Shop the Sound

David Gilmour's Sound

The master of the long note — space, sustain and perfect note choice.

Hiwatt clean headroom, Big Muff fuzz, delay and endless sustain

The rig

The gear associated with the sound. Each item opens a live Reverb search — vintage examples where they exist, modern equivalents where they don't.

Guitars

Amps

Effects

Pickups

  • Fender single-coils; a Seymour Duncan SSL-5 in the Black Strat bridgeFind on Reverb

Other

Why it sounds like that

Comfortably Numb (second solo)

Big Muff into clean Hiwatt headroom with long delay — sustain that never turns to mush, and bends that define the melody.

Shine On You Crazy Diamond

Four notes with enormous space around them; the tone is mostly compressor, clean amp and room.

Time (solo)

Slightly grittier, more aggressive fuzz with a Uni-Vibe shimmer underneath.

Money

Dry, snappy Strat bridge tone that cuts through a 7/4 groove without excess gain.

From the shop floor

The standard

Fender Player Stratocaster

The most adaptable electric guitar ever designed. Three single coils, a five-way switch and a vibrato that rewards a light touch — it covers Hendrix, Gilmour, SRV and Mayer without ever pretending to be more than a plank, a neck and some wire.

GlassyArticulateVintage

Similar sounds

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