Brian May Gives Tony Iommi Custom Left-Handed Red Special Guitar

Queen guitarist Brian May gave Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi a custom left-handed replica of his Red Special guitar. Master builder Andrew Guyton delivered it last week after two years of work.

"Huge thanks to my best friend Brian May and master builder Andrew Guyton for this incredible left-handed Red Special replica," said Tony Iommi in a social media post. "Andrew personally delivered it last week — a true gift from Brian, two years in the making. Christmas came early!"

Andrew Guyton explained how he built it. "It's built with the exact vintage construction of Brian May's original Red Special, but shaped to match Tony's iconic Jaydee Old Boy neck," said Guyton. "Features a built-in treble booster and authentic vintage-style pots and pickups to replicate the classic tone."

Brian May and his father Harold assembled the original Red Special from scratch in the early 1960s. They crafted it with mahogany from an old fireplace mantle and an oak fingerboard with mother-of-pearl buttons. May built it because he couldn't afford a major brand back then.

May used this guitar on stage throughout Queen's success in the 1970s and 1980s. It became an integral part of the band's sound.

The two guitarists have been friends for years. Brian May attended Black Sabbath — The Ballet at Sadler's Wells in London on October 22. Tony Iommi joined the cast for the closing number, "Paranoid," performing the guitar solo.

Brian May shared video of the performance on social media. "Wow! The true Father of Heavy Metal making that beautiful axe sing like a bird tonight at Sadlers Wells," wrote May on Instagram. "Tony Iommi plus a 40 piece orchestra and a cast of 50 dancers — putting the icing on the cake of a great production of Black Sabbath the Ballet. Proud to call this infinitely modest and generous genius my friend."