Hey. Im a lefty and since I cant afford a lefty Red Special, I use a Gibson Les Paul Standard with a Vox AC-10. It seems to get me pretty close to the Queen guitar sound without destroying my budget (Im only 14, so im not loaded). I just want to know how others get their Brian May guitar sound.
Yeah, that digitech pedal seems to work for some...
For me it doesn't... or should I say DIDn't... When I first got it, I was far from happy with how it sounded. After using it for about six hours in total, it died. Of course no warranty outside USA...
I DO have very nice experiences with the small 'Deacy amp" Vox BM1.
You can use it seperately (for the Deacy amp sound), but you can also use it as a treble booster. When I hook it up to my amp as a treble booster, my experience (with mainly Ibanez guitars) is that it can help you get remarkably close to Brian's sound if you want... but it actually does not affect your OWN tone either, if you don't want it to.
But a Gibson is something totally different then an Ibanez... not sure if you will get the same results with a Gibson...
Lookin' Divine In Good Ol' '89 wrote:
I use a Gibson Les Paul Standard with a Vox AC-10. It seems to get me pretty close to the Queen guitar sound without destroying my budget (Im only 14, so im not loaded).
That setup is just fine. Give Angus Young Brian's gear and he'll still sound like Angus. The rest is up to you and your fingers. The gear is only a small part of the equation.
Playing the notes is one thing, but the feeling is another. The bending and vibrato have taken me years, and I'm still not quite there (don't think I ever will be, honestly... Brian is in his own universe when it comes to feeling). Playing with a coin with a serrated edge helps too. Play gently. Let the guitar do the work.
ThomasQuinn wrote:
Don't try immitating another guitarist's sound; it'll only make you look silly, and will do you no good.
Of course you're ultimately right, but virtually every young guitarist wants to emulate others, which will be the stepping stone of finding their own sound and direction. Brian is such a well-rounded musician so he's one of the best for a youngen to emulate.
To take a sound like May sound,, i use the Guitar Rig,, it's a program Who you can download a patch with the Bris's sound system,, if you want this program,, talk to me!!
In response to GH: Yeah. I dont know any chords. Ive taught myself and have sort-of developed my own style of playing. It took me forever to find a cheap LP Standard Lefty. But you're right. Its not the gear. Its you and how your style is. I dont know any chords but am constantly improving my improv skills. Im almost to where I can hear a song and correctly play the basic structure of it. Its all about the time and soul you put into your instrument.
You have a good attitude, and an equally good ear for music.
I recommend you learn your chords, and get some basic music theory under your belt. If you ever plan to be in any kind of musical situation with other people, you'll have to be able to communicate musically with them.
Have a look at this site... it's an incredible wealth of information for any guitarist.
Thanks for the tips. I am actually planning to learn chords. I just felt, for me, that I needed to first acquaint myself with the instrument. My brain is retarded to the point that if I learnt from a book or teacher first, my improv skills would be ruined. I figured that I would get to know my instrument and then worry about being serious. I got an awesome chord book of Wembley '86. So far I can play up to Break Free w/o stopping. I cant look up chords or anything because our computer is busted, I lost my awesome chord poster with 1000000..... chords on it and I can only use my sisters laptop when shes not here. I do nothing but listen to and play and talk about music (for 4 years now) that my mom is to the point where she hates me! ^_^ That Wembley '86 book is amazing. Its for guitar, piano and vocals. You should check it out.