Kit’s Secret Guitar, Gear, and Music Page
Guitar stuff, gear stuff, soundclips, videos, Gilmour/Pink Floyd stuff, photos and other goodies.
Contact: nasnandos@kitrae.net
Copyright Kit Rae.
NOTE - I have listed the gear and settings I use in most cases, for reference, but note that the tones may not exactly match your rig, depending on which amp you use, your guitar, pickups, and fingers :)
What do each of the pedals David Gilmour used do and how do you set them to get similar Pink Floyd tones? Which pickups and amps work best for those tones? Here is a general guide to the gear and how to get the tones. There are audio clips demonstrating building basic Gilmour tones using some of the same gear David used. These clips are designed to show what each individual piece of gear contributes to the tone. I also highly recommend you look at Gilmourish.com and The Tone from Heaven for much more detailed reference. Those guys have really done their home work and have created very comprehensive websites on everything to do with David Gilmour's gear and tone. Gilmourish, created by Bjorn Riis, is the most comprehensive and best Gilmour gear guide on the web.
TONE BUILDING - Delicate Sound of Thunder and Pulse - The effects used an sound clips
TONE BUILDING - On an Island - The effects used and sound clips
BOOSTING A BIG MUFF - How to use an overdrive pedal to drive your Muff
EMG DG-20 SA or VINTAGE STYLE GUITAR PICKUPS - Which to use?
WHICH AMPLIFIER TO USE - Amps that work best for Gilmour tones
FINGERS - Skilled digits and vibrating the metal bar
Here are sound clips and info on the primary pedals needed to create the fuzz/distortion tones heard in solos from songs like On the Turning Away, Sorrow and Comfortably Numb. Below is a basic description of each what each pedal does. Some very detailed info about David's Pulse rig and gear can be found at The Tone from Heaven website. Below are photos of David's huge Momemtary Lapse of Reason and Division Bell touring rigs for Pink Floyd.
(left to right) David Gilmour's 1987 custom Bob Bradshaw rig and 1989 Bradshaw rig with Pete Cornish switching system
David Gilmour's 1994 custom Bob Bradshaw modded effects rig, with a Phil Taylor pedals-to-rack rack setup, Cornish modded effect pedals mounted on top, all controlled by a Bob Bradshaw midi floor pedalboard with a Pete Cornish switching system. Note the blue tick marks by the knobs in these enhanced photos, indicating the settings in these press photos are likely Gilmour's actual settings. The tick marks are to ensure the pedal settings are the same from show to show. Gilmour has similar marks on his 2006 all-tube Pete Cornish board.
TONE BUILDING WITH EMG SA ACTIVE PICKUPS - Here is a basic late 1980 through mid 1990s Gilmour tone using some of the same pedals and pickups David used. Fender Deluxe Stratocaster with EMG DG-20 SA active pickups, exactly the same as the type used in David's red strats from the mid 1980s through the 1990s. Used on the Momentary Lapse of Reason and Division Bell tours, as captured on the Delicate Sound of Thunder and Pulse CDs. All clips are played with a Fender Stratocaster through a clean, loud Fender Twin Reverb.
Pedals used, listed in chain order - Guitar > Boss CS-2 compressor > Red Army Overdrive (early Sovtek Big Muff, same as Civil War Muff) or V2 Ram's Head Big Muff > B.K. Butler Tube Driver > Boss GE-7 equalizer > Boss CE-2 chorus > TC Electronic Nova delay > Amp
PULSE TONE DEMOS BY FRÉDÉRIC PEYNET - Here are some excellent Pulse tone examples using an EMG Strat and a Koch Studiotone amplifier by Deck from the Gilmour Gear Forum.
Gear used and EMG settings
What Do You Want from Me : EMG Stratocaster > Demeter Compulator > Cornish G-2 > Boss CE-2 > T-Rex Replica > Koch Studiotone amp. EXG-2 SPC-6 Neck pickup
On the Turning Away: EMG Stratocaster > Demeter Compulator > Cornish P-2 > Tube Driver > CE-2 > Replica > Koch Studiotone amp. EXG-2 SPC-6-7 Bridge pickup
Poles Apart: EMG Stratocaster > Demeter Compulator > Cornish SS-2 > CE-2 - Replica > Koch Studiotone amp. EXG-5 SPC-10 Neck pickup
Sorrow: EMG Stratocaster > Cornish P-2 > Cornish SS-2 > CE-2 > Replica > Koch Studiotone amp. EXG-2-3 SPC-10 Bridge pickup
TONE BUILDING WITH VINTAGE STYLE SINGLE COIL PICKUPS - When I use vintage style pickups I can get a very similar sound to the EMG SA active pickups in David's red strats used on the Momentary Lapse of Reason and Division Bell tours by adding a Boss GE-7 equalizer. For earlier tones from Animals and The Wall I don't use the EQ. Fender American Std Stratocaster with Seymour Duncan SSL-5 bridge pickup, which is a replica of the custom wound SSL-1 pickup in David's Black Strat. All clips are played with a Fender Stratocaster through a clean, loud Fender Twin Reverb.
Pedals used, listed in chain order - Guitar > Boss CS-2 compressor > Red Army Overdrive (early Sovtek Big Muff, same as Civil War Muff) > B.K. Butler Tube Driver > Boss GE-7 equalizer > Boss CE-2 chorus > TC Electronic Nova delay > Amp
In 2006 David Gilmour's third solo album, On an Island, gave us some new guitar tones and some incredible guitar solos. David's live performances during the OAI tour, featured in the Remember That Night DVD and the Live In Gdansk CD and DVD, were stellar and showcase his playing in top form. I like the tones from the tour better than what I hear on the studio recording for OAI. For this tour he had a new pedal board made by Pete Cornish, the Mark II. This was a revised and simplified version of his previous MK1 effects boards.
(left to right) David Gilmour's MK2 Pete Cornish custom all-tube buffered pedal board, and a modified version of it with different effect lables from from different times in 2006. You can see a Traingle Big Muff and a T-rex Replica delay pedal mounted on top of the board in a few of these photos.
ON AN ISLAND STUDIO EFFECTS - David used the Pete Cornish MK1 board, which included a Demeter Compulator, Pete Cornish G-2, Electro-Harmonix Ram's Head Big Muff, Pete Cornish SS-2, BK Butler Chandler Tube Driver Pete Cornish T.E.S. (Tape Echo Simulator), and a Cornish Custom Stereo Chorus (modded Boss CE-2). He aslo used a Digitech Whammy WH-1 for pitch bending on The Blue, and the MXR Digital Delay Ststem II.
ON AN ISLAND LIVE EFFECTS - David used a Pete Cornish P-1, G-2 and two B.K. Butler Tube Drivers for his lead tones. One Tube Driver driver was set for a clean boost and one for overdrive. Both were newly made reissues, slightly different than the old Pulse era Tube Drivers. The G-2 is a sort of a smooth Big Muff circuit mixed with a warm germanium distortion tone. The P-1 is a high quality Ram's Head Big Muff clone, and the BK Butler Tube Driver is a tube overdrive pedal. He also used a Demeter Compulator compressor, Boss GE-7 equalizer, Digitech Whammy WH-1, Univibe, Modified boss DD2 digital delay, Pete Cornish T.E.S. (tape echo simulator), MXR Digital Delay. Sometime during the OAI tour David added a Triangle Big Muff and a T-rex Replics delay to one of the boards send/returns.
Note that David's signature modulation effect, the Boss CE-2, has been removed from this board. David's only modulation for this tour was the external rack mounted Univox Univibe.
EFFECT SETTINGS - For this tour we were lucky enough to see some actual photos of David's rig with all effect settings shown. Below is a diagram of the MK2 board with these settings. The effects used and settings for each song varied from show to show depending on the venue sound and David's mood at the time. Also note that the actual board knobs are all upside down from the way they would read if the pedals were laid out properly (according to Pete Cornish from the Tone From Heaven website) to make them easier to read the knob indicator lines in the lights. On my diagram below I have shown them all right side up. Gilmour said in a 2009 interview regarding this board - "I've got a pedal board that switches to a north track or a south track". As I understand it from Pete Cornish, the effects without the north/south toggle switch affect anything when on, whether the distortions or TDs are on in the north or south track. I think the north/south is just referring to the physical position of effects on the board, not two separate signal chains.
The switches on the MK2 board are labeled in this order, left to right:
COMP - Switches the Demeter Compulator on/off
OCTAVE - This S/R switch is dedicated to the WH1 Whammy.
DISTORT - Swaps between P-1 and G-2. The P-1 was re-labeled Muff since that was done with the P-1 before on a previous board. I remember Pete Cornish saying about the previous MK1 board that both distortions could not be on at the same time, but that Dvid always had the SS-2 or Tube Driver on simultaneous with the P-1 or G-2.
DIST 1/2 - This toggles between the Muff and G-2.
TUBE - Turns on the Tube Driver. TD#1 and TD#2 pedals are seen above this switch
TUBE 1/2 - Toggles between TD#1 and T#D2
EQ - Turns on the Boss GE-7, seen on the board right side up
UNIVIBE - Was S/R #2, now dedicated to the Univibe.
DELAY 1 - Turns on the modded Boss DD-2 delay.
B/W - Turns on the T.E.S. Pete Cornish Tape Echo Simulator.
MXR DDL - This switches on the MXR Digital Delay, which was a rack mounted external effect
Here is the signal chain from the MK2 in order from Pete's website:
Pete Cornish Tube Buffer
Demeter Compulator
Send - Return #1 for additional effects if required
Pete Cornish G-2
Pete Cornish P-1
2 X BK Butler Tube Driver plus 2 X Pete Cornish Tube Buffer - this means David boosts after his Muffs, if he boosted them at all.
Send - Return #2 for additional effects if required
Boss GE-7
Custom Volume Pedal insert
Pete Cornish Tape Echo Simulator with Pete Cornish Tube Buffer
MXR Digital Delay (Rack mount) with Pete Cornish Tube Buffer
2 X Outputs with Pete Cornish Tube Line Drivers
See my page of sound clips and gear I use for getting the On and Island studio and live lead tones HERE. ..
GUITARS AND AMPS - David's primary guitar for the lead solos during live shows was his Black Stratocaster. His main amp for the OAI tour was his Hiwatt DR-103 head and WEM and Marshal speaker cabinets. In the studio he used the Black Strat and a gold top Les Paul for solos, an old Fender Tweed Twin 40w amp, and the Hiwatt DR-103 for some parts. Please visit the Tone From Heaven website for more information about David's board and effects. Gilmourish.com also has some good info about all the guitars, amps, effects, and which songs they were used on.
Big Muffs like to be driven hard and like a loud, clean tube amp to sound their best. Sometimes that is not enough for lead playing or solos, especially with modern Big Muffs. A Tube Driver, or similar overdrive pedal, can be used as a light boost before or after a Big Muff in the signal chain. Driving a Muff with a driver can make the Muff tone come alive. It can smooth out the tone while adding some gain and mids, add dirt and grit to the tone, or help it cut through in a band mix better. While it is not necessary for a good Gilmour tone, some modern Muffs and some vintage Muffs can really benefit from this type of boost. It is unknown if or when Gilmour used a booster for his Big Muffs in the studio, but he certainly did live during the Division Bell and On an Island tours.
I have used Tube Screamers, Boss BD-2 Blues Drivers, the Colorsound Overdriver, Colorsound clones like the Color Drive, and various Tube Drivers for boosting. My favorites are the BD-2, BK Butler four knob Tube Driver. I never had much luck getting a sound I liked when using a Tubescreamer type pedal to boost. The best boosters are the ones that are transparent sounding, as in they do not alter the tone of your Big Muff or Muff clone.
It is debatable, but David Gilmour may have used his Colosound Power Boost (the name later changed to Colorsound Overdriver, with more gain on tap) as a booster for his Ram's Head Big Muff in the late 1970's. David also had a Pete Cornish ST-2 Power Boost clone around 1978, and later a TC Electronic Booster + (discontinued) in his 1987-1990 Momentary Lapse of Reason tour rig which he may have used to boost his Muffs. He changed to a B.K. Butler Tube Driver for his 1994 Division Bell tour pedal arsenal, which he did to boost his Sovtek "Civil War" Big Muff and as a light overdrive pedal. In the Pulse DVD you can see the active pedals on during Comfortably Numb, including the TD (Boss CS-2 > Tube Driver #1 > Big Muff > TC 220 delay). For the 2006 David Gilmour tour he had two new B.K. Butler Tube Drivers in his board, one used as a booster, one for overdrive. See my Tube Driver page HERE for more info about using one.
HOW TO BOOST - What the boost does really depends on the settings of the booster and the Muff and where the booster is placed in the chain, before or after the Muff. Putting most drivers before the Muff seems to be a bit smoother, and after the Muff usually has more crunch and attack. You can get harsh top end, smooth top end, boomy lows, light lows, or whatever you want if the booster has a bass and treble control. Also which one is "driving" which has an effect on the tone - the booster drive or the Muff sustain? The Muff sustain can be set high and the drive pedal low, or vise versa. Each yields a slightly different tone. I suggest strating with the Muff sustain and booster drive both at 50%. Set the booster pedal's bass and treble to be as transparent as possible, in that the Muff tone is not colored when the booster is on. Then adjust the Muff sustain up, booster drive down, and vice versa until you get the tone you want. Keep in mind, some vintage Muffs sound so good at high gain they do not get any more better by boosting.
I typically use the Muff to drive the gain of the boost pedal. My Muffs are usually set to around 65-70% sustain and my Tube Driver set to around 10% drive. The tone of the Tube Driver is set to be very similar to the Muff tone , so when switching it on or off, there is very little change to my Muff's tone color. I also always use a Boss CS-2 or MXR Dynacomp for light compression before a Muff to smooth the Muff fizz, even when using a booster.
OVERDRIVE BOOST
SMOOTH BOOST
BOOST POSITION IN SIGNAL CHAIN - Drive the Muff with the booster or drive the booster with the Muff
Here are my favorite setups:
Tube Driver - placed before the Muff in signal chain. Hi EQ at 4, lo EQ at 6, drive at approximately 1 to 1.5
Muff sustain at about 70-75%, tone about 35%, or whatever tone setting works on your rig in the Gilmour range.
Colorsound Overdriver - placed before the Muff in signal chain. Bass and treble at 50%, drive at 90%
Muff sustain at about 30-35%, tone about 35%, or whatever tone setting works on your rig in the Gilmour range.
It's almost cliche to say this, but majority of what is percieved as Gilmour's "tone" does come from his fingers and playing. You really need to invest the time to learn his techniques and phrasing. You can have David's exact gear, but you won't get the tone if you do not not examine and learn his techniques and style. Study his solos, the subtle phrasing, smooth note bends, and subtle pinch harmonics and tonal variations done with his pick and thumb.
The thumb affecting the tone when picking the string is key to much of the note coloring. Finger and whammy bar tremolo is also extremely important. Gilmour's tremolo speed usually matches the song tempo. It is very smooth and David can go from finger tremolo on one note to whammy bar on the next, and sometimes he switches in the same note! It helps to have your tremolo bar cut short so you can hold it in your plam when playing. Some information on how to do this can be found here.
David rarely lets a note just sit still. It is always moving or changing. Much of what people think is the gear making a solo sound good is simply the fingers making the gear sound good. Big Muff's tend to be a bit harsh and fizzy, but when you add some fluidity to your playing it brings something out of the Muff that you can't get with any other fuzz pedal. Add a sweet chorus and some long delay over that and you are in tonal heaven.