Tones that will rock you
now in AmpliTube Custom Shop
A special guitar, one-of-a-kind gear, unmistakable sound. Brian May’s guitar tone has powered some of the biggest rock anthems the world has ever heard. His intricately-layered harmonized leads, muscular rhythm guitar, and sweet clean tones blazed a path for rock guitarists, proving that rock music can have both brains and brawn.
This machine is wild!! It transforms your guitar into a different instrument in a different universe - in this case, MY universe. Dial in one of the presets to get into Hammer to Fall or Bo Rhap or Killer Queen. Then make your own custom adjustments to fine- tune it, and mould it, and create the tone you want to own. And ... save!! Enjoy!
Available in a convenient desktop app and plug-in for your DAW, AmpliTube Brian May carefully replicates his rig, including 2 amps, 3 cabinets, and 5 stompbox effects, all modeled with the supervision of May himself.
Listen to audio demos
All audio demos by Jamie Humphries (guitarist for official Queen production “We Will Rock You”, also performed with Queen, Brian May, Jeff Beck, Ronan Keating, more)
You want it all and IK has delivered. We worked meticulously with Brian May and his techs to provide the unique signature sound you’ve heard on countless albums and stages for decades.
From Brian’s treble booster to his three-amp VOX® AC30™ setup to his carefully-curated effects selection, the attention to detail in modeling this inimitable tone will make you the champion of guitar tone. Get the tones that rocked millions today!
It all starts with the guitar…
As much as the effects and amplifiers, the true key to May’s tone is his Red Special guitar. In the early 1960s, Brian and his father built this guitar from materials they had on hand, including wood from their fireplace mantel and springs from a motorbike! Even the Burns Tri-Sonic pickups were altered.
For AmpliTube Brian May, we knew we needed to provide the unique sound of this instrument, so we went the extra mile to develop a new stompbox effect to help simulate the tone and controls of the Red Special itself.
What’s included in AmpliTube Brian May
AmpliTube Brian May features 10 brand new models including 2 amps, 3 cabinets and 5 stomps created to recreate both the guitar and gear Brian used live and in the studio. A new pedal modeling his Red Special guitar, the unique home-built “Deacy” Amp (with adjustable battery power!), the famous triple-amp setup, his tone-shaping effects, and even a harmonizer so you can nail those Queen leads and go Headlong into the tone that sparked a rock revolution – they’re all here.
BM 30
BM DK
2 Amplifiers
BM 30
Based on the classic triple VOX® AC30™ setup, this model offers 3 amps with the effects chain in a Wet-Dry-Wet configuration to match Brian May’s iconic setup.
BM DK
Originally created by John Deacon, after modifying an old radio. This small amp soon became the trademark sound of many Queen songs.
3 Cabinets
2x12 BM 30 Blue
Triple cabinet based on the cab section of VOX® AC30™ equipped with with Celestion™ Alnico Blue speakers.
2x12 BM 30 H70
Triple cabinet based on the cab section of VOX® AC30™ equipped with with Celestion™ G12H Anniversary speakers.
1x6 BM DK
Cabinet section of the BM DK amp, featuring a 6” speaker, modeled after the mysterious “Deacy” amp.
2x12 BM 30 Blue - 2x12 BM 30 H70
1x6 BM DK
5 Stompboxes
Red Special
Created by a detailed study of Brian May’s famous guitar, this helps add the unique tonality and controls of the Red Special itself.
Treble Booster
Based on the original KAT® Treble Booster, this stompbox effect will enrich your guitar tone similar to Brian May’s by boosting it before it reaches the amp.
May Wah
Based on a rackmount Dunlop® Cry Baby® wah, modeled in the exact configurations Brian uses to shape his tone.
FOX Phaser
Based on fOXX® Foot Phaser, a pedal-controlled phaser with a unique and distinctive sound.
Star Gate
This noise gate helps clean up the signal chain, minimizing the noise feeding Brian’s unique amp and pedal setup.
Groundbreaking Modeling Technology
For the AmpliTube Brian May, we used our latest Dynamic Interaction Modeling™ to deliver the highest level of ultra-realistic sound when modeling Brian's gear. The product of 20 years’ experience modeling analog gear, DIM™ models the behavior of EVERY component in the circuit all the way down to its smallest nuance and character. IK models have set the industry standard evidenced by our co-branding recognition from the most influential partners in the industry such as Fender®, Ampeg®, Orange®, Soldano® and many more.
Applied to Brian May’s rig, the result is the same sound and feel you’d get from the real gear as he used in the recording studio and live in concert.
Legendary tones… for free
The AmpliTube Custom Shop is a free software package for your Mac or PC that includes a complete guitar dual signal chain; tuner, pedalboard, amplifier, cabinet, microphone and rack effects section. It comes with 24 pieces of gear and access to our unique online virtual music store where you can purchase the AmpliTube Brian May models either a-la-carte or as a complete collection. You can even create almost any rig you can dream up combining AmpliTube Brian May gear with the universe of gear available to try or buy in Custom Shop.
When used as a standalone application, AmpliTube Custom Shop features a 4-track recorder section and a song-player for easy play-along capabilities. The SpeedTrainer function allows you to slow down the audio so you can learn Brian May’s signature licks note for note without affecting the pitch. Grab a sixpence coin for your plectrum and give it a whirl…
For complete info on the AmpliTube Custom Shop and how it works, click here.
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