Riff Tone
Fat Bottomed Girls (Single Version)
Queen
Guitarrock1970s
Original Gear
GuitarBrian May Red Special (original, hand-built by Brian May and his father)
AmpVox AC30 (Normal channel, 1970s model, likely 6-input Top Boost version, studio use)
PickupsTri-Sonic single-coil pickups (Burns, modified wiring, series/parallel, phase switches)
Amp Settings
gain5.5
bass6.5
mid7
treble7
reverb2
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
boostPete Cornish Pete Cornish Treble Booster
Notes
Studio recording, 1978. Brian May used his original Red Special with custom wiring and three Burns Tri-Sonic pickups. The amp was a Vox AC30, normal channel, with a treble booster in front. No evidence of additional guitars or amps for the main riff section in the studio version.
Tone Character(10)
big and fatcrunchy and articulateBritish amp midrangetight low endslightly saturatedopen and dynamicclear note separationclassic rock rhythmpunchy attacknot overly compressed
Difficulty
The riff requires tight shuffle timing, palm muting, and dynamic control to capture the groove and power of the original. Drop D tuning and big chord slides add to the technical challenge.
Sources
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Create Free AccountGuitarrock1970s
Original Gear
GuitarBrian May Red Special (original, hand-built by Brian May and his father)
AmpVox AC30 (Normal channel, 1970s model, likely 6-input Top Boost version, studio use)
PickupsTri-Sonic single-coil pickups (Burns, modified wiring, series/parallel, phase switches)
Amp Settings
gain5.5
bass6.5
mid7
treble7
reverb2
presence6
Effects & Signal Chain
boostPete Cornish Pete Cornish Treble Booster
Notes
Studio recording, 1978. Brian May used his original Red Special with custom wiring and three Burns Tri-Sonic pickups. The amp was a Vox AC30, normal channel, with a treble booster in front. No evidence of additional guitars or amps for the main riff section in the studio version.
Tone Character(10)
big and fatcrunchy and articulateBritish amp midrangetight low endslightly saturatedopen and dynamicclear note separationclassic rock rhythmpunchy attacknot overly compressed
Difficulty
The riff requires tight shuffle timing, palm muting, and dynamic control to capture the groove and power of the original. Drop D tuning and big chord slides add to the technical challenge.
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