My final YouTube video for 2025 covers the CAD design and making via CNC of the bakelite string spacer on Brian May’s Red Special guitar. It is relatively well known that the Red Special is fitted with a zero fret and for this reason it doesn’t have a traditional nut. I made a video in April 2024 which covered the reasons why zero frets suffer wear (particularly on guitars fitted with a tremolo system) and I demonstrated removing and replacing it with stainless steel fretwire on my Burns Red Special replica. However, I didn’t discuss the advantages of a zero fret and string spacer so I cover those before moving on to how I design the object then making one from bakelite and a similar alternative material (phenolic resin sheet branded as “tufnol” or “paxolin”) which is easier to source and work.
Tag: Red Special guitar
Luke Holwerda’s Brian May Red Special Build Project (2017 to 2019)
Back in July 2017, film maker and photographer Luke Holwerda contacted me to ask if I could collaborate with him on a Brian May Red Special replica guitar build project. Luke is based in Arizona in the USA and wanted to use the large format ShopBot CNC machine in the CREATE community workshop at the Arizona Science Centre in Phoenix to rout the guitar body sections and neck.
Excited by the prospect of collaborating with somebody halfway round the world. I learned that building a Brian May Red Special replica from scratch with no previous luthiery experience is extremely challenging but it was clear from the outset that Luke possessed the necessary handicraft skill, attention to detail and determination to see the project through to completion.
Luke and I spent around two years messaging regularly to resolve the issues he encountered and keep his build project moving along. He has allowed me to remix his original video footage to produce this retrospective story, overlaid with my own narrative for you.
Check out Luke’s Facebook page for his guitar and amplifier projects and YouTube channel where he published his original series of thirteen videos that I have remixed:
https://www.facebook.com/LukeHGuitar/
https://www.youtube.com/@lukeyourself
Part 1 – Blockboard Lay Up: https://youtu.be/EmLi4rX7S5Y
Part 2 – CNC Body Routing: https://youtu.be/9bBQD6irAJQ
Part 3 – CNC Neck Routing: https://youtu.be/JwbNmn68vEU
Part 4 – Body Glue Up: https://youtu.be/ZddRVstlfLQ
Part 5 – Repair of Router Bearing Marks: https://youtu.be/8YUnrmC1Tvc
Part 6 – Applying Veneers: https://youtu.be/j-ljqtfDoZI
Part 7 – Binding and Staining: https://youtu.be/rnTdnpMDk9A
Part 8 – Repairing Veneer Sand Through: https://youtu.be/J00EK_N2ZIA
Part 9 – Neck and Fretboard Assembly: https://youtu.be/Eyb1CNfowO4
Part 10 – Neck Finishing: https://youtu.be/DOtInN0RlWs
Part 11 – Fret Work: https://youtu.be/4kp4oLsinxo
Part 12 – Guitar Assembly (Electronics and Hardware Installation): https://youtu.be/3uCOaPo5dCE
Part 13 – Guitar Demonstration: https://youtu.be/1hUd9dKFX1w
Brian May Red Special Guitar Bridge Design, Function and Installation
My YouTube video for September 2025 continues the recent theme of reviewing the design and function of the unique hardware on Brian May’s Red Special guitar by taking an in depth look at the frictionless roller bridge. Brian made all the individual components of this assembly by hand including the cylindrical saddles with their intricate axles. I discuss the fasteners and shims used to install it and set the desired string action. To illustrate the discussion, I show you two professionally engineered assemblies with different interpretations of Brian’s original design and I compare these with the one I made in January 2022 for a brief time lapse video on the CNC milling with no commentary.
Brian May Red Special Tremolo System – Function, Setup and Demonstration
In the second part of my video series examining the tremolo system in Brian May’s Red Special guitar in detail, I demonstrate the installation, set-up and basic function of the system with the help of a test rig. I also take the opportunity to compare my DIY components with a professionally made hardware set that is commercially available in the U.K., the relic hardware kit made by RS Mods. Please check out their website:
https://rsmods.uk
Part 1 covered the design and fabrication of the three main steel components and although it isn’t necessary to have watched this first, it does provide useful context if you are not familiar with the basic design of the Red Special tremolo system.
Mini Brian May Red Special Design and Build Project (2013-2014)
I have produced a new YouTube video this month covering my first foray into modifying and building guitars, a BMG Mini May conversion project which left only the truss rod of the donor guitar remaining. You can read more about this unusual and challenging project, dubbed the “1975 Red Special” because of its 19 inch scale and 75% body size elsewhere on this website:
https://dsgb.net/projects/1975rs/
The Guyton RS Transporter – Brian May’s Warm-Up Guitar
In my final YouTube video for 2024, we take a closer look at a unique and special Brian May Red Special guitar variant: the Guyton RS Transporter, a travel sized headless electric guitar with all the features of Brian May’s original Red Special. The guitar was designed by Martin Pitcher in 2014 because he travelled by air a lot and wanted a Red Special type guitar that could be easily transported in cabin baggage. Andrew Guyton produced a limited edition run of twenty five starting in 2016 and several had unique custom finishes and hardware customisation.
I own No. 9 of 25 which has a metallic purple finish and was originally commissioned by Craig Farley in 2017. The body is of chambered mahogany construction with an oak block embedded into the the rear of the body onto which the neck and bridge are mounted. The pickups are mounted onto pine ‘rails’ to mimic the original guitar’s pine blockboard construction. The neck is made of quarter sawn mahogany and crucially has the same thick profile of the original guitar. The fretboard is made of oak and is finished in black lacquer with 24 frets and a 24 inch scale.
The pickups are hand made Adeson Brian May specification Burns Tri-Sonics. The electrical harness was designed and built by Nigel Knight of Knight Audio Technologies and features a built in KAT treble booster that is switched in and out via the red button. The JCustom XS tremolo bridge is fitted with modified rollers, tremolo arm and spring to achieve a similar feel to Brian’s original design. It is supplied in a Hoffee custom carbon fibre hard case which fits in the standard overhead lockers of passenger aircraft.
Brian May Red Special Original Eclipse Magnet Guitar Pickups: 2024 Update
In May 2022 I published a YouTube video about the original pickups that Brian May made and fitted to his Red Special guitar. Following his original 1962 design sketch as a guide for the dimensions, materials and general construction, I assembled and wound my own versions of these pickups. Since making the original video, I have found out more information about them, including their electromagnetic characteristics and some people have asked me about what they sound like and about making functional sets.
Julian Hemingway has made a replica Red Special to Brian’s original specification and he brought it to the U.K. Red Special enthusiast meet-ups in 2022 and 2024. Although we were hoping to hear it being played through a full Brian May stage rig, instead Julian got the opportunity to present it to Brian and discuss it for a few minutes. I took some loose components to display alongside his guitar. In this video, I update you about the additional work Julian and I have been doing to better understand Brian’s original home made Eclipse magnet pickups and how to approach making usable replica sets.
To re-cap, I originally interpreted Brian’s design with bases made from 1/8″ thick phenolic resin sheet, captive 6BA brass nuts to mount the Eclipse magnets, flush inset tinned brass solder tags and a 1/16″ thick top cover milled from white acrylic sheet. I filled the voids between the magnets with custom made acrylic inserts. I then wound 6,000 turns of 44 AWG (0.05 mm diameter) enamelled copper wire onto a thin cardboard strip. My overall goal was to produce a modern interpretation of this pickup with the DC resistance and inductance equivalent to a typical vintage Burns Tri-Sonic pickup. I wound the pickups using my CNC machine to traverse the wire feed nozzle and the AC variable frequency milling spindle to rotate the pickup on an acrylic backing plate. The only additional piece of equipment I bought for this set-up was a magnetic tensioner.
Ade Turner of Adeson made several sets of these pickups for the Red Special replica that Andrew Guyton made in 2018 to Brian’s original 1964 specification to celebrate his 70th birthday. This guitar was fitted with an ebony fretboard and a series/parallel changeover switch.
Brian May Attends the 2024 U.K. Red Special Enthusiast Meet-up
The 2024 U.K. Red Special enthusiast meet-up was moved from Theale Village Hall to the Holiday Inn Reading West near Aldermaston this year to accommodate more demand and to separate the customary band section from the usually quieter day activities. The event was still hosted by Jon Underhill of The Red Special Guitar Podcast and his capable team with Andrek Hernandez of California on official videographer duties.
I usually produce a single highlights package video and write an event report here on my website. However, this year was special because Dr Sir Brian May CBE joined us for about three hours to answer questions, talk about the Red Special guitar, demonstrate its capabilities then present some community service awards and raffle prizes.
The Red Special was finished in October 1964 so the event was timed to celebrate its 60th birthday. I filmed some of his time with us and the YouTube video below contains a selection of these video clips. This is part one of a two part highlights package of this event. I did not film the Q&A session because I preferred to listen and not stand up to film which would restrict others’ view.
Brian was still recovering from his recent stroke and did not confirm that he would attend until the morning of the meet-up. He lost some mobility in his arm as you might have read on social media and had not played guitar for about two months until today. Please bear this in mind when judging his playing. Steve Prior is on guitar technician duties because Pete Malandrone is still recovering from a head injury and is not expected back at work for some time.
Brian May Red Special Tremolo Arm Design and Fabrication
My YouTube video for September 2024 lasts approximately 15 minutes and covers the CAD design and scratch build of the tremolo arm on Brian May’s Red Special guitar. Although you can buy these from Red Special guitar parts suppliers, some don’t have authentic section lengths or bend angles and come as part of a full tremolo tailpiece assembly at considerable cost. If you fancy making your own or just interested to see how it’s done, please check the video out.
Brian May Red Special Tremolo Arm Tip Design and Reproduction
In 2016, Mickäel Dansan and I collaborated to design and reproduce a plastic tremolo arm tip for Brian May Red Special guitars which looks more representative of the original’s greenish-yellow colour than any commercially available items such as standard Fender tips. They are available at Dansan Guitars online store for a reasonable price:
https://dansanguitars.com/store/
In July 2024, I made a brief (6m 10s) YouTube video illustrating how I designed the tip then made it using 3D SLA printing in my ELEGOO Mars 4 DLP 3D printer. A key part of the process is colouring the Phrozen “creamy white” ABS-like 3D printing resin using an epoxy resin pigment kit.
In the video, I show you the type of vintage, light grey plastic knitting needle that Brian used to fashion his tremolo trip from and illustrate how the colour has evolved over years of wear and tear to its current greenish-yellow hue.
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