Riff Tone

Wish You Were Here

Pink Floyd

Guitarrock1970s

Original Gear

GuitarFender Stratocaster (1970s, likely black or sunburst, with stock single-coil pickups)

AmpHiwatt Custom 100 DR103 (studio), Fender Dual Showman Reverb (also cited for studio use)

PickupsFender single-coil (stock 1970s Stratocaster pickups)

Amp Settings

gain3

bass6.5

mid6

treble6.5

reverb3

presence5

Effects & Signal Chain

boostColorsound Colorsound Power Boost

delayUnknown Delay pedal (Binson Echorec or analog delay likely)

Notes

Studio recording, 1975. For the distorted/overdriven riff sections, Gilmour used his Stratocaster into a Hiwatt Custom 100 with a Colorsound Power Boost for overdrive. The acoustic intro/rhythm is not included here as per user request. Effects chain includes Power Boost and Binson Echorec or delay. No evidence of fuzz or Big Muff on this section. Pickup choice is bridge or bridge+middle (see below).

Tone Character(10)

warm and natural with slight mid emphasismild overdrive, edge-of-breakuparticulate and dynamicsinging sustainslightly compressedclear single-coil attackorganic, not heavily saturatedBritish amp headroomtouch-sensitive responsenote clarity even with drive

Difficulty

The riff is accessible to intermediate players but requires careful control of picking dynamics and muting to maintain clarity with mild overdrive. The challenge lies in achieving the right articulation and dynamic response rather than technical speed or complexity.