Brian May Red Special Electronics: Potentiometers, Capacitor and KAT RS Superpot - dsgb

[@tribesmanjohn]

Another great informative video. Loved it as always 👍

[@dsgb]

Thanks again! 😎

[@TristanJCumpole]

An excellent video as always Doug, thank you! It's interesting how there are two approaches to designing one's electronics that also attempt to recreate elements that are often of no consequence based on end use. I'm all for the recreation to the nth degree of authenticity, as this is what has fuelled the ongoing interest in the Red Special and the aggregation of knowledge to support near flawless reproduction instruments. On the other hand, I also think that it should be okay for people to pick and choose their own interpretation by absorbing and drawing their own conclusions based on accurate historic information. Your videos feed into both of these thought processes very nicely without demonising one or the other. My own personal interpretation of the RS is exceptionally left of centre, drawing together a Gibson Firebird and a Red Special. Almost none of the internal specifics beyond the tremolo have been retained, and my expectations of sounding identical were never part of the thought process. I wanted the warmth and breadth of a neck through for the rhythm and blooming sustain over the response to loud amps in the room, so absolutely a defined end use! When I get around to making my own authentic-ish Red Special, I still don't think that I would want to go 100% authentic, as reasoned personal interpretation from my years in guitar making can't take a back seat without a fight. It's all good when people build, reason and share.

[@dsgb]

Fantastic feedback. As you recognise, understanding the quirks and features of Brian's original Red Special provides a sound basis for both accurate reproduction and heavy customisation. Although I guess that I'm a purist, I enjoy seeing original design guitars whose creators have been inspired by The Red Special. 😀

[@TristanJCumpole]

@@dsgb Absolutely. One could say that the wise would read the rulebook before throwing it out, as opposed to those that ignore historic background and claim authentic value anyway. The difference between working from a basis of knowledge and one that actively rejects it. I wrote a blog many years ago about the Red Special, questioning many of the assumptions that are made, for example the blockboard, and quantifying exactly what authentic value is contained by following that to the letter, and what one might expect from making choices that differ, and quantifying that which one has no control over, eg. 200yr-old trade woods. The differences between blockboard then and blockboard now, what it actually is and whether alternatives such as solid softwoods would provide the same contribution beyond the mental hurdle and limited visual aspect. Unsurprisingly, resistance of often found in the most reasoned of ideas when dealing with subjects of an "authentic" nature! We're very silly people.

[@dsgb]

A number of U.K. enthusiasts have believed for a while that you can strap a set of Adeson BM specification Tri-Sonic pickups to a broom, string it up and play it through Brian's rig and it would sound close. We ran a 14 guitar blind test at the 2018 U.K. meetup and very few seasoned amateur experts could pick out one Red Special over another (my converted Strat and a Gibson Les Paul included).

[@TristanJCumpole]

@@dsgb Ahhhh....but did you have a control broom? ;-) It is abundantly obvious that there is no one singular reference point given that the actual Red Special has changed over the years, including in age through use. What we hear as a recorded tone is never direct, and subject to its own interpretation. I enjoy that we have have a variety of subtleties in our instruments that are somewhat in the orbit of a nebulous "one", and that we should lean into those idiosyncracies and variations, especially when there is no absolute definition of 100% correct. I'd love to attend a meetup one year should I be able to. My RS Firebird and proposed Navy/gold RS schemed to match the cover of Greatest Hits II would be great to have critiqued by "the ears" at least for their unique interpretations upon the baseline!

[@dsgb]

Unfortunately, Mallers didn't bring Brian's control broom in 2018. We're still waiting and hoping it will return after the 2011 meetup appearance. ☺️ It would be good to see you at one, in the U.K. or U.S.A. 👍🏻😀

[@TheRedSpecialGuitarPodcast]

Great video Doug! As always. Creating these videos is ensuring future generations have access to the information before it is lost from the forum. Bravo!

[@dsgb]

Agreed. It pains me to think of all those rich discussions and nuggets that Nigel threw to us like crumbs from a rich man's table being lost to the digital graveyard of expired websites. 😟 They're already difficult enough to access and often I can only find information I remember reading or posting myself after trawling pages of forum posts returned by a specific keyword search.

[@palacraft8916]

Really Interesting Video ! It make me reflect about the electronic setup i would like put on my future replica of the Red Special

[@dsgb]

Thanks Nolhan. That's useful feedback. 👍🏻😀

[@CrossGuitarWorks]

Quality Doug x

[@dsgb]

Thanks Josef! I know you appreciate it. 👍🏻😀

[@ThomasBrunkard]

Excellent film Doug. Your 3d printed solutions to extend the pot shaft is elegant and praiseworthy. On the recording DI piece and tone control - personally I couldn't live without it. I use it on stage for a cello type of feedback piece at the end of Don't Stop Me Now but I've also found it very useful when recording harmonies with the captured and real deacy. Sometimes it's easier to use the tone cut than to start moving microphones and the effect is quite different than changing EQ in post. I'm an avid eBow fan and one of the directions given on that device is to dull the tone to taste as the acoustic coupling effect induces can get quite shrill. I know Brian experimented with an ebow but I think his "eBow" was often the interaction with the Deacy speaker and the volume envelope of the feedback when the tone is dulled is more like a bowed cello note. Brian may have also induced this effect and articulation with a cocked wah pedal but I'm inclined to believe that some of the earlier deacy work was actually tone cut. Looking forward to more of your presentations. The insight and detail are wonderful.

[@dsgb]

Hi Thomas. Thanks for the kind words as always and for chipping in with useful insights. 💜😀 l became a bit concerned that some people who were asking me about fitting a KAT RS Superpot weren't completely sure of what was involved in the modification and hadn't fully appreciated the benefit of retaining the treble cut circuit. I don't play through my Deacy enough but whenever I do, I feel compelled to dull treble from its output. When you piece together the information about Brian preferring to use a depleted battery and recording with a coat or blanket over it, it points to him trying anything possible to cut treble to emulate violin/cello tones. The KAT RS Superpot is a nifty idea that has been around for a while: geofex.com/Article_Folders/potsecrets/potscret.htm But I don't need or desire a more progressive transition from clean to overdriven tones. All the best. Doug

[@ValBoschi-ix9cd]

Love the superpot.

[@dsgb]

That good to know. I don't intend to fit mine to the guitar featured in this video. I might fit it to my upgraded Burns Special in future.

[@moritzbrunner40]

Another great content for all of us RS aficionados. I have a question, if you want to answer: in my self made replica, where I use switchcraft white switches and a set of basic Burns Tri Sonic, I feel as if the sound of the middle+bridge in phase is thicker and more powerful if I keep the neck pickup in phase even if it is off. Is it just me or does this make any sense? Many thanks

[@dsgb]

Thanks for your feedback. 👍🏻😀 The scenario you describe doesn't make sense to me unless there is a wiring error. If you suspect that there is an anomaly, measure the DC resistance of the circuit across the tip and body of the 1/4" jack plug with the neck pickup on and off. Don't rely on subjective considerations.

[@tomwoodhams9945]

Hi Doug. You must be a mind reader! I was wondering about this only last week wondering what difference the super pot makes and if it’s worth it. Thanks to your video I think I will leave mine the way it is because I don’t believe that I will gain (no pun intended) anything at home with quiet amps! Cheers!

[@dsgb]

Hi Tom. I got the feeling that some people just wanted to fit a KAT RS Superpot because it's the latest innovation that Brian has, without properly considering all the benefits and drawbacks. Also, people are asking me (some random guy off the internet) questions that they should be directing at the OEM, vendor and expert, Nigel Knight!

[@legratteuxparmitantdautres1601]

Great video:) Do you know why is there another version of the superpot with a 220pF cap and a different wiring that KAT sells on his website? On the diagram wiring, it says that it was done th 25th january 2019, after the version with the 2,2nF Cap in 2018, is it an update of the one that Brian put on his Red Special? And do you know which version he puts in his red special now? Thank you:)

[@dsgb]

I'm not aware of any changes. I suggest asking the vendor, Nigel Knight of Knight Audio Technologies (KAT) directly. Perhaps Nigel just revised the drawing to correct an error. I recommend reading this article written in 1999 by R. G. Keen which covers the theory behind emulating log/audio tapers. geofex.com/Article_Folders/potsecrets/potscret.htm

[@TheImbianchino]

Is it possible to mount the superpot on the original potentiometers plate?

[@dsgb]

No.

[@TheImbianchino]

@@dsgb do i have to remove the tone pot or can i keep It?

[@dsgb]

You can retain the treble cut tone controls but you will need to mount the tone capacitor somewhere else.

[@Linusthe3]

Why does the Red Special guitar bridge have 6 cheese head slot screws and 6 Brass hank rivet nuts, can you just screw them down with a normal screw. My workshop teacher asked Why he Diddint just screw them down and I didn't know

[@dsgb]

I don't know either but my best judgement is that the arrangement Brian chose is more secure in the underlying wood and threaded machine screws permit a more precise alignment of the roller bridge pieces. I can foresee challenges getting wood screws precisely inserted even with careful pilot drilling. A straightforward option to achieve the same secure and precise fit and avoid inserting six separate threaded inserts is to drill and tap six threaded holes in a section of thick (say 3-5 mm) brass bar and screw the brass bar into a rebate routed out of the top of the guitar body so that it is flush.

[@Linusthe3]

@@dsgb thanks

[@Linusthe3]

@@dsgbdo you have any blueprint on the shaft extenders

[@dsgb]

Yes. I designed them myself and the dimensions are customised to my Red Special.

[@Linusthe3]

Can u intonate a red special with a roller bridge perfekt. Because on a strat it's a screw you turn. So with a screw u can intonate the strat perfekt. But how is it on a red special Because u have the groves already cut out

[@Linusthe3]

Sorry for my bad English

[@dsgb]

Firstly, it's well understood that you can't set intonation *perfectly* across the entire fretboard on any guitar unless you fit true temperament frets which looks strange and the benefit is probably outweighed by the extra effort. Since there are limited bridge roller slots on a Red Special, achieving proper intonation is a bit more of a compromise than guitars with adjustable bridge saddles. However, good intonation is still possible. I haven't heard anybody with an authentic Red Special complain about this limitation and I haven't had any issues personally.

[@dsgb]

No problem, I understand you but you could try using an online spellchecker to help. 😀👍🏻

[@Linusthe3]

@@dsgb thanks for helping me

[@Tom-ek7hc]

Hi Doug. I sent you a quick message on Instagram about a pickup identification if it wouldn't he too much trouble. Would be most kindly appreciated. Thank you.

[@dsgb]

Got it.