The result of a unique collaboration between Sir Brian May, his long-standing guitar tech Pete Malandrone, and House Music, the best-selling BMG Special combines the distinctive aesthetics and sound of the legendary Red Special with a wealth of modern appointments and superb quality, production-line craftsmanship.
All the foundations of the trademark BM sound are present and correct, with construction, pickups and electronics faithfully reproducing the original's unique character and tonal versatility. But this is so much more than just a replica... With a price-tag and a range of new colours driven by Brian's concept of a guitar "for the people", the Special is designed to provide modern players of all musical persuasions with an affordable pro-grade instrument that is the perfect go-to guitar for any performance environment.
True to the look and spirit of the "Old Lady", the instantly recognisable pinstripe-bound, double cutaway mahogany body shape features an acoustic chamber modelled on Brian's original design that enhances the Special's natural resonance and decreases weight.
Engineered with a decidedly contemporary feel, and considerably less deeply contoured than the somewhat gargantuan proportions of the iconic original, the glued-in mahogany neck sports a generous 45mm nut width, comfortably spacious "D" profile, and wonderfully smooth 24 fret ebony fingerboard.
Modern replicas of the vintage '60s Burns design units that are so fundamental to the Red Special's powerful sonic character, the three series-wired, single-coil pickups feature the same retro-styling and magnet alignment as the originals.
As per the original BM design, the Special is equipped with six white-capped slider switches controlling individual pickup on/off and phase reversal, providing a vast range of tonal variations.
Trevor Wilkinson's "Wave" tremolo-bridge provides a striking modern look to the BMG Special as well as smooth, comfortable performance with exceptional stability and sustain.
The distinctive BM style headstock sports 3-a-side locking chrome tuners with an 18:1 gear ratio for precise tuning and a thumbwheel locking mechanism that clamps the string securely. These superb quality machine heads allow for quick and easy string change with fewer string wraps and will maintain rock-solid tuning stability and more accurate return-to-pitch, even with lots of vibrato and string bends.
Coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the completion of the Red Special and 20 glorious years since the launch of the Brian May Guitars brand, every BMG Special now comes complete with a FREE 2024 Sir Brian May "Official Queen Pick" in a perspex collector's case.
A premium quality, padded gig-bag, made from durable showerproof material, with twin rucksack-style shoulder straps, side and front grab handles, dual front pockets and stitched BMG logo, is supplied as standard with all Special models. An optional BMG Custom Fitted Hard Case is also available.
An exclusive demonstration of the first iteration of the BMG Special by the maestro himself.
A superb demo of the Brian May Guitars SPECIAL from young, Brazilian guitar ace Lucas Vianna, a performer in the 2016 São Paulo and 2017 Danish touring productions of the smash hit Queen musical "We Will Rock You".
Lucas uses the Special to demonstrate some of Sir Brian May's favourite switch settings.
Here, Lucas shows off the Special's unique, genre-busting tonal dexterity.
Fast, safe, cool.
I bought the BMG Special LE White already in August 2020 - at last I can really say how much I love this fantastic guitar! I only started playing (learning to play) in October 2019, so there's not too many other guitars I played, even though I was able to play different ones at my guitar school before deciding to just follow my instinct . I've been a Queen fan all my life, and Brian May is my first and ever guitar hero, so I thought that buying one of his guitars cannot be wrong, even if I cannot test it before ordering (there's no-one I know who has one). And wasn't I proved right? I've never (in my short-so-far guitar career) played on such a magnificent fingerboard, so smooth and easy to play, that I really wonder whether this is made of wood at all. The locking tuners should be made compulsory for all guitars worldwide, as they make string changeing extremely easy-peasy.I'm so convinced of this guitar (as you might have guessed by now ) that I've now ordered the Rhapsody, having learned and really enjoying fingerstyle playing. I'm so much looking forward to it and am sure I'll be just as pleased as with the Special.Thanks to Brian and all the team at BMG for letting us participate in the result of all your experience and fine-tuning throughout the years.
The guitar is for a Christmas present for my son 11yrs – he wanted the white one. So I needed to order early to ensure I could get that colour. I don't play so can't really test it, but it looks and feels niceI'm having to wait till the 25th December to hear it played, I suspect it will be a hit, he's been learning for about 3 years now. At the moment he's using a Blackstar modelling amp and has downloaded a Brian May patch to emulate the treble overdrive sound. I suspect the next item on the wish list will be an BM effects pedal... I'd better start saving and getting some overtime in!
Fit and finish (and set up) were just awesome! Just a superior guitar all around. Tremelo is excellent. Sustain and available tones are unmatched. One fine axe for the money!
I love this very playable guitar, I find it to be better than many of the top guitars out in the world.It’s a great guitar, I’m glad I bought it, number two for me!!
Very happy with guitar. Quality finish and great sound. I am waiting for the Black 'N' Gold to become available.
Love this guitar. Received well packaged and arrived down under (Australia) faster than I expected. My only constructive feedback would be in final inspection of the instrument. Mine arrived with bridge pickup sitting very crooked. Turned out it was caught up on excess paint blob in pick up cavity. Was an easy fix. Set-up was out, but that’s to be expected coming in from different climate zones. Communication with regard to the pickup problem was excellent with fast responses. Overall BMG was excellent to deal with and I would have no hesitation in buying again or recommending to others. Very happy BMG owner.CheersGary
I have a grin wider than the English Channel. Thank you so much for a wonderful guitar and user friendly online buying experience.
I have nothing but amazing things to say about my experience using the BMG special for the last few years, both in the studio and live. I love being able to get the "Brian May sound" when I want it, but playing a wide variety of styles, the versatility I can get from one guitar is unmatched by anything else out there.BestTimmy SeanGuitarist with LA based, indie synth pop/rockers Sir Video
I had already purchased a Red Special replica - a Black 'Metal May' - but I love these guitars so much I had to buy another one. These guitars are a real thrill. I'm a huge Brian May fan but never before conceived owning a replica of his guitar! They are so well made and acoustically very accurate. The sound, through a a Galileo or Digitec Brian May, is hauntingly accurate. Everything is so accurately done, down to the last detail but I didn't just want one the same as Brian, I wanted one with a little different flavor. The red scratchpate is simply stunning and the black outline around the the edge really makes that iconic shape sing. In fact this guitar sings to you before you even pick it up and play! So well made and the team are so professional and a real credit to Brian May. The guitar was ordered on the Friday and delivered to my work address on the Monday. So quick, no scratches, all in immaculate shape and professionally packaged. The gig bag is great as are all the accessories, the cleaning cloths are so good and I really couldn't ask for more. This guitar is amazing. For a Brian May fan a real must. Thanks guys.
