Sir Brian May performs on his new Gibson Custom Brian May SJ-200 12-String acoustic guitar at the Gibson Garage London. Photo Gibson. Handout via The Gourmet Gazette

LONDON, UK —Queen legend Sir Brian May was on hand last February 18th to launch the brand-new Gibson Custom Brian May SJ-200 12 String acoustic guitar. This is his first model with the iconic and leading global instrument brand, and the launch kicked off Gibson Garage Fest—a week-long series of events celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Gibson Garage London. The songs performed by Sir Brian May on the new 12- string guitar included Queen’s “Love Of My Life” and a beautiful rendition of “So Sad (to Watch Good Love Go Bad)” by The Everly Brothers. “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, » said the musician, commenting on his collaboration with Gibson.

Sir Brian May performs on his new Gibson Custom Brian May SJ-200 12-String acoustic guitar at the Gibson Garage London. Photo Gibson. Handout via The Gourmet Gazette

The Brian May SJ-200 12-String from Gibson Custom underscores Sir Brian’s contribution to rock music, and his deep passion for astronomy. After decades of worldwide fame with his distinctive sound and celebrated guitar work, he finished his dissertation and received a doctorate in astrophysics in 2007. A rare instrument, the Gibson SJ-200 12-String features an AAA rosewood back and sides, an AAA Sitka spruce top with a Vintage Sunburst finish, and a 2-piece AAA maple neck with a Rounded profile, walnut stringer, and a rosewood fret board with agoya shell 8-point star inlays. The headstock also features an 8-point agoya shell star inlay, along with the Gibson logo in mother-of-pearl and gold Grover® Mini Rotomatic® tuning machines. The Moustache bridge is solid rosewood with four 60s-style agoya inlays.

The Gibson Custom Brian May SJ-200 12 String Acoustic Guitar. Photo Gibson. Handout via The Gourmet Gazette

The planetary-themed pick guard was designed by Sir Brian May and further reinforces the astronomy motif. The strings are mounted in reverse order, with the thicker strings at the top, followed by the octave strings beneath, giving it a distinctive sound that’s unlike other Gibson 12-string acoustic models. Only 100 of these exceptional instruments have been handcrafted by the expert luthiers of Gibson Custom in Bozeman, Montana. The Gibson Garage London is located at 61-62 Eastcastle St, London, UK. The limited-edition Brian May SJ-200 12-String acoustic from Gibson Custom is now available to purchase at the Gibson Garage London, the Gibson Garage Nashville, and online via http://www.gibson.com.
Special to The Gourmet Gazette