the best treble booster

[changes]

I've heard from people that the best treble booster is BSM BM-Q which is the same unit Brian May uses. Does anybody have a schematic for that?

[petemoore]

I don't have it.
 Do you know what's in it or what the title letters mean [are they an abbreviation of soemthing?].
 I remember seeing a picture of that guy, on the MTV, but he had stax of VOX behind him at the time of the picture, and quite a crowd in front of him. I remember feeling a little 'second hand' watching footage of his gig.
 I'm pretty certain some people purport to know that he used a Germanuim Device, [two?], My curious satisfaction will never be satisfied.
 There are reports that 'extra' wires were installed in the guitar.
 Extensive testing 'May' ['pun' intended], be needed for a guitar player like this to find such tones. A huge pile of loot might make some difference, but in the end 'the player is only as good as his piano' rings true here.
 It is my belief that some guys just kinda get it somehow, by fluke or fancy, and that just how well thought out, and re-drafted [or just plain lucky] the rig is defines that player.
 In the 'old days there were standby's...guitars and amps without hybrid technology and marketivism [werd]. Much less variety, the techs and engineers still controlled most of the work, and were ruthlessly competetive about providing for ex. 'the worlds best amp'. You can still have made amps llike this...they're called replica's, or Vintage-Reissue.
 If I were to seek the Brian May experience, to the exclusion of all else, even for a short time, the first thing I would do would be order some speakers..I mean I would shop. I would see what's in the absultop pro amp//probably VOX or matchless or Celestion, and start ordering cabinets with those in them.
 I would forsee haveing  little problem adapting to some VOX or Matchless amps with 4x12 Vox Bottoms's and 2x12 Combo's...but I can make no claims that this would produce the exact tone.
 The guitar would be a little tricky..I would have to study that, meanwhile shopping for the rare Ge device...which would IMO have to involve A/Bing whatever circuit Brian May used back in the 70's on the same amps with the same guitar on the same day...even then it seems it might be 'hard to tell'...
 Some say it is 'that' Ge device that they have that 'does' it. I do....lol
 That is it does it for me with what I'm Using, mostly .007 theme, theme from the G, the B and the Ugly, and Johhny Uncle tunes.
 I would get some Ge's, and try biasing them, and testing them by ear.  Try Miss Piggy schematic...with different bipolar types.
 There are numerous treble booster schematics around, I like the ones with low parts count for ease of building and sound quality, IMO they really need to be tuned, and the more 'character' or distortion you go for the less they want to 'behave', adding more parts to a one transistor circuit... at some  point you reach diminishing returns.
  Look for a Ge that biases 'easily', and sounds great !

[Johan]

Brain May said in an intervue in swedish guitar-mag "Fuzz" ( great name..) that he used a rangemaster....if thats what he uses today? who knows, but at least we know what he used to use....

Johan

[changes]

Well Brian May doesn't use BSM BM-Q. But as the German Manufacturer warrants is the same silicon unit used from Brian May.
 And no that is not Rangemaster.May stopped to use Rangemaster when he lost it in a gig in the end of 70s.
 So the search still goes on.

[Hal]

could his homemade guitar have anything to do with his sound?

More than trebble boosted, a lot of his stuff sounds very, very compressed.  I think this is a function of the AC30's.  I hate to say it, but my friend got an amazing brian may sound on a cyber twin.

[petemoore]

All the right coils...that includes pickups transformers and speakers,
 All the right tubes...I don't know that the selection these days is any better than it was in the 70's, I haven't ever gotten my hands on Gold Lion [spelled Gold Line?] Tubes...these were used in VOX amps [II heard correctly] by Stones, Beatles Etc. They have a repyutation for stellar performance. Is there an equivalent available today?
 While we're on this 'line..what IS a 'great' tube that Is available today...I'm using EL34's and 12ax7's...

[Lonehdrider]

Hmmm, well to totally cop his tone you'll need to sew his fingers on and pray they keep the same touch, pressure and experience. I've been as guilty as others about trying to cop a tone, but you know, 10 guys playing Jimi hendrix's licks, sound like 10 guys playing Jimi Hendrix licks.
Sonically, and I could be wrong, but I 'thought' he used a rangemaster early on and then made some mods on it for more gain, theres some schematics on these sites that are for 'May' boosters. I think you'll have to tweak a basic booster circuit till you get what sounds like to your ears his tone, I say that because people have different idea's as to what sounds like the original to them. When it all comes down to it, fret time has as much to do with tone (your own) as anything else, listening and learning to 'feel' what he played will go a long way towards getting the sound you want. Ok, off soap box not trying to through a blanket on the topic, just pointing out the player adds a lot more sonically that you might think. Good luck with it.

Regards,

Lone

[Gearbuilder]

Hi there,

  Brian May sound ?In first ,it's difficult to be sure of what do they used exactly because many professionals  guitarists work with techs sound engineers and producers to have the best overall personnal and unique sound and there's  some true and some false informations .Many people have to understand this or they could be very frustated because a big sound is often difficult to obtain with big investissements

You should understand too  that beetween his first album and his last the sound has evolved and  maybe he used a rangemaster in his set-up in some  recordings and on other he used little amp like the famous Deaky(made by J Deacon says the legend . I've got an old article from Mr Peter Cornish and he worked for Brian at this time . He built for him a pedalboard with booster an effects such chorus Boss Chhorus Ensemble
and MXR digital delays . Look on the web there's some good sites on Brian May ,with interviews , gear set-up Vox and Echoplex so and so ....
What's your question ?Best Brian May boost ,?I've try some home made Range master but they never sound like Brian ,even with a VOX or Echoplex and singlesq coils ,it's near Rory Gallagher ,for sure or with Humbuckers this sound like Beano Clapton Sound . The best booster i've found  for sounding like Brian May is the booster from this site

http://www.boardsprep.com/mp3/treble_boosters.htm
and the schematic:
http://www.boardsprep.com/mp3/BrianMayBoost.gif

It's exactly the good frequencies boosted at the good level ,
soft sustain with a real good attack It's perfect for feeding any good tube amp with EL  84
Only one thing is sure i've seen Queen in 1984 or 85 and he was one of the best live sound i've heard and Mercury the most famous singer i've heard !
Bruno

[Arno van der Heijden]

Brian uses the Fryer Treble Booster these days. It's made by Greg Fryer, the guy who restored the Red Special and also built him 2 exact replica's.

[Jered]

If all you want is that Brian May sound, I've got the answer. The Vox Brian May Special nails his "Tie Your Mother Down" tone.
 Problem is, you can't get away from that sound, a one trick pony. Nonetheless a fun little amp for only $150 Mine was a gift so I'll never complain.
 I have single 6", 8", and 10" cabs with Jensen's new "Mod Series" speakers in them, and a single 12" with a Celestion in it that I run the amp through. Changes the sound relative to the speaker size, as you would suspect, but still can't get away from that BM type sound. So be it.
 Jered

[brian wenz]

Hello Hello--
  Do a "search" on Brian May [and related topics] for more info on that .
{It's been covered in detail months ago]
May does not use the Fryer box anymore.
The Vox BM amp uses a circuit that is real close to the Brian May Treble Booster [if not exactly the same...] so check out the schematic for the BM  TB.
May's guitar puts the three single-coil pickups in series humbucking mode, so alot of the tones are actually from two pickups being "on" together.
Any good DIY treble booster played through an amp with EL-84 tubes wired in "class-A"  [like a Vox]  will get you real close.
Brian.

[Arno van der Heijden]

May does not use the Fryer box anymore.

I think you're wrong here...

As far as I know he still uses it (maybe you confused it with a the Cornish one?). I'm a big fan of Brian, reading most of the sites with the latest news, but haven't heard anything about him using another TB recently.... :?

[petemoore]

Here's a question for guitar switch experts:
 Is it possible to wire two of the pickups in 'humbucker' mode, by disabling P1 [which I 'never use],...amd still retain positions 2 and 4 on the switch as they are [the positions I now use most ,and wouldn;t really want to lose]?

[Gearbuilder]

Hi,
What do you mean by P1 ?
Pot 1 or Neck pickup or ?
Bruno

[petemoore]

My buddy tried the Humbuck mod thing, he likes and recommends it.
 I would be more inclined to try it if I could keep the #2 and #4 switch settings [switch set #2 is bridge and middle pup, Sw setting #4 are the middle and neck pickups].
 The settings I use most are Neck pickup, Neck and middle, middle and bridge.
 Ones I don't use much are bridge alone and middle alone. If I could sacrifice one of these settings for the humbucker mod...

[Gearbuilder]

Hi,
Why don't you change your five position switch  by a three position with a push pull on your volume pot to switch in series one of your pickup ?
Bruno

[brian wenz]

Hello Hello--
   Arno--- Nope,  May owns two Fryers [one germ and one si.], still has a Cornish , an original Rangemaster, and has lately gotten a new treble booster made by a certain member of this forum who shall  remain anonymous.  He also owns lots of other stuff that he doesn't use anymore, too!
Brian.

[Gearbuilder]

f,,,

[Arno van der Heijden]

Brian,

Thanks for the information. I guess you're referring to Ammscray's Derangemaster?
How do you know all this stuff  

[brian wenz]

Hello Hello--
   Yeah, that's the guy!   He's a friend of mine and I didn't know if he wanted his "cover" blown but as long as it's common knowledge.........
 I've been a  pro guitar player since the 60's and get alot of first-hand information from all my other "jaded" friends in the music biz!
Brian.