dsgb

Build guitars, modify guitars, collect guitars, play guitars

Tag: guitar

Christmas Presents 2020

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What did you all get for Christmas? I got a number of genuine Fender parts, Adeson vintage single coil pickups and a Jamie Humphries instructional DVD from the excellent Lick Library series. I intend to return my red Strat to original Fender specification as I prepare to put Brian May guitars and gear on the shelf and move in a new direction in 2021. I got into Pink Floyd in my first year at Durham University in 1992 when my then room-mate Phil Malone at Grey College played The Wall constantly. I listened to Brit Floyd and The Australian Pink Floyd Show (TAPFS) a lot recently while developing this web site.

It goes without saying that David Gilmour is revered amongst guitar players for his unique sounds which, unlike Brian May tones, are surprisingly challenging to nail down at home. I have ordered an EMG DG20 loaded pickguard from Andertons which is due back in stock at the end of January 2021 but this standard Fender Stratocaster outfit will do the job along with RAT 2 and Big Muff Pi distortion pedals and a TC Electronic G-Major 2 effects unit. Nigel Knight has built himself a custom KAT-DG HiWatt 50 Special amplifier with Fane Crescendo speakers and is willing to explore a lower-powered custom HiWatt project for chasing Gilmour tones at home… unless I splash out on a HiWatt Little Rig DR20/0.5 first! Check out the details on his website:

http://www.deacyamp.com/index.php?route=information/information&information_id=35

One of the leading internet resources for Gilmour information is the excellent Gilmourish site founded 2003, designed, written and hosted by Bjorn Riis:

https://www.gilmourish.com/

Sixpence None The Richer

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The 2020 Brian May Red Special collectable sixpences were available on the Queen online store at £9.99 each but have already sold out. While browsing eBay recently I found the new ones already being offered for sale at highly inflated prices. Thankfully they were still in stock on the Queen online store at that point. I hope you managed to get one if you are a genuine fan and collect them. I’ve bought a few of each at RRP from the official store since the anniversary 2014 edition was released but I had to pay eBay prices for a 2015 Queen + Adam Lambert tour sixpence. The 2015 tour was the first time that I saw Queen live but I now regret not buying a collectable sixpence from the merchandise store.

https://www.queenonlinestore.com///2020-Brian-May-Red-Special-Sixpence/6S4E0000000

KAT Treble Booster Plush DIY Kit

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In his latest YouTube video, Nigel Knight (the guy who does Brian May’s electronic work) demonstrates how to assemble one of his excellent KAT treble booster Plush kits. The video is speeded up for the impatient amongst us. It is a must watch for any electronics enthusiasts who are also into Brian May gear.

The KAT treble booster Plush kit can be obtained direct from KAT (Knight Audio Technologies) at £49.50:

http://www.deacyamp.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=77

Information from Nigel’s website:

“This is a full kit of parts that will enable an electronics beginner to build a very high quality KAT treble booster. The components provided are the best for the job in-hand. They are the same components used for the builds of many KAT treble boosters and Fryer Sound TB Touring, Deluxe and Plus. The circuit board has been specially designed for the kit so that the build can be easy with all components identified on the board. The case is the same powder-coated, silk-screened folded steel unit used for the TB Touring, Deluxe and Plus, so rugged, durable and yet, attractive.
Sound-wise, this treble booster has been developed to emulate the 1980s era of Brian May’s tone with approximately 33 dB of gain, so think Queen from the late 70s through to the end. Think Wembley… Think Live Aid!
So, what’s in the kit?
Well, everything you need to successfully build the TB except for a few hand tools and a battery.”

Attic Find: Westfield Mini Les Paul

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I bought this Westfield mini Les Paul guitar in January 2014 from an eBay seller who was Head of Stage on the London WWRY production for six years. He got Brian May to sign it back stage as a gift for his daughter but I decided to remove the silver Sharpie signature from the rear of the guitar body because it seemed inappropriate.

It has a solid wood body with an attractive grain structure and the neck and headstock are set at similar angles to a full size Gibson Les Paul. I checked the frets with a StewMac straight edge and was pleased to find that they are perfectly uniform so there is no reason why this shouldn’t look great and play well. I think it would make a fun display with my 3/4 scale Brian May Red Special. The guitar sat in its gig bag in my attic for seven years until I finally completed the project to upgrade all the hardware in March 2021. You can read about the details here:

https://dsgb.net/projects/minilespaul/

Adeson Pickups – Artisan Guitar Pickups Build and Repair

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After an extended period of only supplying official builders (Brian May Guitars and Guyton Guitars) for Red Special variants Adrian (Ade) Turner of Adeson Fenton Weill/Ormston Burns U.K./Aristone U.K. is accepting retail orders for guitar pickups again. This is normally signified by Adrian making his e-mail address visible on his website: https://www.adeson.co.uk/

Ade is based in Burbage, Wiltshire, United Kingdom and has a wealth of knowledge and experience in making all types of new guitar pickups and repairing defective ones, as the quote on his website illustrates:

“We are proud of our heritage and work in an environment of vintage armature winders, fly presses, engravers, polishing wheels and traditional plating. Basically, we know our stuff. Our products require hard work, sweat, dirt and grim determination making them tonally period accurate. They do not fall off the end of a modern automated production line. Manufacturing items using the original methods and components creates products which match, sound and age just like the originals…”

I have been fortunate to obtain several sets of his “original BM/Guyton specification” Burns Tri-Sonic variants in recent years for my build and conversion projects. The technical details and related historical context of the particular pickups fitted to Brian’s famous Red Special guitar can almost form a book by themselves. However, I have written a brief article in the FAQs section of this website covering the topic if you wish to find out more about them in this context:

https://dsgb.net/faqs/trisonics/

Illustrated in the gallery above are some Adeson pickup sets fitted to my project guitars and my Guyton RS Transporter (photo credit Andrew Guyton). Although no Tri-Sonic pickup variants available are an exact replica of Brian’s original set, all Adeson Tri-Sonic pickups sound highly authentic when played through the basic BM signal chain of a treble booster and Vox AC30 at full volume.

I was informed recently that pricing for his “original BM/Guyton spec” pickup sets is currently £225 and for a BMG Super spec set, it is £180. This is astonishing value for money considering the craftsmanship, heritage and time involved in making these pickups. Check out the exquisite custom engraved pickup cases illustrated on his web site. Please support artisan craft businesses such as Adeson. Cottage industries helped make Britain great and if enthusiasts don’t support them, they will inevitably fold and the knowledge goes with them. As the slogan goes… accept no imitations! And don’t pay inflated prices to eBay sellers trying to cash in when demand exceeds supply either. Good things come to those who wait. That’s it, I’ve run out of clichés.

Ade appeared in episode 6 of The Red Special Guitar Podcast on May 28, 2021, hosted by Jon Underhill, in which they discuss his involvement with Tri-Sonic pickups. You can listen to it here:

https://theredspecialpodcast.libsyn.com/ade-turner-adeson-the-red-special-guitar-podcast-episode-6

KAT Studio-One Practice Amplifier

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Nigel Knight recently revealed a prototype 1 W (max), all-valve 2 x 6.5″ bedroom/studio combo amplifier. The styling and overall cosmetic appearance pays homage to the legendary Vox AC30 used by Brian May.

The valves (vacuum tubes) are biased such that at each stage, the grid starts to go positive at exactly the same point that a Vox AC30 would at full volume.

The KAT Studio-One guitar amplifier features:
• Two newly developed KAT DSP 6.5 TC speakers which have an on-board filter network that tailors the frequency response to give the full bodied mids of Brian’s Deacy amplifer but without the high frequency fizz audible in many 6.5″ twin-cone drivers.
• A built-in attenuator that has been developed in-line with the speakers to ensure the same tone is produced at all output levels. -24 dB attenuation brings it down to almost whisper level whilst still producing jangly cleans and smooth full-on distortion.
• Plywood cabinet construction.

Nigel has deployed all his electronics design expertise and experience producing and maintaining Brian May’s gear to offer the holy grail that amateur Queen players have been seeking for some years: the full on Wembley ’86 tone in your home, or Project BMIB (Brian May in your Bedroom) as I’m calling it. [Other Vox AC30 + Deacy amplifier emulation BMIB solutions are available, such as the Fryer Guitars Mayday effects pedal.]

Nigel has recorded a short demonstration video in the link below using a KAT STB Stomper and Retro Sonic chorus pedal. The amplifier is still at the prototype stage and is not available for general sale yet. Note that corner protectors have been made but are not fitted to the prototype illustrated in these three images (photo credit Nigel Knight).

Update as of 25 September 2022. I recently bought three units and have released a brief (6m 43s) YouTube video in which I unbox them and show you around the inside and outside as well as a quick demonstration through my KAT Brian May rig. Please also check out my gear page for this amplifier here:

https://dsgb.net/gear/studio-one

Fryer Treble Booster Deluxe

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New treble booster day: a beautiful deep purple Fryer Guitars Deluxe to complement my other purple gear. I thought that I didn’t need any more treble boosters, but I was evidently wrong; the tone of this one is certainly powerful, rich and fat, like a benign dictator of a country you’ve never heard of. Information reproduced from the Fryer Guitars website:

• 34 dB gain
• Punchy rich sound with a balance between fatness and treble definition
• Evokes the Brian May sound on late 1970s Queen albums News of the World and Jazz.
• Fattest sounding and most output level of the 3 Fryer ‘no knobs permanently plugged-in’ pedals TB Touring, TB Super and TB Deluxe.
• Uses the same harmonically rich sounding transistor as Treble Booster Super and Treble Booster Special pedals.
• Powered by either a 9 V battery or 9V DC adaptor (2.1 mm diameter negative centre jack, 100 mA or greater current capacity).

The hand made pre-production model is available until the screenprinted box version becomes available in late 2020. Price is $AU235.00 plus international shipping by Express Post International EMS (signature on delivery and tracking).

http://shop.fryerguitars.com/product/treble-booster-deluxe

Brian May Red Special Replica Full Design and Build

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I am pleased and relieved to report that the approximately three year labour of love to make a replica Brian May Red Special guitar is finished. I have written 60 numbered articles covering every part of the project plus four additional articles describing the design process, covering tools and tips and listing the materials, parts & suppliers. These are richly illustrated with hundreds of detailed pictures and should be of general interest to Queen and Brian May enthusiasts including anybody who is considering embarking on a similar mission. This has been like undertaking a second PhD in terms of the time and intellectual effort I expended so please check out the project pages on this website here:

https://dsgb.net/projects/redspecial/

Seiko 5 Sports Brian May Limited Edition

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The Red Special now inspires a new Seiko 5 Sports watch whose dial echoes the design of the guitar which Brian and his father built in the early 1960s. Seiko celebrates Brian’s creativity and his music with this Seiko 5 Sports watch. Brian commented: “I am delighted to see this watch come alive, and proud that the creation of me and my dad all those years ago has inspired this collaboration. I love my Seiko and it has served me well for many years. I will wear this new one with pride.”

The dial has the same red and black color scheme as the Red Special and features a delicate wood-like pattern like the body of the guitar. Special markings on the case back. The watch is offered as a limited edition with Brian’s signature on the case back and comes with “LIMITED EDITION” and the serial number 0001/9000-9000/9000.
The presentation box also contains a commemorative coin that is based on the sixpence that Brian has used throughout his career as a plectrum.

https://www.seikowatches.com/global-en/products/5sports/special/brianmay/

Available from May 2020, £500.

Guitar Center Hollywood, LA

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On 8th March 2020, Luke Holwerda, Jon Underhill and I visited Guitar Center’s Hollywood store on 7425 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles during our short road trip after Luke’s inaugural USA Red Special meetup in his home city of Phoenix, AZ. The value of the opportunity we took was only fully realised around a month later when the Covid-19 global pandemic adversely affected international travel and tourism.

https://stores.guitarcenter.com/hollywood

Along with Norman’s Rare Guitars on Ventura Boulevard, Tarzana, Guitar Center in Hollywood should be on every guitar player’s pilgrimage route but we only had time in our limited schedule to visit one of these stores and get an evening meal. We started our visit by checking out the handprints of various famous guitar players set into the sidewalk outside the main entrance. As you can see from the pictures, my guitarist chromosomes consist of three quarters blues and one quarter Queen. I think there’s a few rogue DNA strands of progressive rock in there too.

“Founded in 1985, Guitar Center’s RockWalk is an industry-recognized music landmark and pedestrian path located at the entrance of our flagship store on Hollywood’s Sunset Boulevard. RockWalk is dedicated to honoring musicians and musical pioneers who have made a significant and lasting creative contribution to the growth and evolution of music through their exceptional level of talent, outstanding innovation or creative ingenuity with their chosen instrument(s).“

Guitar Center’s Hollywood store also has a display of memorabilia such as the late Eddie van Halen’s homemade red Kramer guitar, Stevie Ray Vaughan’s denim jacket, Keith Moon’s drum kit, and platform boots from KISS. A guitar store wouldn’t be a guitar store without a bunch of talented kids occupying the aisles shredding away testing their preferred gear. They have a wall of effects which is only slightly larger than Luke’s own pedalboard but the highlight was the core of the premises which contains rare and high end guitars and amplifiers.