It is the guitar that Brian May used to play the national anthem on top of Buckingham Palace, that he used at every concert and for every Queen album. When they are on tour it even has its own body guard. The Red Special or 'old lady' as it is affectionately known, is the electric guitar that was built by Brian May when he was a teenager with the help of his father.
 
The guitar was built using any old bits and pieces they could find and took two years to make. The neck was from an old fireplace. The pearl inlay on the fret board is old mother of pearl buttons. The tremolo arm was made from a bicycle saddlebag, which was finished with the tip of one of Brian May's mother's knitting needles.
 
Fifty years later and Brian May has written a book chronicling every last facet and fixing of the old lady. It is a testament to the patience and tenderness he experienced by his father through the trials of creating what become an iconic musical instrument.
 
The book is called 'Brian May's Red Special: The Story of the Home-Made Guitar that Rocked Queen and the World' by Brian May with Simon Bradley, Carlton Book £19.99.