NOTE: This website is frequently updated. Last update January 2023.
Pink Floyd perfomed on a floating barge in Venice Italy on July 15th, 1989. The concert was televised worldwide.
1989 - UPDATED TOUR RIG AND LIVE IN VENICE - The final leg of the A Momentary Lapse of Reason tour was short, lasting from May-June 1989. During the break between 1988 and '89 David's rig changed yet again, as did the sound. The chorus effect seemed to have much more depth than earlier in the tour, probably due to the second Boss CE-2 chorus that was added to the pedalboard.
This version of the rig can be heard and seen in recordings of the televised Pink Floyd Live in Venice concert video from July 15, 1989. A remastered version of the video was released in Pink Floyd's The Later Years boxed set in 2019. An exclusive 10 track audio CD was released in 2021, the first time an authorized copy direct from the band's soundboard was made available. The free concert was performed on a floating barge on the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. The concert was financed and televised live by satellite worldwide by RAI (Radiotelevisione italiana). Due to the televised restrictions, the concert was limited to 90 minutes, so only 14 of the 23 songs typically played on the tour were performed. Some songs had to be shortened to fit in the alotted time.
Venice government officials did not provide the agreed security security services, food, or public toilets for the massive crowd, which numbered around 200,00 people. It was reported that they left 300 tons of garbage behind after the concert. The public outcry over the mismanagement of the concert by the government resulted in the mayor and the entire city council resigning.
A compact disk was released in 2021 of the Live in Venice concert, shortened to 10 songs. It was an exclusive fundraiser for PBS Television
authorized by Pink Floyd to help promote their fundraiser drive while they were airing a shortened version of the Live In Venice concert.
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Shown above, left to right - An early custom made Pete Cornish P-Fuzz (similar to the one David used in 1989), a revised version re-named the P-2 Fuzz, and a later P-2
in a slightly different enclosure. The two P-2 versions on the right included a built in double buffer and a larger enclosure, both offered for sale to the public.
Several changes were made to David's pedalboard for this leg of the tour. The Electro-Harmonix "DG Original" Big Muff was removed and the Pete Cornish P-Fuzz, or Precision Fuzz, was added to replace it. The Boss HM-2 was removed and replaced with a Tube Screamer. A second Boss CE-2 chorus pedal was also added. The Boss MZ-2 and TC BLD remained on the board.
Several changes were made to the rack effects. There are three identical rack units that were added, but I have not been able to identify what these were. The TC Electronics 1210 Spatial Expander was removed. The 6 knob Mark I Boogie was changed to a 7 knob Mark II, and the Mesa/Boogie logo plates on the front of the sheet metal rack covers were not visible. They may have been removed or covered, or it may simply be that the rack amps were re-mounted in non Mesa/Boogie racks. Based on the Venice concert video, the Mark II was the only Boogie in use, so the Mark III was likely used as a spare. Note that those Boogie amp heads did not power speaker cabinets, they were used as rack effects in the signal chain.
The TC-2290 delay and MXR Digital Delay System II were still in use and the Lexicon PCM-70 Effects Processor, used for Syd's Theme in SOYCD and the Time intro, was also still in use. The exact same Mark III Mesa/Boogie amp head from the ’88 tour remained, most likely used as a spare for the Mesa/Boogie mark I.
The speaker cabinets could not be seen because they were behind a stage partition, but presumably they were the same as earlier in the tour - two Hiwatt 4x12" speaker cabinets and two Marshal 4x12" cabinets. Note - some sources state that an Alembic F2-B was used as the master preamp for this whole rig, but there was no F2-B in this rig. It was not added until 1990.
I think the P-Fuzz, which was later sold by Pete Cornish as the P-2, was the primary high gain lead distortion in 1989. It was used for solos on songs like Sorrow and Comfortably Numb. It would have been stacked with the Mesa/Boogie overdrive, for a blend of the two sounds. The combination of the TC BLD, MZ-2, and Mesa/Boogie also makes an excellent high gain lead tone. I think the TC BLD was again the main overdrive sound, sometimes combined with the Mesa/Boogie. Using the combo of the MZ-2 and Mesa/Boogie head with the Strat neck pickups also sounds good for the Shine on You Crazy Diamond overdrive, the solos in Dogs of War and Another Brick in the Wall.
The Live In Venice concert video features many close ups of David's picking and tremolo bar use.
It is an excellent document of his playing style from this period.
David again used his 1984 candy-apple-red '57V reissue Strat as his primary guitar for the tour. As mentioned previoulsy, it was fitted with EMG-SA noiseless pickups, SPC and EXG controls replaced the tone controls, and the tremolo arm was shortened to fit into David's palm when he played. The rest of David's guitars were also the same ones used earlier in the tour. A butterscotch blonde colored Fender 1952 American Vintage Reissue Telecaster with a slim C-shaped maple neck and ash body, tuned to dropped D for Run Like Hell. A blonde Fender Deluxe lap steel tuned to Open G (DGDGBE) used for Great Gig in the Sky. A Takamine Nakatsugawa EN-28 6-string guitar used for Wish You Were Here.
David Gilmour's July 1989 rig from Pink Floyd's concert in Venice
(left side top row) two Boss CS-2 compressors, Ibanez TS10 Tube Screamer
(left side bottom row) three boss GE-7 equalizers (one for each effect above)
(right side top row) TC Electronic BLD (Booster + Line Driver & Distortion), Pete Cornish P-Fuzz (modified Big Muff), Boss MZ-2, Boss CE-2 chorus (left channel)
(right side bottom row) three Boss GE-7 equalizers (one for each effect above), Boss CE-2 chorus
Rack Effects from top to bottom - left side rack:
• Furman PR8 Power Conditioner
• unknown rack unit
•TC Electronic 2290 Digital Delay - David's primary delay
• unknown rack unit
• Lexicon PCM-70 Effects Processor - used for Syd's Theme in SOYCD and the Time intro
• MXR Digital Delay System II
David Gilmour's July 1989 rig from Pink Floyd's concert in Venice showing the TC 2290 digital delay and Mesa/Boogie rack amp heads. The Mesa/Boogie name plates were covered or removed. The upper head is a Mesa/Boogie Mark III with a built in 5 band graphic equalizer. The bottom head appears to be an older silver knob Mark II with no built in equalizer.
Rack Effect from top to bottom - right side rack:
• Furman PR8 Power Conditioner
• unknown rack unit
• Mesa/Boogie Mark III Simul Class amp head - used as an overdrive in the signal chain
• Mesa/Boogie Mark II rack head - used as an overdrive in the signal chain
Amplifiers - in rack on far right - each amp head powered a pair of 4x12 speaker cabinets
• Custom Hiwatt AP100 / DR103 - left channel
•• Custom Hiwatt AP100 / DR103 - right channel
• Custom Hiwatt AP100 / DR103 - spare
VENICE SONG-BY-SONG SIGNAL CHAINS - There was no visible switching router in David's effect rig in 1989 so there was no definite way to determine the exact signal chains for the songs. However, the 1990 Knebworth Concert featured an upgraded version of this rig that did have a visible signal router, so I used those signal chains to determine what David used for the Venice concert in 1989. The primary difference was that the Mesa/Boogie Mark II was switched for a Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp that has a similar circuit. You can also refer to the the 1994 Tour Signal Chains and substitute a Tube Driver in place of the Mesa Boogie for most leads.
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (intro only)
Isolated Guitar Solo
....Intro Solo – Comp 1 (Boss CS-2) + GE-7 > Mesa/Boogie Mark II > Volume pedal > TC 2290 Digital Delay 1 > Boss CE-2 chorus (left)
Yet Another Movie
....Solos – Cornish P-2 + GE-7 > Mesa/Boogie Mark II > Volume pedal CE-2 chorus > TC 2290 Digital Delay > CE-2 chorus (left)Sorrow
....Intro/Outro – Cornish P-2 + GE-7 > Mesa/Boogie Mark II > Volume pedal > TC 2290 Digital Delay > CE-2 chorus (left)
....Solos – Cornish P-2 + GE-7 > Mesa/Boogie Mark II > Volume pedal > CE-2 chorus > TC 2290 Digital Delay > CE-2 chorus (left)Dogs of War
....Solos – Comp 1 (Boss CS-2) + GE7 > TC BLD (or possibly the Tube Screamer )+ GE-7 > Mesa/Boogie Mark II > Volume pedal > TC 2290 Digital Delay > Boss CE-2 chorus (left)On the Turning Away
....Solo – Cornish P-2 + GE-7 > Mesa/Boogie Mark II > Volume pedal > CE-2 chorus > TC 2290 Digital Delay > CE-2 chorus (left)Great Gig In the Sky
....Slide Guitar – Comp 2 (Boss CS-2) + GE-7 > Volume pedal > TC 2290 Digital Delay > CE-2 chorus (left) .Money
....Intro Riff – Comp 1 (Boss CS-2) + GE-7 > MZ-2 Metalizer + GE-7 > Mesa/Boogie Mark II > Volume pedal > Boss CE-2 chorus (left)
....Wet Solos – Cornish P-2 + GE-7 > Mesa/Boogie Mark II > Volume pedal > CE-2 chorus > TC 2290 Digital Delay > CE-2 chorus (left)
....Dry Solo – Cornish P-2 + GE-7 > Mesa/Boogie Mark II > Volume pedal > CE-2 chorus (left)Time
....Intro – Comp (Boss CS-2) + GE-7 > CE-2 chorus > Volume pedal > TC 2290 Digital Delay > Lexicon PCM 70 Delay (for short Echorec style delay)
....Verse - Comp (Boss CS-2) + GE-7 > Mesa/Boogie Mark II > Volume pedal > TC 2290 Digital Delay 1 > CE-2 chorus (left)
....Solo – Cornish P-2 + GE-7 > Mesa/Boogie Mark II > Volume pedal > CE-2 chorus > TC 2290 Digital Delay > CE-2 chorus (left)Another Brick in the Wall Part II
....Solo – Comp (Boss CS-2) + GE-7 > TC BLD (or possibly the Tube Screamer) + GE-7 > Mesa/Boogie Mark II > Volume pedal > CE-2 chorus > Volume pedal > TC 2290 Digital Delay > CE-2 chorus (left)Comfortably Numb
....Intro and Solos – Cornish P-2 + GE-7 > Mesa/Boogie Mark II > Volume pedal > CE-2 chorus > TC 2290 Digital Delay > CE-2 chorus (left)
.....David kicks on a second delay for the unison bend part of the soloRun Like Hell
....Comp 2 (Boss CS-2) + GE-7 > CE-2 chorus > Volume pedal > TC 2290 Digital Delay > CE-2 chorus (left)
...
These are the setups I use to get the 1989-1990 concert tones, as heard on recordings of the televised Venice concert from 1989 and the Knebworth 1990 concert.
• Boss CS-2 > Cornish P-2 > Mesa/Boogie rhythm channel set for light overdrive > chorus > delay
• TC BLD > Boss MZ-2 > Mesa/Boogie rhythm channel set for light overdrive > chorus > delay
• Boss MZ-2 > Mesa/Boogie rhythm channel set for light overdrive > chorus > delay (for neck pickup tones)
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