Dire Straits Amp Settings & Guitar Tone
Mark Knopfler is one of rock's great tone chameleons — from the sparkling clean Strat fingerpicking of Sultans of Swing to the aggressive, wah-filtered crunch of Money for Nothing and the singing Les Paul swells of Brothers in Arms. The constant: no pick, just fingers.
Signature Sound
Knopfler's tone spans a remarkable range while always being unmistakably his. Early work features a Fender Strat through a Vibrolux Reverb for clean, dynamic fingerpicking. By Brothers in Arms, he switched to a Gibson Les Paul '59 Reissue through a cranked Marshall JTM45 — the title track's neck humbucker produces violin-like volume swells, while Money for Nothing's bridge pickup through a parked Morley wah creates rock's most recognizable crunch riff. In every case, his fingerpicking technique (never a pick) is the defining element.
Featured Tone
Sultans of Swing (1978)
1961 Fender Stratocaster → Fender Vibrolux Reverb
Clean, sparkling, dynamic Strat tone with warm, round attack from fingerpicking. Slightly breaking up on harder passages. Bright but never harsh. Very dry.
Typical Gear & Settings
Average Amp Settings
Amplifiers
- Fender Vibrolux Reverb
- Marshall JTM45 head → Laney 4×12 speaker cabinet
- Marshall JTM45
Guitars
- 1961 Fender Stratocaster
- 1983 Gibson Les Paul Standard '59 Reissue (serial #90006, purchased from Rudy Pensa)
- 1983 Gibson Les Paul Standard '59 Reissue (serial #90006)
Pickups
- humbucker
- single coil
Effects & Pedals
none
Minimal effects - very dry (1 song)
wah (parked)
Morley Wah Pedal (fixed/parked position) (1 song)
volume
Ernie Ball Volume Pedal (1 song)
Playing Style
Dire Straits Song Tones
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