Riff Tone
'39
Queen
Guitarrock1970s
Original Gear
GuitarOvation 1658 Legend Custom 12-String
AmpJMI Vox AC30/6 Bass
PickupsPiezo pickup (Ovation factory, under-saddle piezo)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass6
mid7
treble7
reverb2
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1975 (A Night at the Opera sessions). Brian May played the main riff and rhythm section of '39 on an Ovation 12-string acoustic-electric, plugged into a Vox AC30/6 Bass amp. No evidence of electric guitar or Red Special on this section. No effects or pedals confirmed for the studio version riff.
Tone Character(10)
bright and chimingarticulate and percussivecrisp acoustic attackwarm, woody resonanceclear string separationopen and airynatural dynamic responseslight room ambienceuncompressedno overdrive or breakup
Difficulty
The riff requires accurate, even strumming and clean chord changes on a 12-string acoustic, which is more challenging than a standard 6-string but does not involve advanced techniques or fast passages.
Sources
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Create Free AccountGuitarrock1970s
Original Gear
GuitarOvation 1658 Legend Custom 12-String
AmpJMI Vox AC30/6 Bass
PickupsPiezo pickup (Ovation factory, under-saddle piezo)
Amp Settings
gain0
bass6
mid7
treble7
reverb2
presence5.5
Effects & Signal Chain
No effects used for this tone
Notes
Studio recording, 1975 (A Night at the Opera sessions). Brian May played the main riff and rhythm section of '39 on an Ovation 12-string acoustic-electric, plugged into a Vox AC30/6 Bass amp. No evidence of electric guitar or Red Special on this section. No effects or pedals confirmed for the studio version riff.
Tone Character(10)
bright and chimingarticulate and percussivecrisp acoustic attackwarm, woody resonanceclear string separationopen and airynatural dynamic responseslight room ambienceuncompressedno overdrive or breakup
Difficulty
The riff requires accurate, even strumming and clean chord changes on a 12-string acoustic, which is more challenging than a standard 6-string but does not involve advanced techniques or fast passages.
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