Brian May Signature Guitar exposed to extremes of heat and cold. Always avoid freezing temperatures, as this can result in the finish cracking. Avoid storage in direct sunlight. Features (Refer to Illustration on the Front of this Document) Your guitar will always look and sound its best if it is periodically cleaned. A buildup of dirt and dust can mar your guitar's finish. Your Burns USA dealer stocks an entire range of guitar care products. The Burns USA Brian May Signature Guitar is designed and manufactured to exacting specifications, Please read and follow the directions of the individual product you use. characteristic of a high quality professional instrument:

Preparing a New Guitar Mahogany Neck and Body – The guitar is crafted from mahogany timbers. The body features pinstripe binding on the front and back. The body also features an acoustic chamber to enhance the resonance characteristics of this fine, unique electric guitar. When you receive you new guitar you will probably find a thin plastic film that protects the various cover plates and the pickups. The presence of this film can be detected as a general dull, and possibly Ebony Fingerboard – The neck of the guitar features a fine-quality polished ebony finger board wrinkled appearance on the surface. See the illustrations below for the locations of this film. equipped with 24 medium frets on a 24" scale.

Bi-directional Truss Rod – The guitar features a bi-directional truss rod for the adjustment of the neck for any warps or bows that might occur as the result of climatic or humidity changes. The truss rod is accessible under the small cover plate mounted on the headstock at the top of the fingerboard. Burns USA strongly recommends that all neck adjustments are carried out by a skilled guitar repairperson or guitar technician.

Locking Grover Tuners – The guitar features locking Grover tuners, which will help retain tuning of the guitar even with excessive use of the vibrato arm (whammy bar).

Burns London Deluxe Vibrato System – The point pivot mechanism of the Burns deluxe vibrato system assures that the guitar remains in tune at all times.

Tri-Sonic® Pickups – The Burns Tri-Sonic pickups are an important feature of Brian May’s original guitar. These helped to provide that classic Queen sound. These unique pickups, which are only available from Burns USA/Burns London, are reproduced exactly to the original design for your guitar.

Pickup Selector and Phase Switches – The unique switching system of Brian May’s guitar, featuring controls for pickup ON/OFF and phase switching for the individual pickups is also an important aspect that is required for the reproduction of the authentic Queen sound (see settings section).

Master Tone and Volume Controls – For convenience of operation, master tone and volume rotary controls are provided.

Care and Maintenance Also note the location of the guitar’s serial number on the backside of the headstock. Note down this number and make sure that you record it in your warranty information and on your warranty card. Make A guitar is usually out of its case and not being played when damage occurs. Chips and dents can certain that you return your completed warranty registration card to Burns USA to ensure usually be avoided if the guitar is stored in its case when not in use. Your Burns USA dealer can complete warranty coverage. provide you with a custom-designed case that will provide full protection to your Brian May Signature guitar when not in use and when transported. Strings

There are a few simple precautions that you can take while transporting your Burns USA guitar that will In keeping with Brian May’s preference, Burns has fitted the guitar with lightweight strings. These may minimize the chances of damage. Always remove the vibrato arm (whammy bar) before closing the lid be too light for your personal taste and so you may wish to change them to a medium weight string. The of the case. A convenient compartment is provided for safe storage of this arm when not in use. When frequency with which you should change your strings depends, of course, on how much you use your transporting the guitar in a car, always keep the case on the floor so that it will not move around inside guitar. A good rule of thumb is to change your strings after about 20 hours of actual use, and at least the car in case of a sudden stop. Also, avoid storing the guitar in the trunk of a car, where it may be every month. If a wound string breaks, it is usually best to replace the entire set.

Burns USA, PO Box 269, Bethel, CT 06801, USA Tel: (203) 205-0056/FAX: 203-205-9062

Burns Brian May Signature Guitar Instructions Neck And Action Adjustment and Product Guide There are only two basic adjustments that can affect the way that your Brian May Signature guitar plays: the Neck Bow/Warp and the String Action

The string action has been set low at the factory. If when you play one or more strings exhibits a buzzing sound from the frets it is likely that you will need to raise the action. Burns Logo You should have both the neck and the action periodically checked. Never adjust one without checking Locking Grover Tuners the other Always have the neck checked first. Burns USA strongly recommends that a skilled guitar repairperson or guitar technician carry out all neck and action adjustments. Your dealer can either Headstock carry out these adjustments or refer you to a guitar repair shop. Truss Rod Cover NECK BOW/WARP – The neck on your guitar can be adjusted for the amount of bow/warp by means Nut of the bi-directional truss rod located under the small cover mounted on the headstock. The neck is adjusted by inserting the hex head wrench, supplied with the guitar, into the adjusting mechanism located in the neck channel under the cover.

STRING ACTION – After the truss rod is adjusted, the string action can be adjusted. String action describes the height of the strings above the 12th fret. Action is measured at the 12th fret by determining Ebony Fingerboard the distance from the top of the 12th fret to the center of the string. Adjusting the string saddles on the combined bridge/vibrato system of your guitar can change the height of the string. Frets

Switch Settings Mahogany Neck

At first sight, the switch settings on the Brian May Signature guitar might seem a little confusing or intimidating. In reality, these are just simple ON/OFF and phase reversal switches for the individual pickups. Refer to the illustration below:

Strap Button Switch OFF Switch ON

Pickguard Layout of switches of guitar pickguard Genuine Burns Pickup OFF/ON Phase Switches Tri-Sonic® Pickups Vibrato Arm

Pickup ON/OFF Pickup #1, Top or Neck High Gloss Finished Body with White Pickup Phase Pickup #2, Middle Edge Bindings Master Tone Pickup #3, Bottom or Bridge Combined Bridge Master Volume and Vibrato System

Note: The master tone control will modify the sounds produced by the different switch combinations.

Burns USA, PO Box 269, Bethel, CT 06801, USA Tel: (203) 205-0056/FAX: 203-205-9062