Solo Tone

Comfortably Numb

Pink Floyd

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

Guitar1969 Fender Stratocaster (alder body, late-'70s Charvel birdseye maple neck)

AmpHiwatt DR103 100-watt head (studio, parallel with Yamaha RA-200 rotating speaker cabinet)

PickupsDiMarzio FS-1 single-coil (bridge), 1971 Fender Stratocaster single-coils (middle and neck)

Amp Settings

gain5

bass6.5

mid7.5

treble7

reverb2.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

fuzzElectro-Harmonix Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi (Ram's Head)

flangerElectro-Harmonix Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress

delayUnknown Delay pedal (model unknown, likely Binson Echorec or MXR Analog Delay)

Notes

Studio recording, 1979. Used bridge pickup only for second solo (main solo section). Parallel amp setup with Hiwatt and Yamaha RA-200 rotary speaker. No evidence of Mesa/Boogie or other amps on the original studio recording.

Tone Character(10)

singing sustainsmooth, violin-like fuzzlush modulationlong, ambient delay trailsrich harmonic overtoneswide stereo imageclear note separationpowerful, dynamic phrasingthick, saturated lead soundliquid lead tone

Difficulty

The solo requires advanced control of bends, vibrato, and sustain, as well as dynamic phrasing and emotional nuance, making it challenging even for experienced players.

Sources

David Gilmour's guitar tone on Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb: how he got his sound | Guitar World settings help for Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd David Gilmour's Guitar Gear, Pedalboard & Equipment | Equipboard what effects should I use on the comfortably numb solo (what kind of ...

This tone has been researched 198 times by the community

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account