"No one sounds like him, except him... but what you can do is make certain stylistic choices that, in the context of this music, make people think they are hearing him"
As anyone who has had the pleasure of seeing him perform in We Will Rock You or as part of the Roger Taylor produced QUEEN EXTRAVAGANZA will attest, young guitarist Tristan Avian has made a convincing job of capturing the sound, spirit and essence of one of the World's most distinctive and beloved musicians in modern rock.
No mean feat for the young guitarist as, prior to being hired by Brian and Roger, he admits to having "never played a Queen cover in my life".
So it would appear he's been a particularly keen student of the band's back catalogue and - in conversation with Matt Blackett in the latest issue of Guitar Player - Tristan shares his own personal insights into what makes Brian's technique so distinctive and his approach to emulating a master.
<< Read the full Guitar Player article online HERE
A selection of videos highlighting the amazing range of sounds available from the Brian May Guitars Range...
Craig Farley
From Fareham in Hampshire, UK, tribute guitarist CRAIG FARLEY - currently performing with FOREVER QUEEN - demos his LE Series BMG Special in Violet Dream finish.
Rafal Tudruj
Virtuoso Polish axeman, Rafal Tudruj is a passionate, long-term BMG fan, with a Super, twin Specials, a Rhapsody and a pair of Mini Mays in his arsenal.
Here he demonstrates how big and expressive the travel sized BMG MINI MAY can be through a VOX VT40X amplifier.
Angus Clark
A tutor, songwriter, producer and guitarist with TRANS SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA and DAREDEVIL SQUADRON, ANGUS CLARK now also plays with THE ULTIMATE QUEEN CELEBRATION - featuring the incredible vocal talents of MARC MARTEL. In these videos, Angus describes the process of preparing for his performance in the globe trotting Queen tribute show with the BMG Special and a evolving collection of BM specific presets developed for the AmpliFIRE 12 modelling pedal from ATOMIC AMPS.
Presets Tutorial
BMG Special + Presets v.1
BMG Special + Presets v.2
BMG Special + Presets Launch
Chris Mike
Greek guitar maestro CHRIS MIKE, a JAMTRACK CENTRAL and CANDYRAT RECORDS artist and member of Athens based progressive "metal PhD squad", PARTHIAN SHOT, performs his spectacular solo arrangement of the Queen anthem, "Bohemian Rhapsody" on his pre-BMG Burns Brian May Signature Guitar.
Lucas Vianna
An amazing young guitarist, and a performer in Brazilian and Danish productions of WWRY, LUCAS VIANNA delivers the ultimate guide to the Special. This MUST-SEE video proves beyond any doubt exactly what a jaw-droppingly versatile instrument this is.
The video for the artful Baltimore indie rockers' sinuous 2017 single ARTIFICIAL SIN features guitarist Greg Wellham with his trusty Black 'N' Gold BMG Special as well as some of the band's trademark slick footwork.
Marco G. Di Marco
An exceptional guitarist with various Italian Queen tribute acts, Marco provides an in-depth appraisal of the evolution, features and performance of the BMG Special. Check out his Brian May Tribute YouTube channel for a wealth of well-informed videos dedicated to all things Red Special and Vox related.
Andertons TV
How to sound like Brian May... without busting the bank! Rabea Massaad and Matt Hornby attempt to emulate the distinctive BM tone, demoing The BMG Special with a selection of the most accurate but affordable gear they can find from Andertons Music Co.
Danny Gómez
The guitarist with Queen tribute act A NIGHT AT THE OPERA and MD for Madrid's TOXIC PRODUCTIONS gives a virtuoso performance with the BMG Special and his superb signature TUBE AMP EMULATOR pedal from Thunder Tomate/Massive Unity.
Jamie Humphries
Brit guitarist master and "We Will Rock You" veteran JAMIE HUMPHRIES reviews the BMGSuper, Special andRhapsody for an exclusive tribute edition of the excellent online magazineGUITAR INTERACTIVE dedicated to Brian May.
Natalie Aley
A cover of the classic Queen ballad "These Are The Days Of Our Lives" by singer-songwriter and BMG Uke artist NATALIE ALEY backed by NEW CYCLE BAND led by acclaimed Brazilian musicianDaniel Carneiro.
John Atkins
Armed with his BMG Uke, the Los Angeles based presenter of YouTube Channel UKELELE TEACHER and developer of the UKELELE APP for iOS and ANDROID presents a video tutorial for the Queen classic "We Are The Champions" with help from special guest vocalist Natalie Aley.
Dan Cooper
A great, down-to-earth appraisal of the BMG Special from PRO TOOLS EXPERT, an independent site dedicated to supporting the Pro Tools user base and community.
Dan shows how the BMG Special performs through the hand wired VOX AC30 HW2X with a trio of classic BM solos...
Brett Kingman
Based in Mt. Eliza on Australia's southern coast, BRETT KINGMAN is one of the country's most respected pro guitarists with stints with a host of Aussie rock icons to his credit and a superb YouTube channel that has racked up over 11 million views!
Juanjo Tristán
Young Spanish virtuoso takes on a host of classic Queen solos in this BM ridealong.
Phil Hilborne
British session ace and "We Will Rock You" stalwart.
Jason Smith
From Mega Music. Perth WA.
Jake Graham
Young, super-talented, Nottingham born guitarist with alt.metal act FAHRAN.
Simon Croft
Another WWRY veteran, Simon has over 1,500 shows across Australia, Japan, UK, Ireland and Denmark to his credit.
Robot Child
Official video for the Australian epic rockers' single "Ignition", with guitarist Waleed Aly demonstrating the Special in a thoroughly modern setting. For more info, check out the ROBOT CHILD official website.
Queen Extravaganza
The "mother of all tribute acts" , QUEEN EXTRAVAGANZA take a break from the Queen back catalogue as guitar ace Tristan Avakian takes over the mic and lets his BMG Special loose on "Time Is Running Out" by Muse.
Robby Bloodshed
Queen meets the Ramones meets 80's style new wave electro-pop as the super-prolific young rock 'n' roller from Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey takes the Special somewhere new, raw and exciting. If you want blood... head HERE to check out Robby's full discography on BandCamp.
BMG Special Demos
The late MICHAEL CASSWELL ably demonstrates the versatility and response of the Brian May Guitars Special in these teaser videos for LickLibrary...
