Brian May’s Egmond Student Guitar

This was Brian May’s first guitar ever, which he got from his parents for his 7th birthday. As he explained during the “Red Special” book launch in 2014, this little Egmond acoustic guitar was the main inspiration for eventually building the Red Special together with his father.

At some point, Brian even made a pickup for the guitar and mounted it on top behind the soundhole.

The inspiration for the Red Special came from this little guitar. It was a present to me from my mom and dad for me 7 birthday – or so (around 1954).

There came a point when me and my dad said – well, it would be nice to have an electric gutiar, instead of this acoustic guitar. But – we had no money, we were really poor.

Brian May’s Red Special – The Book Launch

Traded with Dave Dilloway

Brian traded this guitar with Dave Dilloway, who played the bass in Brian’s band called “1984” from 1964-1968. In exchange, Brian received an Hairfred acoustic guitar. As an interesting note, when the two met again, years later in 1990, Dave still had the guitar with him.

[Brian] drank lager from a can, strummed his very first guitar, an Egmond, which he hid swapped with Dave Dilloway many years before, and generally seemed to be much the same man they had last made close contact with nearly twenty-five years before. “He is just one of nature’s nice guys,” said Dave Dilloway.

Queen the early years (Hodkinson)