Steve Vai Reveals Struggle Playing Brian May’s Iconic Red Special Guitar

Steve Vai has shared a vivid memory from his early career. He was 20 and newly arrived in Los Angeles when the moment happened.

A chance meeting at the Rainbow

Vai walked into the Rainbow Bar & Grill and found Brian May at the bar. He had grown up with Queen posters and Led Zeppelin on his walls.

The Rainbow is a famed LA venue. It has been frequented by Guns N’ Roses, The Who, Led Zeppelin, and Alice Cooper.

Invitation to a Queen rehearsal

May welcomed the young guitarist and invited him to a Queen rehearsal. Vai described the invitation as surreal and deeply meaningful.

At the rehearsal Vai spotted the Red Special. May offered to let him play the guitar.

Struggling with the Red Special

Vai later admitted he struggled to get a tune from the instrument. He blamed the neck profile and heavy string setup.

He compared the neck to a bat and estimated the strings around 0.8 gauge. Still, he called it a miracle to have the Red Special under his fingers.

Reflections and custom instruments

Years later, Vai displayed a custom “Vai-ified” Red Special. He joked that the neck was the size of a small tree.

He used a colorful simile about a giraffe on roller skates to describe his awkwardness playing it. The episode became part of his public anecdotes.

Brian May, Gibson and the Red Special

Brian May signed with Gibson in 2024. The move surprised many in the guitar community.

Prior to that, the Gibson SJ-200 was released as May’s first-ever signature instrument last year. Fans speculated about a Gibson-made Red Special, but no official product has emerged.

A single regretful modification

May once made one modification to the Red Special after taking inspiration from Jimi Hendrix. He later said he regretted that change.

In an interview with Q104.3 New York, as reported to Filmogaz.com, Vai framed the encounter as formative. The story underlines the reality behind iconic moments in rock history.