Grestch, Vox and Brian May

[BatmansGretsch]

I was playing some Queen, Don't stop me now, through an AC30 cranked rig. I had my Streamliner, Broad'trons, and was playing along. It was sort of there, but it wasn't. Obviously, May's tone requires other gear, so I picked up my Fender SSS Strat and got closer to the tone than the Streamliner. However, it's still the wrong tone. Now, I am not expecting a Gretsch to really be going beyond the mid to late 1960s type of Vox tones. The most Vox rock sound I have gone with my Gretsch before turning to another guitar is with playing The Beatles. Queen is 70s and 80s. So I sort of put the notion aside that Gretsch can get there. However, I should really ask that here. Is Gretsch the wrong direction of guitar for that type of Vox rock tone? Normally I am not that fussy about guitars for the job but Gretsch, semi-hollow, those pickups, it's just a totally different type of guitar. Or is there a line of Gretsch that deals with this sort of thing?

 

[pmac11]

I was playing some Queen, Don't stop me now, through an AC30 cranked rig. I had my Streamliner, Broad'trons, and was playing along. It was sort of there, but it wasn't. Obviously, May's tone requires other gear, so I picked up my Fender SSS Strat and got closer to the tone than the Streamliner. However, it's still the wrong tone. Now, I am not expecting a Gretsch to really be going beyond the mid to late 1960s type of Vox tones. The most Vox rock sound I have gone with my Gretsch before turning to another guitar is with playing The Beatles. Queen is 70s and 80s. So I sort of put the notion aside that Gretsch can get there. However, I should really ask that here. Is Gretsch the wrong direction of guitar for that type of Vox rock tone? Normally I am not that fussy about guitars for the job but Gretsch, semi-hollow, those pickups, it's just a totally different type of guitar. Or is there a line of Gretsch that deals with this sort of thing?

Brian May made his guitar from the mantle of a fireplace, and wound the pickups himself. You may have trouble replicating that sound.

 

[ZackyDog]

May uses a sixpence coin for a pick. You may be pleasantly surprised by using it or, something like it.

 

[Waxhead]

I was playing some Queen, Don't stop me now, through an AC30 cranked rig. I had my Streamliner, Broad'trons, and was playing along. It was sort of there, but it wasn't. Obviously, May's tone requires other gear, so I picked up my Fender SSS Strat and got closer to the tone than the Streamliner. However, it's still the wrong tone. Now, I am not expecting a Gretsch to really be going beyond the mid to late 1960s type of Vox tones. The most Vox rock sound I have gone with my Gretsch before turning to another guitar is with playing The Beatles. Queen is 70s and 80s. So I sort of put the notion aside that Gretsch can get there. However, I should really ask that here. Is Gretsch the wrong direction of guitar for that type of Vox rock tone? Normally I am not that fussy about guitars for the job but Gretsch, semi-hollow, those pickups, it's just a totally different type of guitar. Or is there a line of Gretsch that deals with this sort of thing?

Yes I agree that filtertron Gretsch won't produce BMs Queen tone.
Without his Special closest I've got is with a Tele on bridge pup and an EQ pedal.

But essential for BMs gain tones is a good Treble Booster or EQ pedal.
There's several good youtube videos with Brian himself going thru his rig.
Suggest you study those and use as close as possible to what Brian used - including a sixpence

 

[ZackyDog]

It looks like his signature Red Special is still available.

 

[englishman]

The SSS strat would be close, you do need the treble booster that Dr. May uses.

The Burns Trisonics are a little duller than a typical Strat. They use a ceramic magnet (kinda like the Squier pickups) but there are no polepieces per se, the black dots are just holes in the cover. They are a tad larger in area than the strat but not so much that it gets into P90 territory.

https://shop.brianmayguitars.co.uk/bmg-electronics/bmg-tb-classic.html

 

[BatmansGretsch]

Harley Benton BM70 is maybe the cheapest May guitar of the lot.

I have a Naga Vyper treble booster.

So reading through everybody so far, it seems May's tone is something of a few choice pieces coming together for his tone. Also, I think his Vox AC30 is modified from what I remember? The Edge was the same. When amp techs opened up their amps they saw all sorts of mods people had done over time and had to photograph the lot to document it for repairs or making signature gear.

 

[Waxhead]

Harley Benton BM70 is maybe the cheapest May guitar of the lot.

I have a Naga Vyper treble booster.

So reading through everybody so far, it seems May's tone is something of a few choice pieces coming together for his tone. Also, I think his Vox AC30 is modified from what I remember? The Edge was the same. When amp techs opened up their amps they saw all sorts of mods people had done over time and had to photograph the lot to document it for repairs or making signature gear.

Yes and also consider that the AC30s used by Brian and Edge are vintage models which are considerably different sounding (and better) than the Vox re-issues

 

[ramjac]

Gretsch Jet with T-Armonds that can be switched in series and out of phase might get you “close enough”. That’s what I did with my G 5220. The fireplace mantle wood in the Red Special is in the neck, but the body is more hollow than it appears. Like the Jet, it’s not a true slab.

 

[wabash slim]

He also worked with small, battery powered Vox solid state amps, one driving another. Vox sold replicas for a while. His guitar also features phase reverse switches for each pickup. Then, there was the magic he exuded from his fingertips.

 

[bhatta]

Physicists!

Bah!

 

[dlew919]

Brian May made his guitar from the mantle of a fireplace, and wound the pickups himself. You may have trouble replicating that sound.

The ones he wound himself didn’t work so he put Burns trisonics in. You’ll get close with P90s. Gretsches won’t bite. They’ll growl and twang. But yep. Try a hot P90. Or tex mex hot strat pickups.

 

[englishman]

I built this one a while ago using Brian May Signature TriSonics. I used the tone push/pull to put 1+2 and 2+3 in series, that's for sure where some of the magic lies. Without that, as I said, it was like a darker version of a Strat. The output is pretty low.



For what it's worth, they do make mini Trisonics that will fit in a Strat.

 

[dlew919]

He also worked with small, battery powered Vox solid state amps, one driving another. Vox sold replicas for a while. His guitar also features phase reverse switches for each pickup. Then, there was the magic he exuded

The deacy amp which was built by John deacon from an old amplifier too.

 

[loudnlousy]

Many years ago I was so crazy about the May-tone that I read every aricle about his gear. I invested quite a lot and bought everything that was part of the receipe and failed bitterly.

 

[englishman]

This is always worth a watch, the 'secret' is revealed in the last few seconds

 

[thunder58]

the 'secret' is revealed

...... and there ya go folks , ain't it the truth

 

[BatmansGretsch]

This is always worth a watch, the 'secret' is revealed in the last few seconds

The Wah? Or needing to hold May hostage and play for you if you want his tone?

 

[englishman]

The Wah? Or needing to hold May hostage and play for you if you want his tone?

Not the wah!

 

[BatmansGretsch]

Seems this is quite good.