Riff Tone

One Vision (Live At Wembley Stadium / Friday July 11th 1986)

Queen

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

GuitarBrian May Red Special (original, handmade by Brian May and his father)

AmpVox AC30/6 (JMI, 1960s, three amps in parallel, center dry, sides wet)

PickupsTri-Sonic single-coil pickups (modified for series/parallel and phase switching)

Amp Settings

gain6.5

bass6

mid7.5

treble7

reverb1

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

boostKnight Audio Technologies Knight Audio Technologies KAT STB Treble Booster

chorusTC Electronic TC Electronic SCF Stereo Chorus Flanger

Notes

Live performance, Magic Tour, Wembley Stadium, July 11th 1986. Guitar is always the Red Special for main riff. Amp is Vox AC30/6 Bass, center amp dry, left/right amps for effects. Treble booster (KAT STB) always on before wireless. Effects (chorus/flanger) only on side amps. No amp reverb or delay for riff section.

Tone Character(10)

classic British crunchbright and articulatetight and percussiveharmonically richchimey top endfull-bodied rhythmdynamic responsemodulation shimmer (side amps)slight natural compressionclear note separation

Difficulty

The riff requires tight, fast alternate picking and palm muting at high tempo, with syncopated accents and dynamic control for clarity. While not technically virtuosic, the speed and precision needed make it challenging for intermediate players.