Vox Brian May Special Guitar Combo Amplifier
No longer available at zZounds
10 Watts. 6.5 in. speaker. 'Deacy System' electronics.
Overview
Vox Brian May Special Guitar Combo Amplifier
The Special is a 10-watt, 1 x 6.5 in. practice/recording amp that sounds identical to Brian May's homemade 'Deacy System' (his Deacy amp/Treble Boost combination), which was the homemade, behind-the-scenes key to Brian's signature tone. The Special delivers the genuine feel and sonic integrity of Brian's original system. A Booster output allows the Booster section of the Brian May Special to drive another amp, in the same manner May employs live when he uses his Treble Booster to overdrive his AC30s (the Booster section of the Brian May Special sounds exactly like the effect of May's famed Treble Booster device). The Special also has an Emulated Recording/Headphone jack, an External Speaker jack and two 'battery simulation circuits,' one each for the Booster and amp sections.
Details
Brian May's guitar work with Queen resulted in some of the most memorable rock anthems of all time. His guitar sound is instantly recognizable, and, while many have tried to emulate it , reproducing his distinctive recorded trademark tone has been largely impossible, until now.
May and VOX Amplification have enjoyed a long association, and the guitarist's wall of AC30s is a spectacle that's thrilled concert-goers for years. Along with his 'Red Special' guitar, VOX has become a part of the artist's stage presence. But, in the studio, there's another device that's contributed mightily to May's enviable guitar tone. It's called the 'Deacy' in honour of… read more its creator, John Deacon, Queen's bassist, and it's an unlikely combination of a piecemeal amp, built of parts salvaged from a refuse heap in the early 1970's, and May's handcrafted "Treble Booster" pedal. Along with his guitar, this constituted an entirely original, homemade system, with a surprisingly pleasing and unmistakable sound quality.
May's one-of-a-kind combo amp started with a simple amplifier circuit board that consisted of an obsolete solid-state design, and was almost certainly lifted from a discarded car radio. The board was installed into a compact, 1960's 'bookshelf' HiFi speaker cabinet, fitted with a small woofer and tweeter. There were no controls to speak of, and the invention was powered by a 9 Volt battery, yielding an output of 0.45 Watts RMS. When teamed with May's Treble Boost pedal (which accentuates the upper-mid frequencies) and Red Special guitar, the resulting sound was both unnervingly beautiful and historically monumental.
This Deacy amp is one of May's most prized possessions, and, due to its age, an irreplaceable treasure. The electrical components have all fallen out of production, and the batteries are no longer readily available. Now though, in collaboration with Brian May himself, VOX Amplification is pleased to introduce a new amplifier that will allow its user to achieve the greatly desired effect of May's homespun system. This amplifier is the Brian May Special, painstakingly designed to capture every inherent sonic characteristic of the original May setup, with the addition of a few modern conveniences.
The Brian May Special is a 10 Watt, 1 x 6.5 in. combo amp that sounds identical to May's homemade 'Deacy System' (his Deacy amp/Treble Boost combination). While keeping the genuine feel and sonic integrity of the amp system intact, VOX added several enhancements that offer superior operation and versatility. The new Brian May Special features controls for Gain, Tone, and Volume, as well as a High/Low Gain switch (again, the original sported no controls whatsoever). A Booster output allows the Booster section of the Brian May Special to drive another amp, in the same manner May employs live when he uses his Treble Booster to overdrive his AC30s (the Booster section of the Brian May Special sounds exactly like the effect of May's famed Treble Booster device). Additionally, the Brian May Special has an Emulated Recording/Headphone jack and an External Speaker jack. read less
The Special is a 10-watt, 1 x 6.5 in. practice/recording amp that sounds identical to Brian May's homemade 'Deacy System' (his Deacy amp/Treble Boost combination), which was the homemade, behind-the-scenes key to Brian's signature tone. The Special delivers the genuine feel and sonic integrity of Brian's original system. A Booster output allows the Booster section of the Brian May Special to drive another amp, in the same manner May employs live when he uses his Treble Booster to overdrive his AC30s (the Booster section of the Brian May Special sounds exactly like the effect of May's famed Treble Booster device). The Special also has an Emulated Recording/Headphone jack, an External Speaker jack and two 'battery simulation circuits,' one each for the Booster and amp sections.
Details
Brian May's guitar work with Queen resulted in some of the most memorable rock anthems of all time. His guitar sound is instantly recognizable, and, while many have tried to emulate it , reproducing his distinctive recorded trademark tone has been largely impossible, until now.
May and VOX Amplification have enjoyed a long association, and the guitarist's wall of AC30s is a spectacle that's thrilled concert-goers for years. Along with his 'Red Special' guitar, VOX has become a part of the artist's stage presence. But, in the studio, there's another device that's contributed mightily to May's enviable guitar tone. It's called the 'Deacy' in honour of… read more its creator, John Deacon, Queen's bassist, and it's an unlikely combination of a piecemeal amp, built of parts salvaged from a refuse heap in the early 1970's, and May's handcrafted "Treble Booster" pedal. Along with his guitar, this constituted an entirely original, homemade system, with a surprisingly pleasing and unmistakable sound quality.
May's one-of-a-kind combo amp started with a simple amplifier circuit board that consisted of an obsolete solid-state design, and was almost certainly lifted from a discarded car radio. The board was installed into a compact, 1960's 'bookshelf' HiFi speaker cabinet, fitted with a small woofer and tweeter. There were no controls to speak of, and the invention was powered by a 9 Volt battery, yielding an output of 0.45 Watts RMS. When teamed with May's Treble Boost pedal (which accentuates the upper-mid frequencies) and Red Special guitar, the resulting sound was both unnervingly beautiful and historically monumental.
This Deacy amp is one of May's most prized possessions, and, due to its age, an irreplaceable treasure. The electrical components have all fallen out of production, and the batteries are no longer readily available. Now though, in collaboration with Brian May himself, VOX Amplification is pleased to introduce a new amplifier that will allow its user to achieve the greatly desired effect of May's homespun system. This amplifier is the Brian May Special, painstakingly designed to capture every inherent sonic characteristic of the original May setup, with the addition of a few modern conveniences.
The Brian May Special is a 10 Watt, 1 x 6.5 in. combo amp that sounds identical to May's homemade 'Deacy System' (his Deacy amp/Treble Boost combination). While keeping the genuine feel and sonic integrity of the amp system intact, VOX added several enhancements that offer superior operation and versatility. The new Brian May Special features controls for Gain, Tone, and Volume, as well as a High/Low Gain switch (again, the original sported no controls whatsoever). A Booster output allows the Booster section of the Brian May Special to drive another amp, in the same manner May employs live when he uses his Treble Booster to overdrive his AC30s (the Booster section of the Brian May Special sounds exactly like the effect of May's famed Treble Booster device). Additionally, the Brian May Special has an Emulated Recording/Headphone jack and an External Speaker jack. read less
Specs
Specifications
Output Power: 10 Watts (RMS)
Speaker: 1 x 6.5 in. custom-voiced, full-range speaker
Inputs: Input jack
Outputs: Booster Output, External Speaker, and Headphone/Recording Line Out
Controls: Gain, Tone and Volume. Gain (High/Low) push switch, Power switch (with LED)
Dimensions: 330 (W) x 273 (H) x 170 mm (D)/13 in. (W) x 10.75 in. (H) x 6.7 in. (D)
Weight: 5.6kg /12 lbs.
*Specifications and features are subject to change without notice.
Output Power: 10 Watts (RMS)
Speaker: 1 x 6.5 in. custom-voiced, full-range speaker
Inputs: Input jack
Outputs: Booster Output, External Speaker, and Headphone/Recording Line Out
Controls: Gain, Tone and Volume. Gain (High/Low) push switch, Power switch (with LED)
Dimensions: 330 (W) x 273 (H) x 170 mm (D)/13 in. (W) x 10.75 in. (H) x 6.7 in. (D)
Weight: 5.6kg /12 lbs.
*Specifications and features are subject to change without notice.
Reviews
Reviewers gave this product an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars.
(34 ratings)
Submitted March 4, 2009 by a customer from gmail.com
"Big things come in small packages."
Love it. Its so small it takes 1 slot in my rack now but still offers a great sound when I want it. It goes with me everywhere.
Sound
This amp's best sound is not with it's own speaker, it is designed to use an external speaker and a recording line out. It's sound for both of those things is unreal for $200. I hook it up to a Marshall cabinet and it can get quite loud, but most importantly, it sounds like the expensive Brian May combo AC30 but cost a lot less money.
Features
It has recording line outs, and external outs and the sound to make it worth using.
Ease of Use
It has 3 knobs gain, tone, volume; and a push button for clean or distorted. It has four jacks, all clearly labeled.
Quality
You get what you pay for, it's cheap so it's own speaker isn't amazing, but for a little 10 watt amp its one of the best I have seen. Besides, the real quality is in the electronics not its case.
Value
This for $200 + a Marshall 4X12 cab for $279 = a whole lot less money than the Brian may combo. If I needed to replace this I would go as high as $400, then other solutions would become more cost effective. But I got to admit, I fell in love with this sound after playing with it, I might go as high as it takes to replace.
Manufacturer Support
Vox is a great company. They are honorable are very helpful when dealing… read more with issues.
The Wow Factor
I gutted my little Brian May, which was done easily, replaced the transformer with a more powerful one, and put it in a rack. I got it a new faceplate and knobs. I gave it a bypass pedal that lets me replace a Marshall head. Its fun to have a different sound to play with once in a while. For the price, I never expected this to be as useful as it has become, I love it.
Musical Background:
Active Muscician, Hbbyist
Musical Style:
Classic rock and Melodic Metal. read less
Sound
This amp's best sound is not with it's own speaker, it is designed to use an external speaker and a recording line out. It's sound for both of those things is unreal for $200. I hook it up to a Marshall cabinet and it can get quite loud, but most importantly, it sounds like the expensive Brian May combo AC30 but cost a lot less money.
Features
It has recording line outs, and external outs and the sound to make it worth using.
Ease of Use
It has 3 knobs gain, tone, volume; and a push button for clean or distorted. It has four jacks, all clearly labeled.
Quality
You get what you pay for, it's cheap so it's own speaker isn't amazing, but for a little 10 watt amp its one of the best I have seen. Besides, the real quality is in the electronics not its case.
Value
This for $200 + a Marshall 4X12 cab for $279 = a whole lot less money than the Brian may combo. If I needed to replace this I would go as high as $400, then other solutions would become more cost effective. But I got to admit, I fell in love with this sound after playing with it, I might go as high as it takes to replace.
Manufacturer Support
Vox is a great company. They are honorable are very helpful when dealing… read more with issues.
The Wow Factor
I gutted my little Brian May, which was done easily, replaced the transformer with a more powerful one, and put it in a rack. I got it a new faceplate and knobs. I gave it a bypass pedal that lets me replace a Marshall head. Its fun to have a different sound to play with once in a while. For the price, I never expected this to be as useful as it has become, I love it.
Musical Background:
Active Muscician, Hbbyist
Musical Style:
Classic rock and Melodic Metal. read less
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