Riff Tone

We Are the Champions

Queen

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

GuitarBrian May Red Special

AmpVox AC30 (Normal channel, cranked, no master volume, 1970s model)

PickupsTri-Sonic single-coil pickups (custom-wired, series/parallel, phase switching)

Amp Settings

gain7

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb2

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

boostDallas Arbiter (or custom) Dallas Rangemaster Treble Booster (or custom May variant)

Notes

Studio recording, 1977. Classic Brian May setup: Red Special into treble booster into Vox AC30. No evidence of additional pedals for the riff section. Settings and effects inferred from era, genre, and multiple sources confirming the classic May signal chain.

Tone Character(10)

harmonically richarticulate attackslightly overdrivenmidrange focuseddynamic and responsivesinging sustaintight and controlledbright but smoothclassic British crunchclear note separation

Difficulty

While the riff is not technically advanced, it requires careful attention to chord changes, dynamic picking, and rhythmic precision to capture the iconic sound.

Sources

How to get the “we are the champions “guitar sound on the Fender ...Brian May’s Gear Guide: How to Get That Queen Sound Brian May Amp Settings : r/queen - Reddit How to get Brian May's signature guitar sound

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