Brian May Red Special Guitar Tremolo Arm Design and Make by dsgb

In this video I take you through the CAD design and full metalwork fabrication from scratch of the tremolo arm assembly on Brian May's Red Special guitar. Although you can buy these from Red Special guitar parts suppliers, some don't have authentic section lengths or bend angles and come as part of a full tremolo tailpiece assembly at considerable cost.

Chapters and Time Indexes

00:00 - Introductory montage.
00:28 - The tremolo arm on Brian’s original Red Special guitar.
00:40 - Classic bicycle and motorcycle saddle bag support bars.
01:01 - The ergonomics and aesthetics of the Red Special tremolo arm.
01:28 - dsgb YouTube video thumbnails.
01:49 - Tremolo arm design inputs.
02:27 - Tremolo arm CAD design sketch with bend radii general discussion.
03:06 - Tremolo arm CAD design sketch with bend angles illustrated.
03:23 - Brass bushing design details discussion.
03:47 - Tremolo arm full assembly animated 3D render.
04:10 - Bend forming jig CAD design discussion.
04:54 - Bend forming jig animated 3D render.
05:13 - Bend forming jig assembly presentation.
05:45 - Materials and components (1) - 5/8” diameter brass rod.
06:20 - Materials and components (2) - 5 mm diameter stainless steel rod.
06:40 - Materials and components (3) - 10 mm diameter stainless steel M5 threaded bushings.
06:48 - Materials and components (4) - Mild steel angle plate.
07:03 - Brass bushing billet cutting.
08:05 - Brass bushing central mounting hole drilling.
08:20 - Brass bushing fit check on the guitar (1).
08:27 - Brass bushing rebate drilling.
08:56 - Brass bushing edge roundover.
09:35 - Brass bushing fit check on the guitar (2).
09:43 - Stainless steel rod preparation.
10:05 - Stainless steel rod end shaping.
11:00 - Brazing filler metal discussion.
11:21 - Brazing flux discussion and application.
11:33 - Brazing operations.
12:15 - Bending jig preparation.
12:52 - Bend 1 and discussion of hot forging considerations.
13:53 - Bend 2.
14:15 - Bend 3.
14:40 - Trimming the main section to the required length.
14:48 - Examining the completed truss rod assemblies.
15:05 - Filing away flat spots with a diamond coated metal file.
15:17 - Final dressing with graded abrasive papers.
15:26 - Comparing the DIY tremolo arm with the professionally made item.
15:33 - Outro.

You can find design drawings of the hardware on Greg Fryer’s Red Special guitar replicas on his website here:

https://fryerguitars.com/red-special-...

Please check out my other YouTube videos which cover a wide range of topics related to Brian May’s guitars and musical equipment. Further information on all my guitar related projects is available on my website, dsgb.net.

#BrianMay #RedSpecial