Solo Tone

Tunnel of Love

Dire Straits

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (likely 1961, rosewood board, stock single-coil pickups)

AmpMesa/Boogie Mark II (studio recording, 1980), possibly Fender Vibrolux or Twin Reverb also used in era

PickupsFender single-coil (vintage 60s Stratocaster type)

Amp Settings

gain3

bass5.5

mid5

treble7

reverb3.5

presence6

Effects & Signal Chain

No effects used for this tone

Notes

Studio recording, 1980 (Making Movies album). Mark Knopfler is widely documented using a Fender Stratocaster for the solo, plugged into a Mesa/Boogie Mark II combo amp for this era. No evidence of pedal use for the solo section; compression may have been used in studio processing but not as a pedal. Pickup selector is bridge/middle (position 2).

Tone Character(10)

bright and articulateclear note separationslightly compressedtouch-sensitivedynamic fingerstylesinging sustainwarm but not muddyclean with a hint of edgecountry-influenced clarityopen and expressive

Difficulty

The solo requires advanced fingerstyle technique, dynamic control, and expressive phrasing, making it challenging for most players despite a moderate tempo.

Sources

Mark Knopfler's Guitars, Amps, Pedals & Other Gear | Equipboard Dire Straits Making Movies tone. - forum topic - Ultimate Guitar

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

Create an account to adapt this tone to your gear

Create Free Account