How To Sound like Brian May with Sh*t Gear

Рет қаралды 27,157

5 жыл бұрын

In this follow-up to my "Ultimate Queen: How to Sound
like Brian May" video trifecta - technique, guitar, effects and "amp" - I show you how you can get a reasonable representation of his tone with the sh*ttiest equipment you can get your hands on! What could possibly go wrong???
Corrections: the action on the guitar was almost 1/4" high before shimming, about 1/16" after. Will annotate this video as soon as I figure out how.
"Hammer To Fall" backing track courtesy of MrHitcher65 • Video

Пікірлер: 115

@QueenCelebrationLive 5 жыл бұрын

_>It may not be Red Special, but it's red... and it's... special_ This is gold! 🌟🏆

@odonovan 4 жыл бұрын

That is "special" as in "short bus" special. :D :D :D :D :D

@jazzram_ 3 жыл бұрын

Red*

@ThatllShowEm 5 жыл бұрын

"It may not be a Red Special, but it is red... and it's... special." :)

@QueenCelebrationLive 5 жыл бұрын

😉

@NicoSabatiniGuitar 5 жыл бұрын

Man, those tea towels sound awesome!

@johnlannikk2701 3 жыл бұрын

I use a Les Paul through a flannel

@tonymadad9555 5 жыл бұрын

Hammer to fall solo sound more like the album that the majority of the owners of brian may guitar .... of which I am!

@Calagamberr0 3 жыл бұрын

Jaw dropping. Off to buy some cloth patches or something. And a 10watt 6" silvertone

@MyBiologicalInsanity 3 жыл бұрын

It's all in the fingers man.

@SealedKiller 2 жыл бұрын

That's because they can't play lol It's sad

@philstevenson6067 3 жыл бұрын

Having owned the Vox 'Deacy' amp I was extremely impressed with what you achieved. I agree with another comment that you got closer to Brian's violin like tone than people who have all his gear. Brilliant video. Loved it.

@tristanavakian 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@RickLaForce 3 жыл бұрын

I saw Queen at Winterland on March 30, 1975. It was their Sheer Heart Attack tour and they shared the bill with local favorites Yesterday and Today (Y&T) and a little band you might remember, Mahogany Rush. Brian May sounded EXACTLY like this that night . . . Thanks for the best laugh I've had all day. Even though you were joking around, you still sounded more like May than anyone I've heard cover him, despite some of the high-$$$ equipment they were using.

@Calagamberr0 3 жыл бұрын

It is red. And it is special. LeL

@margherita5930 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this video 🙂 The cloth trick is amazing, the sound changes a lot! I hope you can shoot some videos on the road with UQC (nice t shirt by the way)

@jacobh9344 4 жыл бұрын

2:09 I got a cheap guitar for my 15th birthday, and that was how the pots sounded. About a year later I realised that there was wrapping plastic. Wtf?!

@ransomwatts7225 3 жыл бұрын

This sounds so amazing! Finally a way to sound like Brian without busting the bank

@pickman7 5 жыл бұрын

Another great video. Thanks for sharing Tristan!

@tubularbill Жыл бұрын

Brilliant!

@TheGNexus 3 ай бұрын

Dude, you made me lol. Well done. I'm going to Walmart right now in search of the perfect red tea towel.

@jessicabaxter1400 5 жыл бұрын

Really enjoyed this vid it was interesting and fun. Awesome show last night at perth concert hall!

@olegtolmachev5890 5 жыл бұрын

much info and funny to see! result - no bad tune!

@sebastianpereira1517 2 ай бұрын

You result is absolutely amazing

@randomelvis3359 5 жыл бұрын

Nice content Tristan, young guitarists with little funds can be inspired by the old school t-towel trick and cheap set up.....looking forward to your next posts...I’m Subbed 👍

@richardhorky3717 Жыл бұрын

That was great. Thank you!

@chrztl 5 жыл бұрын

this video was very interesting! didn't know about the tea towel! that sounds so helpful i guess it can slightly help bring downsome high frequencies! I dont think there are people making videos like these!! keep it up! and you're an awesome guitar player

@carlamorgan1258 4 жыл бұрын

I got to see you and Marc live, I would rather see UQC live than Queen with Adam Lambert 1000 times over. Fantastic show, keep on rockin!

@frossbog 5 жыл бұрын

Love vids like this!

@Casetube100 3 жыл бұрын

A nice proof that it is always a good way to spend some time and effort in the actual setup first... instead of buying expensive custom shop stuff.

@borismichel8893 3 жыл бұрын

Astonishing !

@carranen 3 ай бұрын

Man, you're such a genius !

@vulture4117 Жыл бұрын

How the fuck does that s9ound so good

@rodrigobelinchon2982 Жыл бұрын

I like it !! great tone even with that carppy mic

@Noone-of-your-Business 3 жыл бұрын

Veeery impressive! Thank you!

@CLanzetta1970- 9 ай бұрын

Hey David…cough cough….I mean Tristan. Love it…..❤!

@guitarmainiac80 5 жыл бұрын

Tea towel rocking! Awesome. 👍

@emefcue 2 жыл бұрын

great video!!!

@spidey4fun 2 жыл бұрын

Very entertaining. Thanks.

@jazzram_ 3 жыл бұрын

Omg congrats on 1k (sorry im late) I was here since you had 50! (Last check was 300 subs)

@tristanavakian 3 жыл бұрын

thanks!

@modscientist9793 Жыл бұрын

Awesome!!!

@Shred_The_Weapon 8 ай бұрын

It was during that upload by Premier Guitar from the 2014 Summer tour of Queen with Adam Lambert that Pete made that comment about how Brian could sound like himself on any guitar. He mentioned one of the cats that used to accompany Meat Loaf picking up Brian‘s Red Special, playing it and sounding nothing like him. I also believe that ‘Brian will sound like himself no matter what he plays. For my part, Tristan, my goal has never been to sound like Brian (although I was once totally flattered when someone actually told me my playing reminded them of his). However, what I’ve always enjoyed about the red special is its features, the 24-fret fingerboard, the zero-friction stringing, the semi-hollow cavities and the aces to all 3 pickups w/ the phase switching. In that interview from 2014, I believe Brian said he wondered why other people weren’t trying to implement that feature in the guitars that were being built. under my real name, Eric Benjamin Gordon, I have uploaded a video of myself demonstrating a parts caster that was built with that type of switching. I have dubbed that guitar “Roebling”, since that guitar was my main ax during the making of a record of mine called *Brooklyn Bridge.* In that video, I do play a small smattering of Queen riffs, but I focus on simply trying to demonstrate everything the guitar can do beyond the realm of emulating Brian May. There’s not remotely enough examples of people playing guitars with that pick up configuration and not trying to emulate him.

@tristanavakian 5 ай бұрын

It’s incredibly versatile. When I bring it to a non BHM related thing, I do like to stick a Chandler Little Devil Color Boost in front of it - like a really powerful, flexible germanium EQ - to beef it up a little. Without some kind of boost it can sound a little feeble www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LittDevBoost--chandler-limited-little-devil-colored-boost-distortion-pedal

@Shred_The_Weapon 5 ай бұрын

I kind of understand what you mean, @@tristanavakian. Since I put my above comment up, I’ve come into a replica by Burns from 2007. I’ve enjoyed when I got none of it so far, but it does sound a little better when you boost the signal somewhat.

@TheRealCAPerry 2 жыл бұрын

That might be one of the maddest things I’ve ever seen. Kudos for trying it, and even more for putting it into the public domain. I’m curious how you set the boost up - I’ve got an Xotic AC Booster and wouldn’t mind seeing what I can get out of that.

@tristanavakian 2 жыл бұрын

it could literally be anything that adds gain to the signal if the guitars output is inadequate. The Xotic is great but for the purpose i am putting it to, it could literally be any one knob clean boost, the cheapest Amazon one would be fine. If you have a humbucker or more gain at the amp you don't even need that.

@seemycast 5 жыл бұрын

Nice!!

@hspderis6685 Ай бұрын

Good job!

@michelrobert3682 Күн бұрын

Amazing !

@yazidyusop 4 жыл бұрын

love these

@Asylum8 4 жыл бұрын

Very but VERY interesting 👍🏻💎

@bhorozal Жыл бұрын

“Dentone, never heard of it, perfect” 😂😂😂

@michaelbeem1737 3 ай бұрын

That was awesome

@fernandes5986 3 жыл бұрын

Its a Kind of Magic! Magic! Magic! 😃

@user-lx3dn9bt9e 4 жыл бұрын

That was cool.

@modhiab 2 ай бұрын

It is not the guitar you are using and it is not that red cloth. It is YOU play like Brian May 👏👏👏👏

@KirkDHansen 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks man! Just fantastic stuff. Hope Covid didn’t ruin everything for you. “The road” went away for a while there. A real bitch for musicians. VERY grateful for this tutorial. Far better than anything else I could find on KZfaq. Keep it up Tristan! If you get to Portland I’d LOVE to come see you play.

@tristanavakian 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks buddy!

@marcuseviltree6304 2 ай бұрын

Really good. I’m 50 and learn something new everyday

@wickedgit 2 жыл бұрын

I use my Squier vintage modified on the middle and bridge pickup setting and a boss katana....and i get pretty close as well.

@MichaelJ023 5 жыл бұрын

Would love to hear it tried with a true pawn shop special like the old 60s Tesco guitars. They had no truss rod, frets laid in crooked and in the wrong position, and the pickups were more akin to microphones than pickups.

@tristanavakian 5 жыл бұрын

Michael Johnson ooh I’d have loved that! Unfortunately I couldn’t find one. I had one when I was a kid, it was absolutely awful! Thanks to hipsters, they are probably really expensive now. These days even the cheapest guitars are way better. CNC machines have taken a lot of work out of accurate fret placement for example.

@titopaoofficial 7 ай бұрын

😊This is Amazing. Now I'm looking for Towels and something Red and Special.

@johnvonachen1672 2 жыл бұрын

Guitargasm! Is that a word? It is now. Spread the word.

@masteryoburgos 3 жыл бұрын

IM GONNA NEED YOUR TOWELS

@thiscorrosion900 10 ай бұрын

I have a sneaking suspicion that after rec. this video, the "Hammer Will Fall" on this gear! LOLZZSZZ mirth mirth mirth

@rickster58 3 жыл бұрын

Cool!

@donpaterson6598 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this, Tristan. It's in the fingers, eh?

@tristanavakian 5 жыл бұрын

Well, the gear is like a car. You can have the best car in the world but you still gotta drive. A cheap one may not be stylish, fast or comfortable. But you’ll get there. I do like good gear though. Because I’m old and experienced enough to appreciate it. And because I’m lazy.

@akaski777 Жыл бұрын

Tones in the fingers

@southernpride2003 6 ай бұрын

It's a shame what silvertone has become I have a 1948 silvertone 1300 tube amp I use flatwound strings on my homemade electric guitar that me and my grandpa built and I still get that Brian's tone with a treble booster

@ThePokeCzech 3 жыл бұрын

I had a good laugh watching your video.

@cb314 24 күн бұрын

What did I just hear? That guitar really sounds like the RS

@randysnewbiebluesrockguita7782 Жыл бұрын

What tone stings are you using on the amp itself ? Are you using a delay? What gain settings on the amp are you using that you aren't on the distortion box which you are using as a treble booster? I have a Lany Range master Black country custom's and I am wondering how I should set it to get this sort of tone or If I should only use a clean boost?

@12hpa 2 жыл бұрын

wow

@kirkbolas4985 9 ай бұрын

Suggestion: You definitely got very close to Brian’s tone. For the win, route out the area between the front/middle and rear/middle pickups and glue in an appropriately sized block of wood into each newly created space…importantly, these wood blocks must be sourced from a hundred year old fireplace mantle. 😉

@thiscorrosion900 10 ай бұрын

I have a serious question: have you tried, even for laughs, any of the smaller Vox modeling amps that are out there, such as the one I have, the VX50 GTV, and if so, could you get any usable Queen type tones out of them? I mean, on their own, or with a pedal or two?

@tristanavakian 5 ай бұрын

I have a Vox Pathfinder 15 that I got on FB Marketplace for $50. With a boost in front of the AC 50 model it sounds pretty darn close.

@pulidomi Жыл бұрын

O fuck, o my god, is good

@DrRussPhd 8 ай бұрын

LOL . .so much for having to have boutique gear. :)

@thiscorrosion900 10 ай бұрын

"Can I have the Sludgetone amp?" LOL

@davidnolan5656 3 жыл бұрын

👍

@JJR3991 4 жыл бұрын

wow, incredible attempt Tristan, you made the cheap guitar sound good for what its not worth ha ha

@georgeparker6664 3 жыл бұрын

Um what model tea towel did you use?

@tristanavakian 3 жыл бұрын

Dollarama XD

@Noscrap909 3 жыл бұрын

Why does Brian may use a treble booster when his highs sounds rolled off to me ? Is it just for the gain ?

@tristanavakian 3 жыл бұрын

“Treble booster” is kind of a misnomer. It pushes upper mids and tightens up the lows, and does add a LOT of gain, basically turning the Vox into a marshall.

@dl4350 3 жыл бұрын

i've an amp like thati acc love it tho

@macshebly4330 2 жыл бұрын

Whay you didn't make this video befor i Buy my vox ac30 amp and a BM replica guitare

@tristanavakian 2 жыл бұрын

you're in luck, that is the express lane. I just did this as a thought experiment.

@macshebly4330 2 жыл бұрын

@@tristanavakian You naild it mate

@storm-3337 Жыл бұрын

Dont forget to use coin as your pick

@tristanavakian 5 ай бұрын

That doesn’t matter as much as you might expect. I do use one live but this was recorded with a plain ol’ Dunlop .71 mm yellow Delrin pick :-)

@sirjax1857 3 жыл бұрын

hello what are your settings on the amp?

@tristanavakian 3 жыл бұрын

I can’t remember tbh. But I think it was preamp gain at max, treble nearly all the way off. If you are the proud owner of one of these misbegotten little things, you’ll quickly realize it’s the only way to get a halfway decent lead sound out of it. I did close mic it with a good little mic which helped a little. Added a touch of stereo in post. Then I gave it to my son. Hopefully he’ll blow it up. Rite of manhood etc.

@sirjax1857 3 жыл бұрын

@@tristanavakian thanks mate I like your humor

@fableinside1 5 жыл бұрын

Please do how to sound like David Lynch

@tristanavakian 5 жыл бұрын

Baha. I used to sound like George Lynch. Now I look like David Lynch. Not sure how that happened. It’s a crazy world

@fableinside1 5 жыл бұрын

@@tristanavakian David has a great musical style

@joeyday1252 2 жыл бұрын

You could call the guitar the "RED SPECIAL NEEDS".

@superfluppe Жыл бұрын

You got close, but the only time that you really sounded like Brian was in the mix with the backing track.

@pulidomi Жыл бұрын

The mic only,

@tristanavakian 5 ай бұрын

That’s where it counts 😊

@thiscorrosion900 10 ай бұрын

Has me longing for an old 80s Pignose amp.....anything but this abomination.

@joshlambrightmi 5 жыл бұрын

Umm... Simplest thing, use a serrated coin.

@tristanavakian 5 жыл бұрын

Josh Lambright I usually do. Actually, though, for this video I didn’t bother. It’s a very small part of the sound, maybe 10%, and that only on the clean sound. When you turn up, the gain pretty much wipes it out.

@aliengrey6052 Жыл бұрын

Boy that’s bad.

@oldmossystone 2 жыл бұрын

cheap shitty amp... check!, cheap shitty guitar... check!, brand new looking £100 Tech 21 pedal... waaait a minute... now its looking like a tech 21 ad disguised as how to vid... meh

@tristanavakian 2 жыл бұрын

Just used as a clean boost with no coloration whatsoever as I took great pains to explain. I elaborated to an uncomfortable degree as to exactly how and why this is necessary. I could have used a $20 Amazon pedal to do the same thing. I used what was handy. If you don’t like my content, navigate away from it. Please.

@oldmossystone 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I just had another look. Great job, you're really selling that pedal well. You went out of your way to get a cheap used no name guitar and amp, and yet the pedal. .. wow. Almost as though if I was a noob on low budget with shirty gear, all I would need to add would be a tea towel and a £100 tech21 boost pedal... If you don't want folk calling you out, don't post content that you will get called out for! Tea towel hack is a great tip BTW, thanks for that one ;)

@tristanavakian 2 жыл бұрын

@@oldmossystone do some research on gain structure and get back to me. it literally does not matter what you use. that was just the only thing i had on hand to boost the signal.... The overdrive section was turned OFF. Only the one knob and button labelled BOOST was engaged. I realize how that can seem confusing, because it is a multi function pedal with OVERDRIVE is in the name. but it WAS NOT USED AS SUCH, only as a clean boost. The overdrive switch, its corresponding led and associated tone shaping functions were OFF and OUT OF THE CIRCUIT. Unlike an overdrive, treble booster, distortion or fuzz, a clean boost DOES NOT CHANGE THE SOUND OF THE GUITAR OR THE AMP. Only increases the signal. That could have been accomplished in any number of other ways... with a $20 pawn shop one knob boost pedal or a $4000 Klon. That is the whole point of the video... gear doesn't matter. I don't sell gear, although I occasionally do honest, unbiased reviews of things for which I am not compensated. But if you insist on being unhappy, be my guest. That's on you.

@oldmossystone 2 жыл бұрын

@@tristanavakian And yet my comment is still valid. Your title claims Sh*t Gear, and it all is except that fancy pedal. It's a fact (unless you are claiming Tech21 are shit gear?) Claims about technical details relating to gain staging and modes on the pedal don't change that :) Anyway, you gotta make a buck, and selling cool pedals is way better than some other stuff you could be selling instead, so good luck with that :)

@tristanavakian 2 жыл бұрын

@@oldmossystone I don't get paid to do this, as i took great pains to explain... in spite of your peculiar insistence that I do. I'm a professional musician. I get paid to play guitar. That's it - 100% of my income. I don't need "luck". I have skill, which came of hard, patient work and persistence. Go bother Pete Thorn - he does pro gear demos better than I do - better than anyone else, in fact. There’s no point while he’s working that side of the street. It’s covered. KZfaq is a hobby for me. You should get one. It will give you something else to do. I do have a gear recommendation though - buy this. For the purposes of this demonstration... it literally does the same thing. $19.99 USD www.amazon.com/dp/B0921C8NN3/ref=cm_sw_r_api_i_29FG8PQT6VBF34H7DWPC_0 I am repeating myself at this point. You don't seem to be capable of actually hearing me. Hopefully you will focus on your playing and stop obsessing about the tools. That is literally the point of this video.