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Owner’s Manual
E 1
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The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated • Read these instructions. "dangerous voltage" within the product's •Keep these instructions. enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude • Heed all warnings. to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons. •Follow all instructions. • Do not use this apparatus near water. The exclamation point within an equilateral • Mains power
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FOREWORD n the popular domain of “Classic Rock” Brian May needs no introduction. Thanks to his expansive body of work with Queen, he is quite literally a global institution. I In addition to being one of the genre’s finest songwriters and arrangers, fans and critics alike consider him to be one of rock’s most distinctive and tasteful guitarists. And, just like his unique playing style, Brian’s instantly recognisable guitar tone is highly revered, fortifying his status as a living legend. As you
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Brian’s Introduction for Vox Brian May Special! © Richard Gray For years I have been wondering what on Earth I would do if the Leg- endary Deacy Amp one day stopped working! And so often I have been asked where such an amp could be bought, to produce sounds as far apart in time as “The Fairy Feller’s Masterstroke” from “Queen 2,” and “Bijou” from the “Innuendo” album. Well..... It’s here!! At last I am secure in the knowledge that Steve Grindrod &Vox now know how to provide me—and you—with an
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DETAILS: History, Use and Design Philosophy. s stated in the FOREWORD, the original Deacy amp was made by Queen’s bass player, John Deacon, sometime in 1970/1971, whilst he & Brian were A studying at University. The compact combo he built boasts no controls what-so-ever and, according to legend, was put together from parts the bassist managed to salvage from a rubbish skip (a large garbage container)! The amplifier circuit-board* John used consisted of a simple, solid-state design that dates bac
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In a nutshell, the Brian May Special is a 10 Watt, 1 x 6.5" combo that sounds identical to Brian’s homemade “Deacy System” (i.e. his Treble Booster/Deacy amp combination) and also offers the following additional features that dramatically enhance its flexibility: Controls for Gain, Tone and Volume plus a High/Low Gain switch. A Booster Output that allows you to use the Booster section of the Deacy to drive another amp. This is a very useful facility as Brian uses his homemade Treble Booster
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GUIDED TOUR OF THE BRIAN MAY SPECIAL’S TOP PANEL As you’re about to discover, this unique combo is a truly versatile piece of gear that’s ideal for practicing, recording, or hooking-up to your favorite amp for added gain and sustain. We’re sure it will provide you with a plethora of great additional guitar tones that feel as good as they sound. Let’s take a quick tour of the features and controls that make your new Brian May Special as flexible as it is toneful... The Top Panel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
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IMPORTANT NOTE 1: Using the BOOSTER OUTPUT disconnects the rest of the Brian May Special. So, when you use your Brian May Special as a BOOSTER you can’t use it as an amp as well. IMPORTANT NOTE 2: When using the BOOSTER OUTPUT, the only two controls that affect its output are the GAIN knob (2) and the GAIN switch (4). The TONE control (5) and VOLUME control (6) have no affect on the BOOSTER OUTPUT what-so-ever. BRIAN MAY SETTING TIP #1: For the BOOSTER to sound exactly like Brian’s homemade Treb
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7. RECORDING/HEADPHONE jack This speaker-emulated jack enables you to connect directly to a mixing console or portable recorder such as a Korg PXR4 or D1600. Additionally, you can hook- up headphones to this jack for a great emulated sound. Turning the VOLUME controls (6) to zero will facilitate “silent” practicing. 8. EXTENSION SPEAKER jack This jack allows you to connect an external speaker cabinet for added tonal possibilities. Be sure to use a speaker cable (unshielded) when doing this and t
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Brian May Special Specifications • Dimensions (W x H x D): 13.3 x 11.8 x 6.9 (inches)/ 338 x 300 x 175 (mm) • Weight: 12 lbs. / 5.6 kg • Output Power: 10 Watts (RMS) • Speaker: 1 x 6.5" custom-voiced, full-range speaker • Inputs: Input jack • Outputs: Booster Output, External Speaker, and Recording/Headphone Line Out. • Controls: Gain, Tone and Volume. Gain (High/Low) push switch, Power switch (with LED) *Specifications are subject to change without notice. 8
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Technical Talk 1) The Original Deacy As already mentioned in DETAILS at the beginning of this manual, the original amplifier itself dates back to a Mullard circuit that was published when transistors first became available as a consumer product, and was probably “rescued” from a car radio, as it is built on a commercial printed circuit board. The amp features the total amount of four germanium transistors — two for the preamp and driver stage, and two for the push-pull output stage. The cir- cui
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2) The new Brian May Special To recap on DETAILS, after many meetings with Brian it was decided that this model would satisfy the following three criteria: i) It would sound and feel exactly like his homemade “Deacy system” which comprises of his Treble Booster and the original Deacy amp built by John Deacon. ii) It would also offer more power, features and tonal flexibility. & iii) It would be as affordable as possible. 10
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Brian May Special Signal Path Flowchart HEADPHONE T 9V BATTERY SIMULATOR 9V BATTERY SIMULATOR AND R RECORDING S OUTPUT OUTPUT SPEAKER SYSTEM TONE TRANSFORMER EMULATION BOOSTER ONLY SIMULATION TREBLE GAIN OUTPUT JACK T T VOLUME R BOOSTER T S S PREAMP & DRIVER STAGE PUSH-PULL OUTPUT STAGE S 10 Watt EXTERNAL POWER AMP LOUDSPEAKER GAIN SWITCH OUTPUT With reference to the above flowchart: i) The TREBLE BOOSTER stage is a direct copy of Brian’s homemade Treble Booster pedal. The only things differen
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iv) PUSH-PULL OUTPUT STAGE. Again the original format was studied and for the reasons outlined above has been changed to accommodate avail- able technology: a) Germanium PNP changed to Silicon PNP. b) The output transformer has been changed to an electronic simulation. v) The TONE circuit was not on the original Deacy amp. This has been added to give more flexibility to the amp. It is placed after the distortion developing original circuitry, and can be used to colour the sound from mellow “-” t
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E 1 IMPORTANT NOTICE TO CONSUMERS This product has been manufactured according to strict specifications and voltage requirements that are applicable in the country in which it is intended that this product should be used. If you have purchased this product via the internet, through mail order, and/or via a telephone sale, you must verify that this product is intended to be used in the country in which you reside. WARNING: Use of this product in any country other than that for which it is intende
