Red Special

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The Red Special is an electric guitar owned by Queen guitarist Brian May and custom-built by May and his father. May has used it on Queen albums and in live performances for more than 30 years. The name Red Special came from the red/brown colour of the guitar after it was stained and painted with numerous layers of Rustin''s plastic coating. Unlike the primary instruments of most musicians, the original Red Special (also known as ''The Old Lady'') was built by May himself along with his father, Harold. They began to work on the guitar in August 1963. Most of the wood came from an 18th century fireplace mantel that a friend of the family was about to throw away. The neck was hand-shaped into the desired form; this was difficult because of the age and quality of the wood. According to May, there are two wormholes in the neck of the guitar.