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Hey…remember me…the
guy leaning against the garage door lookin’ down and pickin’ his
guitar? You know…BlueRick? Well, I’m back with another ‘MINI-View u
can USE. So let’s' roll tape'....uh I hope that phrase doesn't give
away my age...
ANYWAY there I was in ...hey! ...I can't advertise a store for free!!!
So...there I was in this world famous, huge music retail outlet with
the initials S.A., when I happened upon, and ultimately bought, this
cool stompbox: The Brian May Red Special.
And this what the salesguy told me.
It seems that DigiTech just released this awesome stompbox: The Brian
May Red Special ($249 retail/$199 street) and added it to their Artist
Series line. The Red Special utilizes DigiTech’s (they make great
stuff) digital Production Modeling technology to clone Brian May’s
singular tones from classic Queen songs so that we can all become rock
royalty by merely stepping upon its treadle. After all, I can dream
can't I? The pedal even simulates the sound of May’s famous, homemade
Red Special guitar, as equipped with its trio of vintage Burns
Tri-Sonic pickups. All you do is turn the Guitar Knob to HB if you
play a humbucker-loaded instrument, and to SC if your guitar is a
single-coil model. The pedal does the rest, and you can even fine tune
the timbre by jockeying the knob. (the sales guy said players who
actually own a Red Special replica need only click the knob to Red
Special.)
You can choose to use May’s tones, or opt to adapt or mutate his
sounds through the Red Special’s Gain, Bass, Treble, and Control
knobs, and its expression pedal. (The parameter options allowed via
the expression pedal and Control knob are dependent upon the digital
model selected.) Seven models are provided with one variation each for
a total of 14 May-rific sounds. All you haveto do is just toe click
the expression pedal for Toe Mode (the first seven models), and heel
back for Heel Mode (the second seven models).
Then the bored salesguy went on to tell me that the Red Special’s
seven, dual-sound presets are derived from “Keep Yourself Alive”
(intro and solo), “Bohemian Rhapsody” (first solo, rhythm and finale
orchestral fanfare), “Tie Your Mother Down” (intro and solo), “We Will
Rock You/We Are the Champions” (the solo tones for each song), “Crazy
Little Thing Called Love” (acoustic intro and Telecaster solo),
“Brighton Rock” (May’s live solo tones: three amps with delay and
chorus, and orchestral hamonizer), and “A Winter’s Tale” (an
unprocessed model of the infamous “Deacy” amp built by Queen bassist
John Deacon, and the song’s solo tone). I wrote it all down (yeah
right)...I read the manual.
The manual says that the three 'Flexible Output Modes' let you easily
configure the pedal for use with a mono or stereo amplifier, or a
mixing console (where the pedal’s stereo output can be assigned to two
individual channels on the mixer). An optional DigiTech FS3X
footswitch is available if you wanna select models without bending
down to twist the pedal’s Model knob. The FS3X can also toggle between
the Toe and Heel modes. Power is handled by an included AC power
supply (the Red Special cannot be powered by batteries). The package
also includes a lush Artist Series gig bag, as well as a sixpence coin
that you can use as a pick—just like Brian. The pedal is even colored
and wood grained to represent the finish of May’s Red Special guitar.
Well sign me up.
So...How's it sound?
Well, if it was me, I’d be worried about simulating the tones of one
of rock’s most unique and individual sonic stylists, but, hey, these
guys also cloned Hendrix for the Experience pedal, and that
worked.This is, however, where you learn that the Guitar Knob is no
joke. Spinning the knob to the wrong settings on purpose, I then
plugged in my Burns Red Special replica (yeah I have one but that's a
review for another time), my Fender Telecaster and my Stratocaster,
and finally, my Gibson Blueshawk, with the P-90s (remember that
review?) and got very May-like sounds that didn’t quite stand up under
A/B testing with the original tracks. However, sounds were pretty
accurateconsidering that first, I’m not Brian May, and second, I don’t
play like Brian May, The highs and mids matched right up, and the
accuracy of the effects and ambiences were great.
The real deal sealer was the three-part harmony model for the
“Brighton Rock” solo. Stunning textures and guitar harmonies are May’s
fortes, and you certainly don’t want to be assaulted by a cheesy
emulation. This isn’t. In fact, it made me laugh my ass off how much I
“sounded” like Brian May when using this preset. The accuracy and vibe
is astounding, and the harmonies—and the sounds of those harmonies—are
dead on. They didn’t just model one foundational tone, and then
harmonize it. They must have nabbed each harmony pass from the master
tape to ensure that the subtle tonal phrasing between overdubs was
captured. SOLD BABY!!!
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So there it
is...I’m a Queen fan who will never get Brian May to lend me his
Red Special. This pedal is the closest I’m ever going to get to
sounding anything like him. If you dig that sound, this pedal
rocks and it's even built tough enough to take on the road. Just
don't try to pass your self off as Brian May...there's only one of
him...well now there's two of him...heh...heh...heh. |
That’s it for this
time until next time. HEY...Don’t lose the beat……………….BlueRick
CLICK HERE for more information on this pedal.
BlueRick is the stage name used by Rick Solomon, a veteran of the
local NY music scene. He’s played in clubs, bars, street fairs and
guitar shows and expos. He’s also an on-call studio musician with a
great deal of recording experience. He’s currently in studio
completing his latest album, “Promised Land”. You can hear BlueRick on
his website,
www.BlueRick.com.
BlueRick@BlueRick.com |
