Queen guitarist and rock legend Brian May launches his own Gibson 12-string acoustic guitar in London this week.

The guitarist has long been a fan of the acoustic, and has used the 12-string in the past as a writing aid. Some of Brian May’s most acclaimed work features the instrument, but he’s always struggled to find one that fits his exact specs.

Gibson stepped in to work alongside him, with Brian May guiding the design process. For guitar heads out there, the new Brian May SJ-200 12-string acoustic boasts AAA rosewood back and sides, AAA Sitka spruce top, 2-piece AAA maple neck with walnut stringer, Rounded profile, and rosewood fretboard with agoya shell 8-point star inlays, planetary-themed pickguard, and Fishman Matrix electronics.

Curiously, the design below the pickguard features the first few planets from the sun – yep, Mercury is within him wherever he goes.

Launched at the Gibson Garage London, Brian May took part in a Q&A with Absolute Radio host Leona Graham, before introducing singer-songwriter Arielle.

The London based artist performed a few tracks on the 12-string, before Brian May was invited back onstage for a number of duets, including ‘So Sad’ and ‘Love Token’.

Sir Brian May commented onstage…

“It’s a dream come true, as soon as I held the guitar, I thought this is what I need. It has such presence and such a beautiful breadth of sound. Gibson has done the most beautiful job, it has the lovely solar system on it, including Mercury, but the most important thing is it sounds massive.” 

“It’s very traditional old school technology, not made with AI or mechanised in any way. I take fantastic pride in it and I’m very honored to have worked with Gibson. From the days when I used to gaze enviously at the guitar catalogues, sitting there with my dad, I wish he was here to see this amazing fusion of the collaboration we’ve made.”

The event took place at Gibson Garage London, with the space celebrating 12 months in Central London.

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