Although this is a fait accompli, I am posting it here because it is a modification project rather than a finished full guitar build. It's another of my Brian May projects. The full details are on my website if you want to check it out:
https://dsgb.net/projects/burns/
At the end of September 2020, I bought a 2004 Burns Brian May Signature Red Special, serial number BHM 4787 from a local seller advertising on Gumtree. I had been searching for a budget priced Burns Special to attempt an upgrade for a few years. This example is in excellent condition and because it lacks the semicircular faux tremolo cover and associated screws, it is better suited to cosmetic improvements and hardware upgrades than the later BMG Special models.
I restricted the project specification to cosmetic upgrades and reversible hardware modifications. The majority of the man hours expended were on the CAD design of a new pickguard shape which is as close to Brian May’s original Red Special as possible given the constraints imposed by differences in the guitar body and cavity shapes of these otherwise good quality commercial replicas. The schedule of changes are listed below:
- Gotoh SG381-01 MG-T Locking 3L/3R Chrome finish, Thomann GmBH
- White pearloid small ‘butterbean’ tuning pegs (set of 6), WD Music U.K.
- Adeson “Original BM/Guyton Specification” Tri-Sonic pickups with DC resistances and inductances within 1% of the original Red Special (middle RWRP)
- Custom designed pickguard CNC cut from 3 mm gloss black perspex, 45 degree bevelled outer edge, hand polished
- Custom designed pickup surrounds CNC cut from 2 mm thick gloss black perspex, roundover edges, hand polished
- Custom designed rear cover plate from perspex (Red Dark Gloss 433)
- Roller bridge saddles by eBay seller Air cargo trader Ltd (outdoormarket)
- Brian May Guitars’ aluminium control knob set
- Bourns PDB181-GTR02-254A2 audio (log) taper potentiometers at 236 kOhm, remaining stock selected from 2014 Farnell order to match the original Red Special
- Vishay MKT1813 Polyester capacitor, 33 nF 400V, selected from a large batch to match the capacitance of the original Red Special
- Switchcraft 46200 LRX series DPDT parallel slide switches mounted on a custom designed perspex carrier plate
- Rotosound British Steels BS9 super light string set
Comments
Doug
i really like the roller saddles, they are on my list now. How is pickup height adjusted with the surrounds on? Can you tell me more about them.
ive some ideas to get a mod done retaining the BHM trem but giving a nod to the older Red Special original, once I’ve done that I’ll share ( but it might look too weird !!
thanks for listing suppliers, if I get to post my mods I’ll do the same, very helpful.
cheers
Mike
Personally, I don't adjust the pickup heights at all once they are set to the required height because I am satisfied with standard 'medium' string action (1/16" at fret 17) and I never change this. Therefore, on all my Brian May guitar variants I place manually thicknessed spacers (my preference is 8 mm PTFE rod) or sometimes stacked thin brass washers between the pickup mounting tab and the underside of the pickguard which fix the height of each side above the pickguard.
If you require to adjust the pickups, you would have to retain springs or gum washers and either (a) don't apply pickup surrounds at all - some people don't like the afterthought appearance of them anyway, (b) remove the pickup surrounds to make adjustments or (c) drill access holes in the pickup surrounds to allow adjustments to be made with them in place. Option (b) is o.k. if you only require to make infrequent adjustments. I only tack mine on with the bare minimum quantity of small strips of double sided adhesive tap in any case (as they are in the pictures) so that they are easy to remove for whatever reason.
The particular eBay supplier of the roller bridge saddles I quote is no longer listed but those exact same type are still available from various other Shenzhen based Chinese suppliers so you should be able to find them easily on an eBay keyword search.
Doug
I recently got some out of spec pots for this project ( thanks to ICBM forum stalwart) and I did not know the cap value, thanks.
my Strat wiring I shared with you is going to have a 6800pF fitted as it changes the tone but it’s never dull... just thickens it. ( I find 0.022uF and higher values virtually useless 0-4 on a tone pot). But I do have a 0.033uF ( yer 33nF) in a tele for wah effects
Feedback
even if you have a red special it is still quite difficult to sound like Brian May
That year we also ran a 14 guitar blind test where Luke Timmins (the guy in the video) played various Red Specials through his live rig and the rest of us tried to guess what each guitar was. I think most people recognised my Strat in some of the wild guessing going on and I was able to pick out some replicas with Adeson BM spec pickups but generally it proved that even a bunch of Brian May know-it-alls including some professional current and former members of Queen tribute bands couldn't really tell what was what.
https://www.supremequeen.co.uk/team/luke-timmins/
A mate (Shawn Leaver) played it through his set-up at his house including a Dave Peterson modified Vox AC30, treble booster and Boss Wazacraft stereo chorus and it sounded pretty much exactly like an RS to me. I would upload his go at some of the runs in Brighton Rock but they're private clips and he'd had a few pints of the amber nectar so it wouldn't be entirely fair.
Also, before you judge Luke's playing style, please bear in mind that he was really nervous because he offered to just stand up and play random Queen stuff to demo various people's guitars. Amongst the audience of about 25 people was Brian May's gear tech Pete Malandrone who lives nearby and decided to semi-randomly call in to see what we were doing.
Doug
True enough.
Burns Mini Trisonic, DiMarzio BHM or Lace Sensor pickups get closer but still no cigar.
Right now, I have a variation on the RS circuit in progress. It has an additional overall series/parallel mode switch. It is an utter headf to solder. I keeping finding excuses for taking breaks from the task.
The only way to sound exactly like Brian is to BE Brian.
With the right signal chain, even beginners can access all of Brian’s studio and live tones and sound plausible.
Eric Johnson is a different matter.
Doug