What guitar did Brian May use on Keep Yourself Alive?

Brian May used his homemade "Red Special" guitar, which he built with his father in the early 1960s. The guitar features three Burns Tri-Sonic pickups and has a mahogany body with oak neck, creating its distinctive bright tone.

How to get Brian May's tone on Keep Yourself Alive?

The key elements are a guitar with single-coil pickups, a treble booster pedal pushing a Vox AC30 amplifier, and using a coin as a pick. Multiple guitar tracks were overdubbed to create the thick, layered sound heard on the recording.

What amp did Queen use on Keep Yourself Alive?

Brian May used a Vox AC30 amplifier for the guitar parts on "Keep Yourself Alive." The AC30's natural compression and chiming overdrive character is fundamental to Queen's early guitar sound.

Did Brian May use a treble booster on Keep Yourself Alive?

Yes, Brian May used his custom-built treble booster circuit throughout Queen's early recordings including "Keep Yourself Alive." This circuit boosts high frequencies and pushes the AC30 into singing sustain and overdrive.

What studio was Keep Yourself Alive recorded at?

"Keep Yourself Alive" was recorded at Trident Studios in London in 1972. The recording was produced by John Anthony with Roy Thomas Baker as engineer, who would go on to produce many of Queen's classic albums.

rhythm guitar from "keep yourself alive" by queen

keep yourself alive

queen

rhythm guitar

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Tone Profile

This rhythm guitar tone is characterized by its bright, aggressive, and slightly overdriven sound, providing a powerful and energetic backdrop to the song. It's a classic rock tone with a distinct bite and sustain.

Shop This Rig

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Burns Brian May Signature(instrument)
Vox AC30(amp)
Neumann U67(microphone)

The Story

Brian May recorded "Keep Yourself Alive" using his homemade "Red Special" guitar (not a Burns signature model, which came later) through a Vox AC30 amplifier with his signature treble booster engaged. The recording was done at Trident Studios in London with producer John Anthony and engineer Roy Thomas Baker. May used his characteristic technique of playing with a sixpence coin as a pick and employed extensive overdubbing to create the massive layered sound Queen became known for.

Production Credits

Producer: John Anthony

Engineer: Roy Thomas Baker

Recorded at: Trident Studios, London

Signal Chain

Instrument: Burns Brian May SignatureShop on Reverb

Amp: Vox AC30Shop on Reverb

Microphone: Neumann U67Shop on Reverb

Recreation Tips

Start with a guitar equipped with single-coil pickups to capture a bright, clear tone. A treble booster can further enhance the high-end frequencies.
Use a Vox AC30 or a similar-sounding amplifier with its gain set to a moderate level, achieving a slightly overdriven sound. Adjust the EQ to emphasize the high frequencies and add presence.
Experiment with different microphone positions in front of the amplifier to find the sweet spot. A condenser microphone like a Neumann U67 can capture the amp's nuances.
Double-track or even quadruple-track the guitar parts to create a thick, layered sound, as was typical in Queen's productions.

Original Gear

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Burns Brian May SignatureShop on Reverb(guitar)
Vox AC30Shop on Reverb(amp)
Neumann U67Shop on Reverb(mic)

Substitutions & Recommendations

Brian May Guitars Red SpecialShop on Reverb$3500-$4500

Alternative to: Brian May's Red Special guitar

Official recreation of May's homemade guitar with the same pickup configuration and scale length that creates his signature bright tone

Catalinbread GalileoShop on Reverb$180-$220

Alternative to: Brian May's treble booster

Designed specifically to recreate Brian May's treble booster circuit that pushes the AC30 into singing overdrive

Vox AC30C2Shop on Reverb$1200-$1500

Alternative to: Vox AC30 amplifier

Modern version of the same amp model May used, providing the chiming clean-to-overdrive character essential to Queen's rhythm tones

Universal Audio Vox AC30 pluginPlugin Boutique$200-$300

Alternative to: Vox AC30 amplifier

Accurately modeled AC30 plugin that captures the amp's compression and harmonic saturation for home recording

Guild Brian May SignatureShop on Reverb$800-$1200