Solo Tone

Down to the Waterline

Dire Straits

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely 1961 #68354 or 1961/62 #80470)

AmpFender Vibrolux (early 1960s brownface, studio recording)

PickupsFender single-coil Stratocaster pickups

Amp Settings

gain0

bass5

mid6

treble7.5

reverb3

presence5

Effects & Signal Chain

compressionUnknown Compressor pedal (model unknown, likely MXR Dyna Comp or similar)

Notes

Studio recording, 1977-78, album version. Mark Knopfler played fingerstyle on a Stratocaster, likely using bridge + middle pickups. Amp was a brownface Fender Vibrolux; a Fender Twin Reverb or Roland JC-120 may have been present in the studio but Vibrolux is most cited for this track. Effects were minimal—compression and reverb only, with delay only on the intro (not the solo).

Tone Character(10)

bright and articulateclean and punchyslightly compresseddynamic and touch-sensitiveclear note separationwarm low endsnappy attacksmooth sustainminimal breakupopen and airy

Difficulty

The solo requires advanced fingerstyle technique, dynamic touch, and precise articulation to capture the clean, expressive phrasing characteristic of Mark Knopfler's playing. The need for clarity at moderate tempo and subtle muting adds to the challenge.

Sources

Gear on album Dire Straits | Mark Knopfler Guitar Site Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) Amp Settings (gear and tone tips) - Guitar Chalk

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account