Riff Tone

A Thousand Stars

Big Country

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

GuitarYamaha SG2000

AmpHH VS Musician (with 'Valve Sound' circuit)

PickupsYamaha SG2000 stock humbuckers

Amp Settings

gain5.5

bass6

mid7

treble7

reverb1.5

presence6.5

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1983. Bruce Watson stated in Guitar World that for the classic Big Country 'bagpipes' sound (which is a key part of the riff section in 'A Thousand Stars'), they used rack effects (MXR M-129 Pitch Transposer, Korg Space Echo), an EBow, and the HH VS Musician amp. No pedals were used, only rack effects and amp gain. No evidence of live or alternate gear for the studio recording.

Tone Character(10)

bagpipes-like harmonized leadsbright and cuttingarticulate and percussivechorus-like shimmertight low endclear note separationslightly driven edge-of-breakupsustain from effectsCeltic melodic phrasingdynamic attack

Difficulty

The riff requires tight synchronization with harmonized lines, accurate picking, and control of sustain and dynamics, especially when using effects like the pitch transposer and EBow.

Sources

Bruce Watson on keeping the Big Country flag flying | Guitar World

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