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MGR/Derek Mok « Brian May Guitars Signature »
Published on 11/02/08 at 15:00Primarily a singer, I've been playing guitar for about 10 years, been in a band (drummer!), and have continued to record and play with other musicians on a non-professional basis. My styles range from folk to hard rock, with heavy power-pop leanings -- Big Star, not Green Day.
I bought this from Musician's Friend on sale for $699.
Gorgeous gold finish. Pretty powerful vibrato, almost as smooth as a G&L's. Very good clean tones, far better than my Telecaster and even giving a good Gretsch a run for its money, thanks to the Burns Tri-Sonic pickups. Very distinctive design, catches the eye and makes the player stand out. Lots of tone-switching options. The ebony fretboard feels heavenly, and the shorter 24" scale length makes bending very easy. Quite light and compact body.
I first bought an Eastwood copy of this Brian May design, and I'd have to admit, the Eastwood is much more comfortable to play than this official Brian May guitar. The Eastwood has a narrower neck, which helps because both guitars have a hand-filling "baseball bat" profile. The Eastwood also added a body chamfer on the upper bout and made the body slightly wider, providing better arm support. The Brian May official Signature has probably the brightest-sounding pickups I've ever used, and even with the tone pot at halfway and only the neck pickup engaged, it sounds like the bridge pickup of most other guitars. This extremely trebly tonal quality also makes distorted tones papery and harsh unless you back off the tone control.
Very good. A beautifully applied finish, great gold hardware.
As with the Eastwood Red Special, this Brian May guitar looks so distinctive that you won't be able to help looking like a Brian May tribute player. What was surprising was how different the tonal character of this guitar is compared to the Eastwood. I think overall the Eastwood fits my sound and playing style better, but the Brian May official Signature is no slouch, either. If you love clean tones, dazzling looks, a fretboard that plays like butter and lots of tone-switching options, you should try the Brian May Signature. And since the Eastwood is no longer in production, this official one is the only choice for a Brian May model.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
I bought this from Musician's Friend on sale for $699.
Gorgeous gold finish. Pretty powerful vibrato, almost as smooth as a G&L's. Very good clean tones, far better than my Telecaster and even giving a good Gretsch a run for its money, thanks to the Burns Tri-Sonic pickups. Very distinctive design, catches the eye and makes the player stand out. Lots of tone-switching options. The ebony fretboard feels heavenly, and the shorter 24" scale length makes bending very easy. Quite light and compact body.
I first bought an Eastwood copy of this Brian May design, and I'd have to admit, the Eastwood is much more comfortable to play than this official Brian May guitar. The Eastwood has a narrower neck, which helps because both guitars have a hand-filling "baseball bat" profile. The Eastwood also added a body chamfer on the upper bout and made the body slightly wider, providing better arm support. The Brian May official Signature has probably the brightest-sounding pickups I've ever used, and even with the tone pot at halfway and only the neck pickup engaged, it sounds like the bridge pickup of most other guitars. This extremely trebly tonal quality also makes distorted tones papery and harsh unless you back off the tone control.
Very good. A beautifully applied finish, great gold hardware.
As with the Eastwood Red Special, this Brian May guitar looks so distinctive that you won't be able to help looking like a Brian May tribute player. What was surprising was how different the tonal character of this guitar is compared to the Eastwood. I think overall the Eastwood fits my sound and playing style better, but the Brian May official Signature is no slouch, either. If you love clean tones, dazzling looks, a fretboard that plays like butter and lots of tone-switching options, you should try the Brian May Signature. And since the Eastwood is no longer in production, this official one is the only choice for a Brian May model.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com