BRIAN MAY'S COIN GUITAR PICKS

Since Queen's debut album was released in 1973, plenty has been said about Brian May's guitar tone, and rightly so. Yet, while most look to his handcrafted Red Special guitar, alongside a Vox AC30 combo and a treble booster as the secrets to his tone, a Queen expert has pointed out a lesser-known but equally significant element: sixpence guitar picks.

Guesting on the Booked on Rock Podcast to promote his new book, Queen & A Night at the Opera: 50 Years, author Gillian G. Gaar has spoken about the big impact the unusual guitar picks have on his overall sound.

"He didn't like a pick," Gaar explains. "And Brian, being ever so meticulous about this stuff, was saying that the older six-penny pieces, which would probably be a type of pence coin these days, had more nickel in them.

"So, they were a bit softer, and the serrated edge would help him get different tones from the guitar. He always has a stack of older six-penny pieces he could rely on. I think he said people mail them to him as well."

According to Gaar's book, May isn't just after any old coin; he has a very specific criterion any would-be pick needs to meet.

"He said, 'Sixpences expenses are very soft metal, which doesn't hurt the guitar strings. But if I turn that serrated edge at an angle to the string, I can get that kind of articulating percussive, consonant sound,'" the book states.

"‘Before about 1950, they had a high content of nickel. Which makes them really soft. So, I especially like a 1947 sixpence, the year that I was born.'"

The coin is so important to May that he has a custom made "Maydusa" six-pence glued to the headstock of his Red Special. The legend on it reads "Brian May: Back to the Light."

To read the complete article, see:
"He always has a stack of older six-penny pieces he could rely on." Why old coins proved the perfect guitar pick for Brian May (https://www.guitarplayer.com/guitarists/brian-may-six-penny-guitar-picks)

 

To read the complete item description, see:
Brian May Red Special 2024 Sixpence (https://queenonlinestore.com/products/brian-may-red-special-2024-sixpence)

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web