Solo Tone

Money for Nothing

Dire Straits

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

Guitar1958 Gibson Les Paul Standard

AmpLaney amp (exact model not specified, likely a late 70s/early 80s solid-state or tube head)

PickupsGibson PAF humbuckers (bridge position)

Amp Settings

gain4.5

bass6.5

mid6

treble6

reverb3

presence5.5

Effects & Signal Chain

wahUnknown Wah pedal (model unknown, set to fixed position)

overdriveIbanez Ibanez Tube Screamer 808

delayUnknown Delay pedal (model unknown)

reverbUnknown Reverb pedal (model unknown)

Notes

Studio recording, 1984-1985 for 'Brothers in Arms'. Mark Knopfler used the Les Paul bridge pickup with tone control rolled off. Some sources mention Ampeg SVT-VR, but primary evidence points to Laney amp for the studio recording. Wah pedal set to a fixed position was used to achieve the signature tone. Effects and mic placement were critical to the sound.

Tone Character(10)

vocal-like midrangemuddy yet cuttingsinging sustainnasal, cocked-wah charactercompressed and focusedharmonic-richfat and thickslightly scooped highsdistinctive filtered soundfull-bodied crunch

Difficulty

The solo requires advanced fingerstyle technique, precise muting, and nuanced phrasing to achieve the signature vocal-like sound, making it challenging for most players.

Sources

Dire Straits - Money for Nothing How to play Money for Nothing on guitar Mark Knopfler's Money for nothing tone | The Gear Page

This tone has been researched 7 times by the community

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account