out of tune.

After adjusting the G-String, work on the B-string. This string is quite different from the others and calls for a different approach. When tuning the B-string, count four frets from the nut and hold down the G-string directly above it. Adjust the B-string to match the pitch of the G-string using your ears to detect the changes.

Only the B-String is adjusted using the fourth fret as a reference. Once it is in tune, you can move on to the last string which is the E-String. The E-String is tuned by holding down the B-string above it on the fifth fret. Adjust the pitch until it is in tune with the B-string and your guitar is ready for playing.

Finally play a few chords to make sure everything is right and make adjustment if need be. And that's it; you've tuned a guitar by following the above three simple steps.

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