If I needed a Brian May guitar I'd want this one

axisus

NotW is my fave Queen album, I loved the album cover the moment I saw it. Guitar looks awesome!

dazzajl

I’ve never wanted a BM Special before but that is really cool and I’d have one in a heartbeat. I daren’t look, is it a real thing? 

ICBM

NOTW is my favourite Queen album too (and I also think, their best), but the artwork doesn't look quite right on the guitar for me.

If I ever needed a BM guitar I'd have one the same colour as the John Birch 'spare' he used in the We Will Rock You and Spread Your Wings videos - even though I know the original wasn't a good guitar... those are the first time I ever saw what Queen looked like, and I've associated that colour with Brian ever since.

digitalkettle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4hLTBikZbk

dazzajl

Ok, I looked. 

I’ll appreciate from a distance.

phil_b

dazzajl said:

I’ve never wanted a BM Special before but that is really cool and I’d have one in a heartbeat. I daren’t look, is it a real thing? 

I looked and it is a real thing. but you may not hanker after so much when you see the price

phil_b

It does surprise me that there are not more guitars painted with art work rather than  the solid colours we normally get. I understand it does not lend itself to mass production but I used to see in bike mags leathers and bike parts wonderfully painted with airbrushes but no one does it to their guitars

EricTheWeary

My favourite Queen album by a country mile. I guess that moment when they'd cut back on some of the proggy excess and hadn't yet turned into a plodding soft rock band. Jazz is the tail end of that as well, from The Game onwards I could care less. Actually Jazz might be an interesting look on a guitar.    

ICBM

phil_b said:

It does surprise me that there are not more guitars painted with art work rather than  the solid colours we normally get. I understand it does not lend itself to mass production but I used to see in bike mags leathers and bike parts wonderfully painted with airbrushes but no one does it to their guitars

They did in the 80s! Jackson especially.

Just Google image search 'Jackson graphic guitar'...

Voxman

Great album. But not keen on the guitar. I can see the attraction for a queen enthusiast and a collector, but to stand up and play at a gig? Not for me I'm afraid...and I suspect if you ever got tired of it and wanted to move it on, you'd have a problem and likely take a big loss.  For me a red special copy should be, well, red!  

WezV

ICBM said:

phil_b said:

It does surprise me that there are not more guitars painted with art work rather than  the solid colours we normally get. I understand it does not lend itself to mass production but I used to see in bike mags leathers and bike parts wonderfully painted with airbrushes but no one does it to their guitars

They did in the 80s! Jackson especially.

Just Google image search 'Jackson graphic guitar'...

People like Jim fogarty and Mike learn provide more recent examples.

Not sure if Jim is still doing it but Mike has just done something for @StormshadowGuitars which you can see in the made in the UK section

phil_b

Voxman said:

Great album. But not keen on the guitar. I can see the attraction for a queen enthusiast and a collector, but to stand up and play at a gig? Not for me I'm afraid...and I suspect if you ever got tired of it and wanted to move it on, you'd have a problem and likely take a big loss.  For me a red special copy should be, well, red!  

As some new to guitar this phenomenon also confuses me. I have never bough anything in my life where I considered how I would sell it before I have even bought it 

Philly_Q

I was never a big Queen fan but my sister had that album - which seems strange now as she's not really into music at all - and I always liked the cover art.  I never understood what it represented and I'm not going to look it up, happy for it to remain a mystery.

Not sure if I like the guitar or not - the clear scratchplate and all the screw heads spoil the look, I think.

I always quite liked the green versions of the BM guitar.

ICBM

Philly_Q said:

I was never a big Queen fan but my sister had that album - which seems strange now as she's not really into music at all - and I always liked the cover art.  I never understood what it represented and I'm not going to look it up, happy for it to remain a mystery.

I hope this doesn't spoil it for you, I think it's interesting...

https://www.radiox.co.uk/artists/queen/story-behind-queen-news-of-the-world-album-cover/

clarkefan

Yeah great but how does it sound?

HarrySeven

Nah, you’d just want this...

https://i.imgur.com/KkwRDGx.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/e26lhAa.jpg

One-off BM build by Ralph Bown. 

ICBM

I actually do almost want that!

HarrySeven

ICBM said:

I actually do almost want that!

https://i.imgur.com/Vy7MHga.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/BZRiAvJ.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/HphiK1a.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/ISgVHg5.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/sse10mE.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/FZQHnVh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/YVt7oTC.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/XPZFpvE.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/CYm0yam.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/a3xQjAQ.jpg

Mudcrutch

Lots of People and companies have made excellent copies of Brian’s famous home Dad and Son build guitar over the last 45 or more years .

They never sound as good though.

phil_b

Mudcrutch said:

Lots of People and companies have made excellent copies of Brian’s famous home Dad and Son build guitar over the last 45 or more years .

They never sound as good though.

They do if Brian plays them

Vintage

Carpinteri Guitars