Built with mahogany from an old fireplace mantle and an oak fingerboard with mother-of-pearl buttons, it remained May’s primary guitar on stage throughout Queen’s success in the ‘70s and ‘80s and became synonymous with the band’s sound.
Now, Iommi has revealed that May has given him a customised left-handed replica of the model, thanking him in a social media post.
Alongside photos of himself playing the instrument, Iommi wrote: “Huge thanks to my best friend @brianmayforreal and master builder Andrew Guyton @guyton_guitars for this incredible left-handed Red Special replica. Andrew personally delivered it last week – a true gift from Brian, two years in the making. Christmas came early!”
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Last year, Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, Brian May of Queen and Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath met together on February (2024) , for the inauguration of the Gibson Garage, the new Gibson guitar flagship store, in London
Guitar lovers need not fret ‒ the American brand Gibson has just opened a brand new shop in the capital. Rock legends Jimmy Page, Brian May and Tony Iommi were all in attendance, with Page cutting the ribbon to mark the official opening.
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The Gibson Garage London – the guitar giant’s first flagship store outside of the US – officially opened its doors today, accompanied by two longtime champions of the brand, Jimmy Page (who announced his own multi-guitar partnership at the event) and Black Sabbath legend Tony Iommi.
But standing between them was someone less associated with Gibson headstocks: Brian May.
“We are so proud to have him in our Gibson family,” enthused Gibson President and CEO Cesar Gueikian. “From a little band called Queen… Brian May!”
London’s new Gibson Garage is inspired by the guitar-maker’s Nashville flagship. Inside, there’s a showroom where musicians can try out and buy guitars, including many of the brand’s most iconic models: such as the classic Les Paul model (as seen during David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust era) and Slash’s go-to, the devil-horned Gibson SG. Some of their most colourful offerings whir around the ceiling, hanging from conveyor belts.
“It’s really great that Gibson have chosen London to create a new Gibson Garage,” said Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi. “It’s not your average guitar shop-it’s a place where musicians can go to get inspired. Whatever style of player you may be there’s such a wide variety of guitars to choose from.”
Also on display are Gibson’s other brands: Epiphone, Kramer, MESA/Boogie, and Maestro.
At the opening, Gibson announced an ongoing collaboration with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, who is now partnering with the Garage. “When I met with [president and chief executive] Cesar [Gueikian] and he explained what the future of Gibson looked like, I knew I needed to be involved,” Page said. “There is a spirit in the place; after seeing the people working at the factories and getting a connection with them, I knew that picking up that Les Paul Custom and the Doubleneck all those years ago was certainly the right decision.”
