Greco Brian May BM900 Red Special PROTOTYPE 1973-1975 - Brown

Up for sale, a 1970's Greco BM900 Brian May

Red Special signature electric guitar in excellent

condition and in perfect working order, complete

with the original case. An early pre-serialized

iteration, this version is particularly rare with the

correct white slider switches seen on Brian's

original. Zemitis (current owners of what was Greco) said it is most likely a prototype before they had to cut cost and put a cheaper one into production. Currently has texas special pickups in it but I will included the original chrome Electra pickups with the chrome rings as well. As the first company to take up the

Brian May mantle quite early in Queen's career,

this Greco captures both the visual and sonic

stylings of this wholly unique instrument. With a

trio of alnico magnet single coil pickups and a

sextet of mini switches to engage the pickups

and offer some delightfully thinned out and

snappy out of phase sounds, this BM900 can

handle gain with ease and deliver the sweet.

singing, articulate sounds for which May is

known. Just add a treble booster and your

favorite Vox amp and you're well on your way.

The guitar is featherweight at 6lbs 6oz, and

we've had this BM900 professionally setup here

at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar with low action and

10-46 strings.

The mahogany neck has a medium C shaped

profile with moderate shoulder and lightly rolled

fretboard edges, filling out with just a hair more

roundness in the higher registers, measuring

845" deep at the 1st fret and tapering to .915"

at the 12th. The slab ebony fretboard features

dot inlay and stock medium jumbo fretwire. The slab ebony fretboard features

dot inlay and stock medium jumbo fretwire. The

stock frets are practically perfect with plenty of

meat, and the guitar plays effortlessly up the

straight neck with an ideally adjusted truss rod

The dual body cutaways offer ample access to

the highest frets too. On the headstock, the

early Greco script logo is inlaid in abalone, and

the stock set of USA-made Grover Rotomatic

tuning machines are intact and turn smoothly

The electronics all work as intended, with

Master Volume and Tone knobs governing the

trio of pickups, each with its own dedicated on/

off and phase mini switch. It's exceedingly rare

to find a Greco Red Special with the correct two-

way slider switches as opposed to mini toggles,

and the harmonica bridge and tuners are also

unusual for their USA provenance, as this guitar

proves to be not only a very early iteration, but a

no-expense-spared one as well. The pickups

have good muscle and fullness, and the

mahogany body adds a bit of inherent warmth

and bark to the sound.

the Volume and Tone knobs have their

respective V and T markings engraved on top.

The vibrato is also faithful to May's original

design, actuating easily for smooth, expressive

wails and warbles. The transparent gloss finish has a dark walnut tint which is super cool!

Cosmetic wear includes a bit of

requisite scuffing across the strum path and

some checking at the body binding, with one

binding chip at the bass side body horn which

has been stabilized. Wear on the gloss is

otherwise limited to some scattered small marks

and scratches on the body. The neck profile

sports a pristine gloss finish.

The original hardshell case is included.