What kind of Wah did Brian May use?

[vanessa]

I was listening to "A Night at the Opera" the other day and on several tracks May uses a wah effect. It's a very vocal wah sound not like a Vox or Crybaby. I did some searches on the net and I could not find anything about it. I believe it to be the same wah used on the track "Killer Queen".

[Arno van der Heijden]

It is believed to be a Vox. Don't know which model though.

[vanessa]

It sounds a bit like a Colorsound. I have a CS wah shell that I thought of putting a CS wah (clone) board into. The darn thing does not park at all. I think this may be the case with all of them. If it is I would have a hard time believing this was the wah he used as it sounds like he uses a 'parked' wah effect often.

If it's a Vox do you think he's using some sort of filter effect on top of it? Or maybe it's modified?

[jonathan perez]

well he DID use the phase foot....by foxx

[vanessa]

I think the Phase Foot is a phase shifter. I don't think it can do wah stuff. I've never owned one, who knows?

[vanessa]

Does anyone think it sounds like a Colorsound wah?

[Killer Queen]

It says on his site here:
http://www.brianmay.com/experts/exp2006.html
That, according to his techie Guy, he uses a rackmount crybaby... though I'm guessing it wasn't a crybaby which he used in ye olde days. (Though I guess the `vocal` sound of the wah could just be down to the very vocal sound of his guitar? And in Killer Queen IIRC and certainly in Things like Good Comppany where he uses the wah alot, he uses the deacy amp, which makes a pretty unusual sound as it is. And for the Good Company sounds, he played around with covering the amp with clothes and all sorts of mike placements to get the right tones for he various instument sounds.)

Also, Bri said this about his wah:
"A Wah Wah pedal ! You'd have to ask Pete if you want to know who makes this particular item. But it somehow works without having to be in the signal path. Marvellous what they can do these days with mirrors ! Otherwise it does what Wah Wah pedals have always done since .... Jimi Hendrix and Cream.... Because it's something which is 'playable', and has a feel imbued by the player with his foot, this kind of 'effect' never gets old. I like it for the solo of "Break Free"...which is another story which I think I told ages ago ...!"

If you're particularly interested in knwoing what wah he used back in those days, you might aswell ask him;
http://www.brianmay.com/brian/brianssb/brianssb.html
There's a `contact` button the the left. He's usually more than happy to answer questions.
Note he doesnt want any `general` questions until after his current tour has ended, which is mid-April I believe.

[Cyberfran]

Jen Wah, red fasel.

[anotherjim]

That, according to his techie Guy, he uses a rackmount crybaby...

A rackmount Cry Baby? Was there such a thing? I mean, the case would be so empty it could double as an echo chamber!

[nickbungus]

Live, I dont think a wah was used until I Want to Break Free so we're talking about the works tour, 1984.  I could be wrong though

The fOXX was rehoused into a CryBaby when it broke.  He also uses the fOXX like a wah at some point at one of the Live at the Rainbow '74.  Studio, I dont know.

https://www.brianmayworld.com/PeteCornish.htm

This reminds me, yesterday I accidentally dropped and broke 2 of my old Queen LPs. I was a bit gutted at first but it was also quite liberating breaking 2. Now I want to break three.

[anotherjim]

This reminds me, yesterday I accidentally dropped and broke 2 of my old Queen LPs. I was a bit gutted at first but it was also quite liberating breaking 2. Now I want to break three.

Dad joke of the week!

[nickbungus]

Sorry Jim, I did feel a little under pressure

[nickbungus]

I just remembered,  I read somewhere that in the studio a wah was used usually in front of the deacy amp. It was usually %^&*ed and used as a tone control. If I remember right,  bm was talking about Good Company and how he emulated the big band instruments.

My bad memory is saying Cry Baby but I wouldn't quote me.

[nickbungus]

The forum software doesn't like a word I've used in that last post.   It's like rocked but starts with a c

[bluebunny]

You mean cocked.

[Ben N]

It says on his site here:
http://www.brianmay.com/experts/exp2006.html
That, according to his techie Guy, he uses a rackmount crybaby... though I'm guessing it wasn't a crybaby which he used in ye olde days. (Though I guess the `vocal` sound of the wah could just be down to the very vocal sound of his guitar? And in Killer Queen IIRC and certainly in Things like Good Comppany where he uses the wah alot, he uses the deacy amp, which makes a pretty unusual sound as it is. And for the Good Company sounds, he played around with covering the amp with clothes and all sorts of mike placements to get the right tones for he various instument sounds.)

Also, Bri said this about his wah:
"A Wah Wah pedal ! You'd have to ask Pete if you want to know who makes this particular item. But it somehow works without having to be in the signal path. Marvellous what they can do these days with mirrors ! Otherwise it does what Wah Wah pedals have always done since .... Jimi Hendrix and Cream.... Because it's something which is 'playable', and has a feel imbued by the player with his foot, this kind of 'effect' never gets old. I like it for the solo of "Break Free"...which is another story which I think I told ages ago ...!"

If you're particularly interested in knwoing what wah he used back in those days, you might aswell ask him;
http://www.brianmay.com/brian/brianssb/brianssb.html
There's a `contact` button the the left. He's usually more than happy to answer questions.
Note he doesnt want any `general` questions until after his current tour has ended, which is mid-April I believe.

For a guy who is an actual rocket scientist, and built his own guitar with his Dad, he is remarkably untechnical.

[Paul Marossy]

That, according to his techie Guy, he uses a rackmount crybaby...

A rackmount Cry Baby? Was there such a thing? I mean, the case would be so empty it could double as an echo chamber!

Yes, there really is a rack mount CryBaby.