How to get Brian May's Red Special tones from a Strat or Les Paul

How to get Brian May's Red Special tones from a Strat or Les Paul
(Image credit: Future)

Hand-made by Brian and his father in the mid-'60s, the Red Special is amongst the most iconic electric guitars ever made, and the ingenious pickup-switching system the pair designed allows it to produce some unconventional yet instantly recognisable sounds. 

We asked Simon Bradley, the man who quite literally wrote the book on the Red Special, to tell us how it works and how to dial in some Queen-esque tones equipped only with a Strat or a Les Paul-style guitar.

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