Queen Live Aid Telecasters?

[Blazer]

How’d it get broken, can’t imagine it was done deliberately?

During a 1982 show of the "Hot Space" tour during "Brighton rock" Brian had a string break on his Red Special so he tossed that one to his tech who caught it and took the Birch which was his back up.

But then got frustrated with the Birch and tossed it to his tech but the tech wasn't paying attention, at which the Birch hit the floor and broke its neck and headstock off.

So Brian used his Flying V, as his third back up to finish the show while his Red Special needed a new string and his Birch was DOA.


Here's that actual performance where it all went devastatingly wrong for the Birch. 3:30 ish the RS suffers snapped string. 3:47 the Birch makes an appearance and sounds bad! 5:08 for about 15 seconds the Birch goes bye bye. The next guitar you hear is the Flying V.

 

[EsquireOK]

During a 1982 show of the "Hot Space" tour during "Brighton rock" Brian had a string break on his Red Special so he tossed that one to his tech who caught it and took the Birch which was his back up.

But then got frustrated with the Birch and tossed it to his tech but the tech wasn't paying attention, at which the Birch hit the floor and broke its neck and headstock off.

So Brian used his Flying V, as his third back up to finish the show while his Red Special needed a new string and his Birch was DOA.


Here's that actual performance where it all went devastatingly wrong for the Birch. 3:30 ish the RS suffers snapped string. 3:47 the Birch makes an appearance and sounds bad! 5:08 for about 15 seconds the Birch goes bye bye. The next guitar you hear is the Flying V.

Holy cow! What the hell was wrong with the Birch guitar? Was it in some alternate tuning when it was handed to him? Those are the worst sounds I've ever heard from Brian May.

 

[John C]

During a 1982 show of the "Hot Space" tour during "Brighton rock" Brian had a string break on his Red Special so he tossed that one to his tech who caught it and took the Birch which was his back up.

But then got frustrated with the Birch and tossed it to his tech but the tech wasn't paying attention, at which the Birch hit the floor and broke its neck and headstock off.

So Brian used his Flying V, as his third back up to finish the show while his Red Special needed a new string and his Birch was DOA.


Here's that actual performance where it all went devastatingly wrong for the Birch. 3:30 ish the RS suffers snapped string. 3:47 the Birch makes an appearance and sounds bad! 5:08 for about 15 seconds the Birch goes bye bye. The next guitar you hear is the Flying V.

I didn't know there was a video of it - Brian recounted the story in his Guitar Player cover story from January 1983; he did the interview not too long after after the Birch was broken.

Would he have had the Birch in drop D for Tie Your Mother Down, and the tech didn't tune it back to standard before handing it to him?

 

[Blazer]

Holy cow! What the hell was wrong with the Birch guitar? Was it in some alternate tuning when it was handed to him? Those are the worst sounds I've ever heard from Brian May.

My guess was that it was in dropped D for songs like "Fat bottom girls" and wasn't tuned up properly to E when Brian took it.

 

[dlew919]

Here's a couple of more details...

https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/in-pictures-brian-mays-other-guitars-384279

 

[PoorNoodle]

During a 1982 show of the "Hot Space" tour during "Brighton rock" Brian had a string break on his Red Special so he tossed that one to his tech who caught it and took the Birch which was his back up.

But then got frustrated with the Birch and tossed it to his tech but the tech wasn't paying attention, at which the Birch hit the floor and broke its neck and headstock off.

So Brian used his Flying V, as his third back up to finish the show while his Red Special needed a new string and his Birch was DOA.


Here's that actual performance where it all went devastatingly wrong for the Birch. 3:30 ish the RS suffers snapped string. 3:47 the Birch makes an appearance and sounds bad! 5:08 for about 15 seconds the Birch goes bye bye. The next guitar you hear is the Flying V.

Wow! That didn’t go well!

 

[Gary in Boston]

I recently saw a Brian May rig run down.

He says he was "talked into" using a Tele on Crazy and that he now uses a Big Red report that has a piezeo in the bridge for the acoustic part then the Burns Tri-sonic equipped repro of Big Red.

He'd really just play the Big Red on everything all the time 24/7 and only uses the others in special cases or when he breaks a string.

I saw Queen several times.

Early on Brian's back up was a Les Paul, I'm talking around when Bohemian first broke.

Gary

 

[Wrighty]

I didn't know there was a video of it - Brian recounted the story in his Guitar Player cover story from January 1983; he did the interview not too long after after the Birch was broken.

Would he have had the Birch in drop D for Tie Your Mother Down, and the tech didn't tune it back to standard before handing it to him?

Should I have a video, I’ve only got audio?

 

[IMMusicRulz]

Yeah Queen has been known for Telecasters. As mentioned earlier, the solo on Crazy Little Thing Called Love was a Telecaster played through a Dallas Rangemaster and several Vox AC30 amps. Most of those Teles now belong to Roger Taylor

 

[Mur]

They were owned by the Queen organisation I understand. Brian doesn’t like them preferring his own red special. That’s all I know

Brian recorded with a Strat along with the home-made one on their earlier albums.

 

[Wrighty]

They were owned by the Queen organisation I understand. Brian doesn’t like them preferring his own red special. That’s all I know

Brian doesn't like anything other than his red special. Even at the Strat Pack 50 years celebration he played it for all but one number and look on his face during that number said it all...............................

 

[Wrighty]

You think the Queen secretly twangs on a tele in her chamber?
I bet she has at least one gold and diamond encrusted one hiding somewhere.

'One's corgis love one's Telecaster bridge tone when one plays one's one's National Anthem'

 

[Nightclub Dwight]

You think the Queen secretly twangs on a tele in her chamber?
I bet she has at least one gold and diamond encrusted one hiding somewhere.

Dang, I miss Chunkocaster. And Freddie.

 

[Wrighty]

Should I have a video, I’ve only got audio?

me too

 

[dlew919]

I recently saw a Brian May rig run down.

He says he was "talked into" using a Tele on Crazy and that he now uses a Big Red report that has a piezeo in the bridge for the acoustic part then the Burns Tri-sonic equipped repro of Big Red.

He'd really just play the Big Red on everything all the time 24/7 and only uses the others in special cases or when he breaks a string.

I saw Queen several times.

Early on Brian's back up was a Les Paul, I'm talking around when Bohemian first broke.

Gary

In the star licks video he did, he states they 'made me' play a telecaster. His tone is reminiscent of someone who was made to drink a cup of vomit …