Solo Tone

Comfortably numb

Unknown Artist

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

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

AmpHiwatt DR103 100-watt half stack (studio recording), parallel with Yamaha RA-200 rotary speaker

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

Amp Settings

gain5

bass5.5

mid6.5

treble6.5

reverb3.5

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

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

flangerElectro-Harmonix Electro-Harmonix Electric Mistress

delayUnknown Delay pedal (Binson Echorec or similar, studio likely used rack delay)

Notes

Studio recording, 1979. Solo section used the bridge pickup for the second solo/outro. Yamaha RA-200 rotary speaker used in parallel with Hiwatt. Effects and settings based on studio session details and era-correct sources.

Tone Character(10)

singing sustainfat, sustaining fuzz leadsmooth and roundedarticulate and clearcreamy leadsethereal ambiencemodulation from rotary speakerlong, repeating delayslight flanger swirlpowerful clean headroom

Difficulty

The solo requires advanced control of bends, vibrato, and sustain, as well as expressive phrasing and dynamic nuance. While not technically the fastest, the emotional delivery and subtlety make it challenging for most players.