Brian's rig on Queen I and The Works

I have a question and I havent found the answer so Im sure many of you will know the datails.

Listening to Queen I album, Brian's tone is totally different:

I know the the intro on KYA is not flanger but a flanger effect caused by multi tracking, recording string by string.

Besides of KYA, the whole album have a very different guitar tone, I even dare to say that some songs sound as if they were played using another amp instead of the ac30's.

As for the Works album, Brian's guitar have a very sharp sound, as if he changed to another treble booster or something like that...

Does anybody have info about it?

On the first album he may have indeed used the studio's backline amps for a number of reasons, including a strictly financial/practical one: since a lot of time they were recording in graveyard shifts and had to use public transport, it wasn't necessarily easy for him to move around with his guitar and two amps and the frequency-selective boost, etc.

On 'The Works' he recorded a few songs using another guitar, a Gibson Firebird owned by engineer Ben Fenner (it's credited on the album's liner notes as 'Ben's guitar').

There's also the factor of having used different mics, pre-amps (or lack thereof) and especially personnel involved (Queen I: a different producer and two engineers they never worked with again; The Works: different studio and resident engineers).

Brian did remain loyal to his trademark BHM guitar + Vox Ac30 amp for most of his ongoing recording and touring career, but it doesn't mean he was 'married' to that rig (time for a really lame and low but true comment: he got married to a woman in real life, and he wasn't entirely faithful to that one either).

Interesting - did he use the Firebird exclusively on some tracks on The Works in place of the Red Special, or just snippets here and there?

...and if so, which tracks?

I believe the different sound on The Works album is also partly due to the use of a Boss Chorus/Phaser pedal, which he explains in the Star Licks video (filmed roughly at the time of The Works album):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5URuqf1S8v4&t=5m40s

I think the first album is like many bands first stab in a studio, Brian was still trying to find his tone and that coupled with the fact that they were grabbing sometimes just the odd hour or two meant keeping the same tone throughout was practically impossible.

Through out the rest of Queen's albums Brian has changed a number of elements of his rig, most notably the treble booster, however every studio has different equipment in there so chorus and general effects will all differ each time.

Seb, when you say 'liner notes' is that something not on the pressing of the album? I am struggling to find any credit on my copies of the album?

[QUOTE] [b]Sebastian wrote:[/b]

On the first album he may have indeed used the studio's backline amps for a number of reasons, including a strictly financial/practical one: since a lot of time they were recording in graveyard shifts and had to use public transport, it wasn't necessarily easy for him to move around with his guitar and two amps and the frequency-selective boost, etc.

On 'The Works' he recorded a few songs using another guitar, a Gibson Firebird owned by engineer Ben Fenner (it's credited on the album's liner notes as 'Ben's guitar').
There's also the factor of having used different mics,
pre-amps (or lack thereof) and especially personnel
involved (Queen I: a different producer and two
engineers they never worked with again; The Works:
different studio and resident engineers).

Brian did remain loyal to his trademark BHM guitar +
Vox Ac30 amp for most of his ongoing recording
and touring career, but it doesn't mean he was
'married' to that rig (time for a really lame and low
but true comment: he got married to a woman in
real life, and he wasn't entirely faithful to that one
either).[/QUOTE]

At the time of the first Queen album BM was using two standard Vox AC30 Top Boost amps and treble booster and also the Deacy amp. I'm not sure he did use other amplification on that album.

While everything listed above has made a difference a number of other things played their part. Different recording consoles and tape machines can have quite an effect on sound but also between the first
album and The Works BM's AC30's were heavily modified, the polarity of the middle pickup on his guitar was turned around, different strings and string gauges were used all of which combined to alter the sound.

If you listen to early 70's live recordings and compare them to gigs from the 80's the difference in guitar tone/sound can be heard, and that's without any studio and recording equipment or techniques getting in the signal path.

THANKS TO: Jim Beach, Gerry Stickells, Paul Prenter, Julie Nash, Sara Juszkiewicz, Roseanne Nemes, Melanie Martin, Peter Chant,
Neal Levin, Lisa Abrhams, Jacky Gunn, Andy Evans, Rose Mann, Steve Whysall, Peter Jones and Ben's guitar.


got that from
http://www.queenvault.com/linernotes/theworkslinernotes.html


Never knew the story behind that.........actually I wasnt even aware of that bit in the liner notes......lol

It's little topics like this, along with the extremely knowledgeable responses, that keep some of us tuning in to this site on occasion. Thank you.

Along with the queenvaults.com work. Due to the unfulfilled 'Forever' promises, I've used this site since the summer as a guide for going to youtube for demos and rarities.

Never knew about Ben's guitar either...!
Although I think the Firebird should not make a lot of difference, as the pickups are not as hot as the sound in the remaining songs (and even on Put Out the Fire, from Hot Space) the change artist_nine said have a lot of sense, perhaps Brian replaced his booster...

As for the sound in Queen I, I didnt thought on the studio equipment because, AFAIK both were recorded on De Lane Lea and since the AC30s were very popular (I think because of the Beatles) so the recording gear was very much the same...

But the lack of experience in the studio seems like a very logical idea for the sound difference...

[QUOTE] [b]artist_nine wrote:[/b]

I believe the different sound on The Works album is also partly due to the use of a Boss Chorus/Phaser pedal, which he explains in the Star Licks video (filmed roughly at the time of The Works album):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5URuqf1S8v4&t=5m40s
[/QUOTE]
Yup. By the mid 80s, just about every rock guitarist in the world was using the chorus pedal.

[QUOTE] [b]Vocal harmony wrote:[/b]

If you listen to early 70's live recordings and compare them to gigs from the 80's the difference in guitar tone/sound can be heard, and that's without any studio and recording equipment or techniques getting in the signal path.

[/QUOTE]

^ this.

Brian still sounds like Brian no matter what guitar he plays.....or what gear he uses...........(ie Crazy Little Thing Called Love......Roger's Tele through a Mesa/Boogie)

Naturally, that's mostly due to his style of playing..........but I'd say also partly because he could get quite a variety of sounds from the Red Special..........(due to all the pickup switching and phase options)

Arrh yes found it now thanks


[QUOTE] [b]The King Of Rhye wrote:[/b]

THANKS TO: Jim Beach, Gerry Stickells, Paul Prenter, Julie Nash, Sara Juszkiewicz, Roseanne Nemes, Melanie Martin, Peter Chant,
Neal Levin, Lisa Abrhams, Jacky Gunn, Andy Evans, Rose Mann, Steve Whysall, Peter Jones and Ben's guitar.


got that from
http://www.queenvault.com/linernotes/theworkslinernotes.html


Never knew the story behind that.........actually I wasnt even aware of that bit in the liner notes......lol

[/QUOTE]