Pink Floyd Amp Settings & Guitar Tone
David Gilmour's tone is the gold standard for expressive lead guitar. Built on a Hiwatt DR103, Big Muff fuzz, and lush delays, his sound is warm, singing, and impossibly spacious.
Signature Sound
Gilmour's approach uses a very clean, powerful amp (Hiwatt) as a platform, with pedals providing the overdrive and atmosphere. The Big Muff gives smooth, sustaining fuzz for leads, while delay pedals create the spacious, cathedral-like ambience. His Strat's natural brightness is tempered by the Big Muff's warmth, creating a balanced tone that sings without ever being harsh.
Featured Tone
Comfortably Numb (1979)
1955/57 Fender Stratocaster ('Black Strat') → Hiwatt DR103 Custom 100 into WEM cabinets
Thick, singing, violin-like sustain with warm low end and creamy highs. Neck pickup Strat through Big Muff creates almost vocal quality. Lush delay and reverb add depth. Simultaneously powerful and ethereal.
Typical Gear & Settings
Average Amp Settings
Amplifiers
- Hiwatt DR103 Custom 100 into WEM cabinets
- Hiwatt AP100
- No traditional guitar amp (acoustic recorded through studio mic
Guitars
- 1955/57 Fender Stratocaster ('Black Strat')
- David Gilmour’s black Fender Stratocaster (Black Strat era)
- 1971 Martin D12-28 (12-string, ‘radio’ intro) + 1969 Martin D-35 (full-fidelity acoustic lead lines)
Pickups
- single coil
- other
Effects & Pedals
compressor
MXR Dyna Comp (1 song)
fuzz/overdrive
Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi (Ram's Head) (1 song)
delay
MXR Digital Delay (1 song)
reverb
Lexicon plate reverb (studio) (1 song), Room/plate ambience (studio mix processing; inferred) (1 song)
boost/overdrive
Colorsound Power Boost (1 song)
fuzz
Fuzz Face (1 song)
delay/echo
Binson Echorec (tape echo) (1 song)
eq/filter
Car-radio re-amp + band-pass EQ filtering (studio effect) (1 song)
tremolo
Allison Research Kepex (Keyable Program Expander) used as gated tremolo via external sine source (studio processor) (1 song)
boost
Colorsound Power Boost (1 song)
phaser
MXR Phase 90 (1 song)
rotary
Leslie 147 (1 song)
Playing Style
Pink Floyd Song Tones
Comfortably Numb (1979)
Hiwatt DR103 Custom 100 into WEM cabinets
Time (1973)
Hiwatt AP100
Wish You Were Here (intro transition tone) (1975)
No traditional guitar amp (acoustic recorded through studio mic
Money (riff/verse guitar texture) (1973)
Hiwatt DR103 100W head into WEM 4x12 Starfinder cabinet (studio setup described for Dark Side sessions)
Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Pts. 1-5 (1975)
Hiwatt DR103 head with linked Normal and Brilliant inputs into a WEM Super Starfinder 200 4x12; Leslie 147 for rotary texture
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