Les Paul (1915 - ∞)

A few days ago, as I was checking TV before breakfast I saw a shocking line saying "American Guitar Virtuoso Les Paul Dies at 94". It was kind of inevitable, nearly no one lives 94 years but what shook me was something much more interesting.

I was sitting with my family by the poolside when I saw a friend of mine coming. We started to chat about music and stuff. He plays double bass for my former university's orchestra and has a little recording studio on his own. We went to his place, we played stuff with his bass and guitar (which was a Les Paul replica), we watched various videos on youtube, discussing which guitar player is better. We watched Joe Pass, Zakk Wylde and many others and finally it came to Les Paul, I showed him this video and we were both amazed by this incredible man. Then I went home to sleep, and learned that he died when I woke up.

Les Paul was not just a Jazz/Blues guitarist, he was the most talented inventor the music industry has ever seen. Most notably, he invented solid body electric guitar and multi-track recording. The techniques he used was way ahead of his time. He recorded many hit songs in the 50's with his ex-wife Mary Ford, and with other legendary musicians including Chet Atkins. Most importantly, he was the inspiration to almost everything we hear today. When he had that famous traffic accident, he asked the doctors to bring his guitar, and the docs fixed his broken elbow according to his picking position.

When he was 93 last year, he was still playing at Iridium Jazz Club in New York on mondays. He was one of the few artists I wanted to hear live. I knew my dream was kind of impossible. He lived a very good life and with things he left behind, he'll live in our hearts forever. 

The Red Special

It's not a Gibson, it's not a Fender, in fact it doesn't even have a brand. What we have here is the most unique guitar of rock music history.

Brian May, the lead guitarist of Queen built this legendary instrument with his father, they used what they had in the house so it's basicly a built-your-guitar-at-home! They used woods from an 18th century fireplace for the body. May stated that he has two wormholes at the neck. The inlay buttons were his moms nacre buttons. The tremolo system was taken from an old motorbike. Because May is a physicist, he knows a lot about electricity and he has done all the wiring, he bought three single coil Burns pick-ups and wired them in series instead of paralels. Which resulted more bass and less treble, also when all pick-ups are active, the output is triple. He installed on/off switches for all three pick-ups which is not something common in three pick-up guitars.

Despite it's features, the Red Special also has a unique tone which is impossible to replicate. When you listen to a Queen cover, you know there's something wrong but you can't tell what it is. Let me tell you, it's the Red Special, no guitar(ist) can match it's tone or Brian May's technique. Brian May built this guitar in 1963 and used it to record all Queen albums. Today he still uses this 46 year old guitar along with it's replicas which makes it one of the longest active guitars of all time.

If you have enough money, you can have a replica of the Red Special. Brian May founded his own guitar company called Brian May Guitars (wow what a creative name) and reproduces this important instrument for Queen fans. Do I want one? I'm not so sure, even if they had a lefty model, this guitar is meant and built to be played by Brian May.