Solo Tone

The Blue

David Gilmour

Guitarrock2000s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster 'Black Strat' (1969, alder body, late-'70s Charvel birdseye maple neck, DiMarzio FS-1 bridge pickup, 1971 Fender Strat single-coils middle/neck)

AmpHiwatt DR103 100-watt head (1974) into WEM 4x12 with Fane Crescendo speakers, parallel with Yamaha RA-200 rotating speaker cabinet

PickupsDiMarzio FS-1 single-coil (bridge), Fender single-coil (middle/neck)

Amp Settings

gain5

bass7

mid7

treble6.5

reverb4.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

compressionIbanez Ibanez CP-9 Compressor/Limiter

modulationDigiTech DigiTech Whammy (likely WH-1 or WH-4)

overdriveTube Works Tube Works 901 Real Tube Overdrive

delayUnknown Delay pedal (model unknown, likely Pete Cornish Tape Echo Simulator or Boss DD-2/3)

chorusBoss Boss CE-2 Chorus (or custom Cornish stereo chorus)

Notes

Studio recording, 2006 (On An Island sessions). Parallel amp setup with Hiwatt and Yamaha RA-200 for modulation. Settings estimated based on typical Gilmour studio rig for this era and genre.

Tone Character(9)

singing sustainoctave-up pitch bendsliquid, expressive lead tonemodulated, swirling ambiencesmooth, compressed attackclear note separationambient delay trailslush stereo modulationdynamic, touch-sensitive response

Difficulty

The solo requires advanced control of expressive bends (including octave-up Whammy pedal use), nuanced phrasing with delay/modulation, and dynamic sustain management, making it challenging for most intermediate players.

Sources

David Gilmour's guitar tone on Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb Which pedal is David Gilmour using in blue? : r/guitarpedals David Gilmour blues lesson: learn the Pink Floyd icon's solo secrets | Guitar World David Gilmour's Guitar Gear, Pedalboard & Equipment | Equipboard question about the effects used in David Gilmour's "The Blue" - Reddit

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