Brian May Brian May on the trials and tribulations of building the Red Special May famously built the original with his father while in his teens. The duo even originally built the guitar's pickups themselves, though on that particular front they faced some headwinds Brian May on the one pedal that has come close to nailing his sound The pedal comes in at a mere $180 – but May adds that there is one thing it can’t do Brian May is in talks with Gibson to produce new Red Special replicas Speculation regarding what the new May-Gibson partnership will produce has been hotting up, and now May has poured fuel on the fire Latest Brian May The guitarist who inspired Brian May’s tapping techniques reflects on pivotal chance meeting By Phil Weller published 29 May 24 Having stolen the technique from Rocky Athas, May’s tapping would, in turn, help shape Eddie Van Halen’s playing – and now Athas hopes to be reunited with the Queen guitarist “I Kind of Stole Ed...And That Wasn’t Something That Happened Very Often”: Brian May Expounds on Eddie Van Halen’s Role in the Fabled ‘Star Fleet Project’ By Gary Graff published 26 September 23 As he releases his expanded ‘Star Fleet Project’ box set, the guitarist reveals his thoughts on EVH, the future of Queen, and the dangers AI poses for music in the coming year “I Think We Might Look Back on 2023 as the Last Year When Humans Really Dominated the Music Scene”: Brian May Shares His Hopes and Fears About the Impact of AI By Gary Graff published 31 August 23 Having been involved with artificial intelligence in his scientific pursuits, the astrophysicist and Queen guitarist has some unique insights that may shock you “The Concept Is Simple: Plug a Great Guitar Into a Great Amp, and Don’t Let Anything Get in Between”: Billy Squier Explains How He Honed His Tone on Five Classic Tracks By Joe Matera published 21 June 23 “I’ve always taken a tremendous amount of inspiration from the guitars I’ve played,” says the chart-topping arena rocker Half a Century of Killer Guitar Tone and Now More Popular Than the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones on Spotify, Queen Are Still Delivering their Unique Kind of Magic By Christopher Scapelliti last updated 16 June 23 50 years on from the release of Queen’s self-titled debut album, Brian May remains an inspiration to guitarists of all ages “I Could Never Play Like Him”: Steve Vai Talks Jimmy Page, Brian May and Jimi Hendrix By Mark McStea published 23 May 23 In this insightful interview, the guitarist reveals his “biggest influences” and “favorite rock song in history” The Ultimate Brian May Lead Guitar Lesson By Charlie Griffiths published 2 February 23 Learn the signature licks and tricks of Queen’s legendary guitarist Brian May: "When Queen Heard Led Zeppelin, We Thought, ‘Oh My God, This is Where We’re Trying to Get to, and They’re Already There!’" By Jackson Maxwell published 23 January 23 Zeppelin, May explained in a recent interview, inspired Queen to follow their own playbook when it came to making records, even if that meant ignoring conventional wisdom. Watch Arielle’s Freewheeling “’73” Music Video By Rod Brakes published 19 January 23 Video The new single arrives ahead of the Brian May Guitars signature artist’s latest album, ‘’73’ Video The 40 Most Important Guitar Solos of the 20th Century By Guitar Player Staff published 28 December 22 From bluesy beginnings to metallic peaks, we trace the evolution of the electric rock solo 1234Archives Get The Pick NewsletterAll the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors LATEST ARTICLES1Watch Steve Lukather cover Jimi Hendrix’s Little Wing, with Jeff Beck's White Strat 2Channel John 5's brilliance with a lesson in his chicken pickin’ prowess, rapid-fire banjo rolls, and behind-the-nut bending3Boss unveils the SDE-3 Dual Delay – a Roland SDE-3000-inspired stompbox that can deliver two delay layers simultaneously4On Tripliciti, Andy McKee, Calum Graham, and Trevor Gordon Hall put their fluid fingerstyle chemistry on stunning display5Alex Van Halen teases a snippet of Unfinished – the last song he worked on with his brother, Eddie
The guitarist who inspired Brian May’s tapping techniques reflects on pivotal chance meeting By Phil Weller published 29 May 24 Having stolen the technique from Rocky Athas, May’s tapping would, in turn, help shape Eddie Van Halen’s playing – and now Athas hopes to be reunited with the Queen guitarist
“I Kind of Stole Ed...And That Wasn’t Something That Happened Very Often”: Brian May Expounds on Eddie Van Halen’s Role in the Fabled ‘Star Fleet Project’ By Gary Graff published 26 September 23 As he releases his expanded ‘Star Fleet Project’ box set, the guitarist reveals his thoughts on EVH, the future of Queen, and the dangers AI poses for music in the coming year
“I Think We Might Look Back on 2023 as the Last Year When Humans Really Dominated the Music Scene”: Brian May Shares His Hopes and Fears About the Impact of AI By Gary Graff published 31 August 23 Having been involved with artificial intelligence in his scientific pursuits, the astrophysicist and Queen guitarist has some unique insights that may shock you
“The Concept Is Simple: Plug a Great Guitar Into a Great Amp, and Don’t Let Anything Get in Between”: Billy Squier Explains How He Honed His Tone on Five Classic Tracks By Joe Matera published 21 June 23 “I’ve always taken a tremendous amount of inspiration from the guitars I’ve played,” says the chart-topping arena rocker
Half a Century of Killer Guitar Tone and Now More Popular Than the Beatles, Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones on Spotify, Queen Are Still Delivering their Unique Kind of Magic By Christopher Scapelliti last updated 16 June 23 50 years on from the release of Queen’s self-titled debut album, Brian May remains an inspiration to guitarists of all ages
“I Could Never Play Like Him”: Steve Vai Talks Jimmy Page, Brian May and Jimi Hendrix By Mark McStea published 23 May 23 In this insightful interview, the guitarist reveals his “biggest influences” and “favorite rock song in history”
The Ultimate Brian May Lead Guitar Lesson By Charlie Griffiths published 2 February 23 Learn the signature licks and tricks of Queen’s legendary guitarist
Brian May: "When Queen Heard Led Zeppelin, We Thought, ‘Oh My God, This is Where We’re Trying to Get to, and They’re Already There!’" By Jackson Maxwell published 23 January 23 Zeppelin, May explained in a recent interview, inspired Queen to follow their own playbook when it came to making records, even if that meant ignoring conventional wisdom.
Watch Arielle’s Freewheeling “’73” Music Video By Rod Brakes published 19 January 23 Video The new single arrives ahead of the Brian May Guitars signature artist’s latest album, ‘’73’
The 40 Most Important Guitar Solos of the 20th Century By Guitar Player Staff published 28 December 22 From bluesy beginnings to metallic peaks, we trace the evolution of the electric rock solo
