GuitarDistortedSolo
Don't Stop Me Now Solo Guitar Tone Settings — Queen
Queen · 1970s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Homemade 'Red Special'
Pickups
Burns Tri-Sonic single-coil pickups (custom-wired, typically bridge + middle in series, in phase)
Amp
Vox AC30 (mid-1960s, Normal channel, Celestion Alnico Blue speakers)
Pickup Position
Bridge + Middle pickups in series, in phase
Studio recording, 1978. Brian May's Red Special into a Vox AC30 with a Dallas-Arbiter Rangemaster treble booster. No evidence of additional pedals or effects specific to the solo section beyond the treble booster. Pickup selection and amp settings inferred from era-correct Brian May studio practices.
Amp Settings
Mids7
Bass6
Gain7.5
Reverb2.5
Treble7.5
Presence6.5
Effects Chain
- Dallas-Arbiter Rangemaster Treble Booster · boost
Red Special → Dallas-Arbiter Rangemaster Treble Booster → Vox AC30 (Normal channel, spring reverb low)
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Tone Character
- singing sustain
- trebly chime
- hollow, nasal midrange
- vocal-like lead tone
- articulate note separation
- British crunch
- bright and cutting
- smooth sustain
- dynamic response to picking
- slightly compressed