Red Special Copy Owners . I Need advice, review

I have a BMG Red Special that is post burns, but with the same specs that the burns ones:

No bridge pickguard, black switches:

http://imgur.com/EJUKXVZ

and I recently had the chance to compare it with the new BMG ones:

http://i.imgur.com/FO5WqUi.jpg

bridge pickguard, white switches, wilkinson bridge


There's some minor differences, the BMG "burns" shape of the pickguard is pointy (like the original) and the new BMG is rounded (see pic). The pickups look different too.

But when I played them side to side, they felt too different.
the BMG "burns" is ligther, smoother neck, and the pickup combinations sounds are quite noticeable, maybe a little bit treblish too, which I like because it's really easy to make the guitar scream.

However the black one, sounds a bit muddy and the differences between pickup combinations are barely noticeable. (and this one is supposedly mahogany. I had a mahogany guitar in the past and it had a distinctive sound that this one doesn't).

- has anyone tested both too? (old burns type v/s new BMG ).

I'm curious because overall they're basically the same guitars, and the one built in basswood kinda sound better than the mahogany one (and I hate the muddy basswood sound), so I'm thinking that maybe the new ones are not mahogany... or maybe I'm too old and my ears deceive me.

Anyone ?

Thanks

I've had a BMG one in 2010, and it was a dreadful guitar..
Played ok and sounded fantastic, but it had troubles with the neck and frets.
It wouldn't stop buzzing from the 8th fret to the 20th, guitar builders didn't know what to do with it, so after 3 months i have had it re-fretted, since then it was a good guitar, but after 1 week it started to deaden notes when i did bends.

I sold the guitar after 5 months because i really couldn't deal with it at the time (Cost me too much money)
Now i've been playing on a Squier Bullet Stratocaster which was 1/8th the price of the BMG RS but it's more reliable, didn't have to refret it, intonation is great, action is fantastic, it's has some slight fret buzz around the 2nd and 3rd fret on the A string but that's about it.

Maybe i just had a bad model, but i'll surely think about it twice before buying it again, if i'll ever buy it again anyways..

Personally I favour the Burns. I've got both a BMG Green and a Burns Sunburst, and while I do like both, I find the Burns one has a slightly thicker neck which is better for my hands, as well as a slightly heavier build that seems to add to the natural chamber resonance sound.

Well thats what I noticed. The "BMG/burns" resonates very well while unplugged. The BMG sounds like a solid body while unplugged. I thought the latter ones were close to specifications than the burns but it seems that it's only at a visual level.

I wonder if this is just me or that's the reality.

Both are wonderful in looks, touch and feel. But the sound ...

I will do a new test with the same type of strings

Funny - I thought the Burns' were crap. My BMG is possibly the best guitar I've ever owned, and not just for Queen related things.

But meh, to each their own.

Interesting feedback about the differences between pickup settings. My BMG sounds fine to me.

Well as I said. Mine is a BMG with the old burns configuration. The other was the latest BMG.
The BMG Burns, resonates, and scream easily (in the out of phase middle neck position). Maybe a little treblish and lo-fi.
The Black BMG does not resonate. it feels like a solid body and the combinations don't differ that much (it even feels muddy).

The first one is by far the most comfortable guitar I have. smooth action and it stays in tune.
I haven't tested the BMG black enough but it feels heavier and I can't get use to it yet.

I wonder if they are build the same. I have the idea that maybe in one of both the pickups are not mounted in the body but in the pickguard. or that one of them is more solid than the other. Maybe they're different woods (mahogany v/s basswood). I don't know. The mahogany one sounds like basswood to my ears, but the burns one is ligther...

Idk

Ask Brian May!

Like any other guitar different versions feel and play differently, always try before you buy unless it's an internet purchase, but I would be careful about those unless you know what your doing.
My Burns needed a little work to get the action right and sort out the pick up heights, but I would say it's every bit as good as my custom strats and Tele's, I have a Brian May Super as well, very expensive but frankly tone wise between the two there is little difference, you are paying for better construction and subtle differences in tone quality. The new ones will be fine if you check a few out, I dont like the fact they have slipped on the pick guard accuracy but you can buy better ones online, yo can also change the trem and knobs as well easily and make it much closer to the original.

The proper trem arm gets slightly in the way as it's much closer to the bridge than of the original but you get used to it.

More than the guitar itself the amp is the most important aspect of your tone, get a decent amp and a cheap guitar will sound amazing, I've tried a few of the newer ones and they've been fine tone wise to me through a good amp

The Super is truly built to spec - even with the high E closer to the edge of the neck than the low E. This was Brian's way of staying off the mid range of the neck on that string, forcing him to the dusty end of the neck to get a deeper tone for the higher notes.

I own a converted (to closer Red Special spec) 2002 Burns and also have a circa 2005 "transition" era BMG (or a Burns without the Burns logo).

Right away I can say that the earlier Burns guitars (to me) feel much better as far as playability, and build quality go - with or without any conversion done to the instrument. The frets are better seated and dressed etc. etc., as it seems to be better attention to detail. Perhaps these little details wained as production continued for the three short years since the product debuted, but who's to say.

When I purchased the 2005 model, it was also used but the frets were popping out of their slots and the ebony on the fretboard was nowhere near as nice as the earlier model. I cannot speak to have any experience with the later "BMG" models but in my experience, the early Burns guitars are the nicest guitars I've played. (and even nicer with the more authentic bridge, tremolo and pickups).

On the topic of tone and comparisons between guitars, pickups must be taken into consideration as I also have reason to believe that the earlier Burns guitars used different pickups to the 2005 (or later) models. I can't quite place the exact reason for this but I could hear these as simply being hotter and more responsive pickups compared to the perhaps muddier sounding pickups in the 2005 model. Both guitars now have Adeson pickups which improve the tone BIG TIME!

At the end of the day -- it's a personal choice if you like a guitar or not. I have no qualms with any quality control or issues with any of the Brian May endorsed products. They all sound good - if setup and tweaked the right way.

Just my two cents... for what it's worth.

[QUOTE] [b]Reid_Special_98 wrote:[/b]

On the topic of tone and comparisons between guitars, pickups must be taken into consideration as I also have reason to believe that the earlier Burns guitars used different pickups to the 2005 (or later) models. I can't quite place the exact reason for this but I could hear these as simply being hotter and more responsive pickups compared to the perhaps muddier sounding pickups in the 2005 model.[/QUOTE]

But the problem with that is - when you turn the volume down 1 you don't get that crisp clean sound. It's still saturated.

Who knows - maybe I just played a shitty one. There are too many good reviews of the Burns to balance my bad one.

The crispness and clean tones were not taken into my own consideration, I'll be honest. However I would further guess that the pickups were modified further, for the more current BMG models - which is perhaps why they are given the true signature stamp.

With that being said -- taking it one step further - My pickups are now built to Guyton specs and really have the sparkle missing in both the 2002 and 2005 batches. Worth a look for sure !!

Hi,
any of you great guys can tell me where (in Europe) I could get done a professional tremolo conversion of my BMG RS replica ?
The parts I can find on Internet, but I don't have the ability to do the conversion by myself.

Thanks, Bernie

I would ask your local guitar retailer for any local people that service/set-up and repair guitars, it's a fairly big job so make sure the guy knows what your are looking for before you commit to it.

I have recently become the proud owner of one of the early BMG red specials.
As it was such an early model it is the burns spec with the burns bridge and black switches.
It sounds like you have the same one.
I spoke to a very helpful gentleman called Barry at Brian may guitars before I bought it.
He informs me that occasional that spec guitar can have intonation issues.
Mine luckily doesn't have that problem.
If yours doesn't have that issue then you have a great guitar.
On on mine the intonation is great, the action is really comfortable, definition between phases is clear.
Around a beautiful guitar.