Queen – The Works
The music gear and equipment used by the artists, producers, engineers, and more involved in the making of the 1984 album The Works.
Music from The Works
Gear Used On The Works
Explore the instruments, equipment, software, and production tools used in the making of Queen – The Works (1984). Click more on each item to see exactly how it was used.
Freddie Mercury
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Guitars used by Freddie Mercury on The Works
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Mercury used a Blonde 1983 Fender Telecaster for "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" from 1984-1986 during "The Works Tour" (1984-1985) and "The Magic Tour" (1986), replacing the 12-String Ovation used previosly. Photo shows Mercury with his Telecaster on 7/13/85 for Queen's set at the "Live Aid" benefit concert.
Keyboards and Synthesizers used by Freddie Mercury on The Works
Avg price: $19,549.06
In the One Vision and A Kind Of Magic Sessions, you can see what is clearly a Jupiter-8 but with the brand labels taped over for whatever reason. The arpeggio bass at 4:24 in One Vision was done on the Jupiter as that is the only synth they had available to have an on board arpeggiator.
Avg price: $5,849.00
In this photo from Mountain Studios, Freddie Mercury can be seen recording with an Oberheim OB-Xa synthesizer. The photo was most likely taken during sessions for The Works by Queen, rather than Hot Space (which is all Jupiter-8 according to Reinhold Mack, no Oberheim).
Brian May
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Keyboards and Synthesizers used by Brian May on The Works
Avg price: $19,549.06
Brian May is seen playing a Roland Jupiter-8 in this photo taken at Mountain Studios in 1981 during sessions for Hot Space. The Jupiter-8 was also used on The Works.
Guitars used by Brian May on The Works
Semi-Hollowbody Electric Guitars
Avg price: $899.99
As evidenced by this photo from a 2017 performance at London's O2 Arena (courtesy Wikipedia), and per this article from Guitariego, dated March 19, 2020.
Though there have been many replicas and reproduction made over the years, original Red Special, the actual guitar he built from scratch with his father when Brian was just a teenager, is still Brian's main guitar.
This is one of the few homemade guitars famous enough to have it's own Wikipedia page.
Spike Edney
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Keyboards and Synthesizers used by Spike Edney on The Works
In a 1985 Greengate brochure, a photo shows Spike Edney setting up a Greengate DS:3 alongside drummer Roger Taylor, likely for the ongoing Works tour. Colin Holgate, a software developer and co-founder of Greengate, has since further confirmed that Spike was a customer of theirs.