“We have spoken about such things, and it would be lovely to have an edition of the Brian May guitar based in the States”: Brian May confirms Gibson-built Red Specials are on the cards

Brian May has confirmed that a Gibson Custom Shop/Murphy Lab recreation of his iconic Red Special electric guitar is firmly on the table.

In February, at the grand opening of the Gibson Garage UK, the Queen legend was surprise-announced as a new member of the Gibson family. 

The news swiftly led to intense speculation over what this meant not only for May himself, but also what the move meant for the Red Special.

May’s iconic six-string sidepiece has been a mainstay for his entire musical career. The rock veteran has remained fiercely loyal to the guitar he first built with his father all those years ago, and for the past 20 years has been selling mass-produced versions of it under his own brand, Brian May Guitars.

At the time of the Gibson Garage UK opening, Guitar World theorized the new partnership could usher in a new breed of Red Special replicas – an awe-inspiring, meticulous tonal and visual recreation of the guitar fashioned under the watchful eye of the Gibson Custom Shop and Murphy Lab.

Gibson’s credentials for doing the job are evident. Over the years, the Custom Shop and Murphy Lab have recreated Kirk Hammett’s Greeny Les Paul, Jimmy Page’s EDS-1275 double-neck, and Jason Isbell’s 'Red Eye', to name a few.

Well, as May reveals in the new issue of Guitar World, such theories are correct, and a Murphy Lab Red Special could indeed become a reality.

“It’s not out of the question,” May responds when asked about the replica. “We have spoken about such things, and it would be lovely to have an edition of the Brian May guitar based in the States. After all, that’s where I started with Guild. 

“Guild made the first Brian May models, and then I went with Burns in [the UK]. And then things changed, and I just wanted to do it myself. Now we have our own Brian May Guitars company here, but to have the facility to have some made in the States would be wonderful.”

As May mentions, he did previously work with Guild and Burns to build licensed replicas of the Red Special, but it’s been more than two decades since a Red Special outside of the BMG umbrella was launched.

Now, it seems as though May is readying for another high-end replica that could go one step beyond the current crop of BMG models, and give guitar fans the most realistic recreation of the original Red Special to have ever been built.

“The Gibson Garage is great,” May continues of his grand unveiling. “Some people were saying, ‘Well, what the hell are you doing at Gibson? You’ve got your own guitar company.’ But actually, I have a great relationship with [Gibson] now.”

Since the first part of the theory is coming to fruition, just how far can we expect the Gibson/May partnership to go? If Gibson stays true to its trickle-down release schedule, it's possible a standard USA version may arrive shortly after.

Head over to Magazines Direct to pick up the latest issue of Guitar World, which features the full interview with Brian May.