Brian May discusses Vox AC30s and shows the effect of various Red Special pickup settings on them From “Vox Pop: How Dartford Powered the British Beat Boom”
Love it at 1:45! The interviewers face is priceless! Like a child in a lolly/toy shop at Christmas! I imagine almost any guitarist would be the same, experiencing one of the greatest solos of all time one on one with Mr Brian May!!!
You wonder how someone so genteel and kind could be face-melting rockstar; then at 2:24 he quietly and gently admits that "most things that are worth doing are dangerous," and you know he's the baddest mofo alive until it's time for tea.
The best part of May's tone is how well it fits in a mix. His sound has all the harmonics and overtones to make it full and interesting without overshadowing the bass or Freddie's vocals.
When Brian starts to play Bohemian solo, the tears get down from my eyes. Amazing!! The reaction of the another Guy is incredible and Brian is a such gently person.
@@markstockford9109 Even though OP was merely referring to his hairstyle how about you go right ahead and ruin everyone's fun by bringing politics into it. I suppose you are hoping to start a comment war with someone over the merits of conservatism vs liberalism?
Yeah. Everyone whoever interviews him about his gear just turns into a 14 year-old kid when he dials up that tone and plays that BR solo. And rightfully so.
That smile at 1'44" when he realizes that Brian May himself is playing the BohRhap solo to him, a mere humble mortal, standing just one step away from him. … Instant goosebumps!
I love Brian May as a great guitarist/entertainer but also as an intelligent man who can totaally relate to the audience and show us how he makes his brilliant sounds.♡♡
Vox amps are killer. I spent several months salary to acquire a vintage AC30, but it's priceless when your on stage and you get that crowd feed back when you hit that "sweet spot" and everyone is happy. I have an old Fender Tweed that can also get that same response. Brian May is my personnel rockstar idol. Never be another one like him.
Usually it seems like companies send people to do interviews who aren't fans for some reason and it turns into some awkward dance around very vague and general questions, but this man took the time to appreciate the fact that he had the man who composed the guitar for Bohemian Rhapsody actually ripping the solo to it in his face, and he paused to make sure he thanked the man for that, because that is a monumental moment in his life that he will never forget. Respect to the guy for being humble enough to tell Brian how important it was to have that little moment.
1:44 I know so many people already commented on it, but I have to say that he will remember that til he dies. What an amazing moment for him, he didn't even have to ask him to play it. Just pure happiness.
Have watched a few Brian May videos in the past few days but one thing I notice is that he is an incredible technician - he designed his guitar (and probably would has designed an amp in exactly the same way were in not for the fact that the AC30 fulfils all his basic needs) totally from the point of view of the sound he wanted to create and has an excellent understanding of the physics and electronics. Most guitarists are not so forthcoming about all of this and Brian is arguably giving away too many secrets but, then again, to learn to play and innovate like him is another matter entirely.
He is probably willing to give away secrets partly because one of HIS guitar idols, Rory Gallagher, was also very open and forthcoming to HIM, when he asked him how he got his sound on the guitar (you can find at least one interview where he talks about this)....
Reading an old interview with Rory Gallagher he told a story of one gig where in the middle of the song he was playing he began to smell something nasty behind him. As he turned to look back his AC30 was engulfed in flames. I understand though they had such a great sound they were hit and miss when it came to reliability . Fortunately for Rory he had backup amps to finish the club gig he was doing. Rory was always known for how hot his guitar work always was. We do miss him. I hear Brian was a big fan of Rory & i hear him hint at keeping close eye on these old AC 30's .
Rory introduces Brian May to the AC30 and treble booster actually after Brian came up to Rory after Rory played a show and asked him how he got his sound.
Brilliant ..l have been playing for many years with many different amps and finally settled on vox .. You just cant get the balls out of any other amp ...great ..thank you Brian May
They worked great for Brian May. They worked great for the Beatles. They worked great for Hank Marvin. The VOX AC-30 is truly an awesome amp. I'll have to get one some day (when I get rich LOL).
Brian May when he was younger after a Taste concert asked Rory Gallagher how he got his sound and Rory told him a treble booster plugged into a Vox AC 30 and that little tip was how Brian May acquired his sound.
+Coldacre Nope, the original RS's neck is far larger than an R8 or R9, However, The Brian May Guitars (Brian's own company) necks are a lot smaller and fit more into the categories you suggested before.
Having an extremely low action actually makes a guitar fairly difficult to bend on. At an optimal point a guitar's action should be just high enough that you can correctly get your fingers under the strings to get a nice bend.
I think it’s amazing that a lot of the tones most of us try to get through digital effects and pedals were invented by Brian May straight out of his guitar.
Absolutely. Brian May is a real gentleman. I can't think of many others... Jeff Lynne, mebbe. And then, at the other end of the counter - something calling itself K_n__ W_st. (Couldn't bring myself to type the actual name.)
CheckDare Reminds of a great joke/meme i saw - If Kanye West and Kim Kardashian were both drowning....... what kind of sandwhich would you make.... hahah.......nah but really.... fucking hate the pair of them.
That little descending run that he plays @ the 1:48 mark is so friggin' hard to pull of that cleanly, and he is just noodling around when he does it. An amazing player.
@@DanThomasUK lol me too. Even after 30 years it always trips me up because it has those little "trills" where you have to hammer and pull as your going from string to string. Going nice and slow is not so bad, but to get it going at the studio recording tempo it grows exponentially with each increase of the BPM. A fascinating piece of music. Thanks for sharing it.
It's been a long time since I've heard him play that solo with all the notes. From '79 on he pretty much bypassed all those strung together hammer-ons on just about everything I've heard live from that time. I reckon he relearned it to step up his game when that movie came out...all these kids discovering Queen's first 5 albums when he was absolutely shredding on the guitar.
at 1:44 he`s cheesing ear to ear just like I would be if I was chillin with Brian May in front of that delicious wall of Vox amps. What a treat for him!!
When I was in my teenage years and in a band almost going somewhere (1971) , a Vox AC30 was regarded as a cop out as he "he's only got an AC30!!!" Nothing we could do would get one to sound anything but Hank Marvin at all volumes - and clubs then would kick you out if you were too loud. The only way to get that sound was with a fuzz pedal - mine was a Burns Buzzaround- and I had a WEM ER40 amplifier and two 2x12 cabinets stacked up like a squashed stack. Thirty quid was all you expect to pay for a second hand AC30 advertised in the local paper. I wish I had bought every one I saw.
He is the only one who can control his unique rig. It has so much treble and mid-range that most guitarist would take your head off (in a bad way). The Vox has so much of that high end and he has a dedicated treble booster on his shoulder strap to boost it more. Yet he makes it smooth and creamy, and oh so pleasant. Brian is a true guitar hero.
Brian is a guitar legend , maestro he’s the reason I learned and am still learning guitar . From the age of about five being in bed with headphones on mimicking his solos with my voice and getting a bollocking from my dad , enough to drive anyone nuts . A true inspiration 🤘🇬🇧
I loved the guy's reaction when Brian May started playing Bohemian Rhapsody. He turns toward the camera and smiles a happy smile. I would have had exactly the same reaction. Ok, I was not the only one who noticed it. I saw other posts. It was a special moment.
It's a treble booster... specifically the Fryer Brian May Touring Booster... kindof does two things, that high gain sound, also the more "crystalline" effect on the cleans when the volume is down. When you run at full volume on the amp, the guitar's volume pot becomes a gain selector.
We're all like a kid on Christmas morning listening to that Solo played for a minute. If I'm gonna lose my hearing, having a wall of AC-30's cranking out Brian May on the guitar is a damn fine way to go!
He abandoned his PhD studies when Queen got big. He completed his PhD within the last few years - partly in respect of his late father who had been disappointed that Brian had stopped studying.
Yeah Brian and his dad hadn't spoken to each other for years because of that, Harold telling Brian to get a "real job" etc, until Brian took his parents to a Queen concert in the U.S (Madison Square Garden) I think, maybe? Anyway, after the show Harold shook Brian's hand and said 'Ok, I get it now'
He did his degree before he was in Queen. It was his PhD, his doctorate, that he abandoned to go and be a rock star, returning to finish the thesis and have it accepted 30+ years later.
A great musician but I have to say what really impressed me is the fact that he not only designed and built his own guitar, but he still uses it (or another with his design) after half a century. I know others have built guitars when starting out, but transitioned to manufactured instruments as soon as they could.
Ñañuco I slowed it down and then kept pressing play/pause. You can see a photo of a man in a suit and tie. Strange how it's just there for a fraction of a second
I played an Epiphone Les Paul Plustop Pro into this amp at Guitar Center just now and omfg it was like the best sounding amp ever! Surprisingly it does Santana's studio sound very well. I played Skynyrd on it too and it was perfect. Very loud too. I wanted to crank it to get that Brian May sound but I'm not trying to do that in a store lol
Well apparently he modded his Vox amps so it's a custom job all the way, but you could presumably get close adding the right pedal or boost in front. I would hope. Or buy a few AC30s and have a tech. mod them for you. But will cost ya.
I’ve always love the tone of Brian May’s gutair …His dad was sent idea from God himself to build such a versatile gutair from scratch!!! and everytime i here that solo …i tear up as well…so melodic and emotional 🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸💕💕💕💕💕💕💕😁😁😁😁😁😁😁
if anyone is fortunate enough to meet Dr Bri, don't call him "Mr May" he doesn't like it. he worked so hard for his Doctorate, he prefers to be called "Dr May" which is fair enough...
