Oak from an old table and blockboard (with a mahogany veneer), semi-solid body
Depth: 1 9/16" (40 mm)
Neck
Bolt on, one large bolt which sits beneath the fingerboard and goes through a hole in the body then a nut is then attached; it is also screwed down by two wood screws at the tenon end which ends just before the bridge pick-up. The Greg Fryer, Burns/Brian May Guitars, Guild, John Birch and Greco replicas feature a set (glued) neck.
Mahogany from a Victorian fireplace surround mantel
Neck pitch: 2¡Æ
Headstock angle: 4¡Æ
Width at nut: 47 mm
Width at 12th fret: 51 mm
Depth at 1st fret: 1" (25 mm)
Depth at 12th fret: 27 mm
Though using a 24-fret fingerboard, the scale length of the Red Special is a short 24" (609.6 mm); compared to the Gibson standard of 24.75" (628.65 mm) and Fender's common 25.5" (647.7 mm) scale lengths, this creates a looser feel for the strings, which is conducive to May's extensive use of string bending and his wide vibrato.
Fretboard
Black-painted oak
Radius: 7.25"
Scale length: 24" (610 mm)
Number of frets: 24
Fret gauge: 2.4mm x 1.2mm
Inlays: 3¡Æ, 5¡Æ, 9¡Æ, 15¡Æ, 17¡Æ, 21¡Æ (one dot), 7¡Æ and 19¡Æ (two dots), 12¡Æ and 24¡Æ (three dots)
Nut
"Zero" fret with Bakelite string guide
Strings
String spacing at nut: 1 13/16" (46 mm)
String spacing at bridge: 2"
Strings: Optima Gold Brian May Custom Gauge (.009 .011 .016 .024 .032 .042)