Jamie Moses cut his teeth performing Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, and James Brown on Air Force bases, as well as on radio and TV, all by the tender age of 13. After a stint with The Animals’ Eric Burdon in the late '80s, Moses' hard-fought hours led to a golden opportunity with Brian May, where he played second fiddle to the Queen guitarist in his solo band.
This gig morphed into an 11-year stint touring with Queen – an experience that solidified his reputation as an in-demand guitar player. However, touring with May meant adjusting his rig – specifically, his axe of choice.
“Funny thing is when I auditioned with Brian for his band, I had this amp called the Fender 75, which was a combo. I had two of those, and Brian said, ‘What a great guitar sound you’ve got.’ I had an old Strat, which I still use, and he loved the sound,” Moses says in an upcoming Guitar World interview.
“Once we got to doing the Queen thing, I used that for a little while, and one day, I could see that Brian was thinking about something, and he said, ‘How would you feel about using one of my Brian May guitars? Like a copy of mine?’ I said, ‘Yeah, sure.’ And I ended up doing that.”
Switching from a Strat to a Red Special replica came with its challenges. “I find them harder to use and control because all the switches and knobs are in a weird place,” he explains.
However, May was cognizant of Moses' preferences and suggested he could get a custom one made especially for him.
“He said, ‘Just tell them if you want anything different.’ I got it, and Brian came to soundcheck and said, ‘Is that the new guitar?’ I said, ‘Yeah,’ and he said, ‘What’s that knob for?’”
Moses had modified the Red Special replica so that it had an extra knob by the bridge in the same place a Strat volume knob would be. He did this so that he could control it using his pinkie and “make the sort of violin sounds.” Turns out, May liked the idea so much that he added one to his own guitar.
Earlier this year, the Queen guitar icon was announced as the newest member of the Gibson family, a move that led May to confirm that Gibson-built Red Specials are on the cards.
Guitar World's full interview with Jamie Moses will be published next month.
