Brian May joining Gibson?

mudslide73

guitars4you said:

I do recall selling a couple of Guild BM models,  what 30 years ago - They did all sell and you do see the odd second hand model from time to time - Not sure if BM still owns one and/or if he ever gigged one - It was a short term project and obviously pre WWW and forums so no 'bashing' back then - But just don't see the need for either party (Gibson/BM) to be involved in such a 'fake project'

Only as a spare I think. I remember he used one briefly during his Guitar Legends appearance at Expo 92 - I'm not a Queen fan by any stretch so there may be many more appearances. 

Sporky

stickyfiddle said:

I saw about 20 BM models in Tokyo in various colours. They look a bit wrong in most finishes but I’d have a black one. 

I saw a picture of a green one once. That worked. 

Philly_Q

Blaendulais said:

Philly_Q said:

Didn't he use a borrowed Flying V in a video once?  I'm not sure it was even a Gibson, though.

A broadcaster I think In Crazy Little Thing - it was Taylors

Not sure if this was the one I was thinking of - it looks like a Washburn.



And it seems he also owned a Gibson "The V"

guitars4you

Ref my earlier posting about Guild - It was 40 years ago, not 30 - Time flies by

Quote - see below - ignore the values as this article was written a while ago 

By 1984, the American Guild Guitar company with some aid from Brian had changed the situation a little. A Red-Special style guitar had become commercially available, the BHM1. Despite being (or perhaps because of being) the first commercially available Red-Special, this guitar was not as good a copy of the instrument as many people would like, and only 334 instruments were made. Pickups were by Dimarzio, the tremolo a Floyd-Rose variant from Kahler. The look was close, the sound was also close, but a true authentic Red-Special guitar it was not. If one could be tracked down, current value is around 1500 pounds, which is not expensive for a limited run custom instrument and is perhaps explained by these guitars not being close authentic replicas.

Again Guild tried to produce a Red-Special, this time with further more detailed input from Brian, and in 1993 the BM01 Brian May Signature/Pro was released. This was a much closer copy than the previous instrument, and around 2000 instruments (including cheaper modified variants on the Red Special theme) were released. The production run was terminated when Guild started to modify the instruments without Brian’s permission. These instruments are slightly less rare than the 1984 Guitars, but will fetch a similar market value. They look quite good, having a close Schaller reproduction of Brian’s home-made knife-edge tremolo and also sound quite good with Seymour Duncan this time being tasked to produce Burns Trisonic sound-alike pickups. Until 2001, these were the best commercial copies of the Red-Special produced. Perhaps the most sought-after version of this guitar is the Green coloured variant, a colour Brian asked to be made available.

StefB

Is there really anything more to this than Gibson's tiresome PR machine clutching at straws over a member of the establishment joining a couple of his old Gibson playing mates at an industry shop launch?

Philly_Q

guitars4you said:

By 1984, the American Guild Guitar company with some aid from Brian had changed the situation a little. A Red-Special style guitar had become commercially available, the BHM1. Despite being (or perhaps because of being) the first commercially available Red-Special, this guitar was not as good a copy of the instrument as many people would like, and only 334 instruments were made. Pickups were by Dimarzio, the tremolo a Floyd-Rose variant from Kahler. The look was close, the sound was also close, but a true authentic Red-Special guitar it was not. If one could be tracked down, current value is around 1500 pounds, which is not expensive for a limited run custom instrument and is perhaps explained by these guitars not being close authentic replicas.

Although the guitar wasn't a "close authentic replica", those DiMarzios were May-endorsed.  They had closed covers with a "BHM" signature, and internally I think there was a single bar magnet rather than six separate polepieces.

lustycourtier

Could it not just be hes there as a guitar legend at an opening with friends he doesnt see often? 

Offset

Philly_Q said:

ElectricXII said:

Offset said:

You're all on fire this morning.

Please make them stop!

We're just waiting for the hammer to fall.

Nah.  Whether they stop or not is really in the lap of the gods.

Cols

Philly_Q said:

Blaendulais said:

Philly_Q said:

Didn't he use a borrowed Flying V in a video once?  I'm not sure it was even a Gibson, though.

A broadcaster I think In Crazy Little Thing - it was Taylors

Not sure if this was the one I was thinking of - it looks like a Washburn.

It was a Jackson, used as a prop guitar in the video for Princes of the Universe.  The video had a fair few practical special effects, and he didn’t want to risk the Red Special getting damaged.

For the same reason, he used a Strat in the video for Play The Game.

He also used a Les Paul Deluxe as a backup guitar in the early days (in case a string broke on the Red Special).

Musical_Mystery_Tour

Maybe they're just gonna have a compilation video of Les Pauls falling over, breaking their headstocks off, accompanied by Another One Bites The Dust?

Offset

Cols said:

Philly_Q said:

Not sure if this was the one I was thinking of - it looks like a Washburn.

It was a Jackson...

It definitely says 'Washburn' on the headstock...

guitars4you

recall that was a Satellite

guitars4you

Satellite  - Found it and it looks like it went to auction 

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2023/freddie-mercury-a-world-of-his-own-on-stage/freddie-mercurys-satellite-guitar-used-in-queens#

Cols

@Offset @guitars4you - I stand corrected on both points.

rze99

Cols said:

rze99 said:

Apart from a bit of fun, why would anyone want a copy of a unique one off and pretty weird looking guitar?

Because it’s actually a really good guitar, very playable with a wide range of sounds.

Great. But. You're not Brian May.

Cols

rze99 said:

Cols said:

rze99 said:

Apart from a bit of fun, why would anyone want a copy of a unique one off and pretty weird looking guitar?

Because it’s actually a really good guitar, very playable with a wide range of sounds.

Great. But. You're not Brian May.

Why should that make a difference?

Countless people who aren’t Les Paul play Gibson Les Pauls.

Philly_Q

Cols said:

@Offset @guitars4you - I stand corrected on both points.

I said it was a Washburn in the first place....

Cols

Philly_Q said:

Cols said:

@Offset @guitars4you - I stand corrected on both points.

I said it was a Washburn in the first place....

Oh, alright.  You get a gold star as well.

Kurtis

Sporky said:

guitars4you said:

has he got the white clogs as well

You don't see white clogs any more. I think they changed clog food. 

Sniff her clogs. 



Just wanted to add that. 

Offset

Cols said:

@Offset @guitars4you - I stand corrected on both points.

You could be forgiven for thinking it was a Jackson at first glance :-)