BMG Red Special

[OldStrummer]

One brand of guitars that I don't hear or see mentioned often is BMG. BMG is Brian May Guitars. Brian and his dad hand-built his "Red Special," which he played on all the Queen albums and in live concerts almost exclusively. In 2004, May partnered with long-time guitar tech Pete Malandrone and started BMG. Out of that collaboration came The BMG Special, which Guitar World termed, "Is really on the money, and, in the spirit of the original, is really good for the money." It has been modernized a bit (the neck radius has gone from May's 7.25" to a favorite of players today, 9.5"). Still, the same electronics and look, and a surprisingly low price (£745 in the U.K., which includes 20% VAT, and £620.83 (just under $849 US) worldwide, including gig bag.

What surprised me enormously is that the scale is a mere 24". Now THAT I like!

[Don]

I'd love to try that out!

[OldStrummer]

I'm not sure how available they are. Well, BMG says they have them (add $95 shipping to the US), but Guitar Center is out of stock, and eBay has all kinds of replicas -- mostly over the $1K mark. If I were to get one, I think I might order one direct from BMG and hope that it survived the trans-Atlantic trip.

[jrgtr42]

I*snip* If I were to get one, I think I might order one direct from BMG and hope that it survived the trans-Atlantic trip.

agreed there, though I'd be inclined to wait until the shipping (or more precisely, the unloading) issues at the ports here in the US are cleared up.

[OldStrummer]

There are a few on Reverb, but they are priced the same as if they include the shipping from the U. K. They also don't seem to include the gig bag, and the strap, which is a current bonus when purchased direct.

[DanTheBluesMan]

I'd be very interested in trying one, too.

[jrgtr42]

[SIZE=3][COLOR=#ffff00]There are a few on Reverb, but they are priced the same as if they include the shipping from the U. K. They also don't seem to include the gig bag, and the strap, which is a current bonus when purchased direct.

It should include a few 6-pence coins as well.

[OldStrummer]

It should include a few 6-pence coins as well.

But then they'd be Sixpence None the Richer {ducking and running}.

[blackonblack]

Just seeing this thread. I got one just almost 2 years ago. Mine isn’t red, but is instead a natural color. (My wife isn’t a fan of red).

it’s an awesome playing and sounding guitar and has gotten my electric roles for over 80% of the time over at the main venue I play at over the last 2 years. I got the hard shell case with it (a Hiscox). Awesome case. Sturdy and very light.

here’s a recent video of it in performance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2XpxOVwx_E

[OldStrummer]

Nice production values! Your position was, unfortunately, not where the camera wanted to point, so there wasn't much I could catch of the guitar. The sound when you played some leads was nice -- again, good production values (I'm assuming you went through the PA?).

I also noticed the bass player -- he played like the worship leader wanted me to play when I volunteered to play bass: "Just play the root notes and play them on time."

[blackonblack]

Yeah, not to much video time on that one.
Here's a stock pic of the guitar

https://shop.brianmayguitars.co.uk/t...l-natural.html

Yes through PA. I use a Fractal Audio unit. The patch I was using is homegrown based upon an AC-30.
Unique things I used within that patch were parallel delays, 1/8 and *1/8, as well as a shimmer effect.

The bass player, he is new, I think that was his 2nd week playing with us. An accomplished musician but not comfortable enough yet in our group to stretch his wings.
Not a worship leader driven item at all. He gives us pretty much free range to do what we want.

Here's one of me on bass (mixed a little to the back it seems so you may have to listen for it. Though I am not primarily a bass player, I was on bass a good amount during COVID (1 of our bass players has been stuck in Italy for 2 years now).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvSnDoJh5xY

An here's another one where we covered Huey Lewis and the News. Go forward to about 19:51

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8SV-VO6MHY

[OldStrummer]

I'm afraid I may have given the wrong impression in my comments, so allow me to correct any misunderstanding. I don't play bass, but I noticed our worship band lacked one and the worship leader, who plays keyboards, also played the bass lines (a la Ray Manzarek). I offered to step up, and his comment to me was actually made as a gentle bit of advice: Just play the root notes and play them on time, and it's all good. It turns out I couldn't make the time commitment, so I wound up not joining the worship band.

As for the BMG, how do you like the short scale? Over the past year or so, short scale guitars have become my thing, so I was very interested in the BMG, since it has a 24" scale.

[blackonblack]

I enjoy the scale length. Doesn’t take long to adjust to. Then again I seem to be that way. For guitars I have a 23 3/4 to 25 1/2 plus a Baritone that I don’t recall. Basses are 33 1/4 to 35. The new Dingwall is multi scale ranging from 34-37.

I have thin X-large hands. I never feel cramped on the BMG. I see you are enjoying some less than full size acoustics. You’ll be good.
PS, shipping from the UK was quick and painless.

[OldStrummer]

I enjoy the scale length. Doesn’t take long to adjust to. Then again I seem to be that way. For guitars I have a 23 3/4 to 25 1/2 plus a Baritone that I don’t recall. Basses are 33 1/4 to 35. The new Dingwall is multi scale ranging from 34-37.

I have thin X-large hands. I never feel cramped on the BMG. I see you are enjoying some less than full size acoustics. You’ll be good.
PS, shipping from the UK was quick and painless.

Awesome, thanks! I have very thin and not long fingers (n.b., my wedding ring was a men's size 6.5!). After having played 24.75" - 25.5" scale guitars, I found some 24.25" and even shorter, and felt like I'd discovered America. Or something like that. Since then, I've found shorter scale guitars just fit me better. In acoustics, I know I sacrifice some sound projection, but these days, everybody mics their guitars, and many have built-in electronics, so I'm not dissuaded from playing them.

[blackonblack]

There’s not a ton of 24” scale electrics. If you happen across a Fender Mustang, that’s one. I feel totally comfortable on a 24 scale. With electric you don’t have to worry about projection.

Acoustic as you note is different. My Guild Jumbo Junior is 23 3/4. With its construction (arched back, no back bracing) it can almost hold its own against most full sized unless the player is heavy handed. IE, you won’t be the loudest, but people will certainly hear you against the others. Plugged in, no difference at all against the big
boys. and I’m a fan of jumbo acoustics