I'm looking to get to the Pink Floyd's David Gilmour's sound.
He uses a Fender Strat and Big Muff (Ram's Head) in the 70's, anyone been able to get the sound of his solos on Comfortably Numb?
He uses a Fender Strat and Big Muff (Ram's Head) in the 70's, anyone been able to get the sound of his solos on Comfortably Numb?
As with all these types of questions, it's more down to the exceptional skill of the original player than what he used.
Get a nice overdrive sound, add a smidge of delay/reverb, cut down the upper treble (removes harshness usually associated with distortion, giving a smoother sound). Methinks that's close enough.
Also, +1 to what Nigel said.
Chris
Also, +1 to what Nigel said.
Chris
'guitar effects' on you tube
well, I found a good one, but it slipped
and now I cant find it again
not so easy at all
whatever, this looks cool
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BrN7eBjXy4&feature=related
well, I found a good one, but it slipped
and now I cant find it again
not so easy at all
whatever, this looks cool
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BrN7eBjXy4&feature=related
sorry, not a David Gilmore, but would be a shame to post this one 😀
cute guitar player - YouTube
man, my ears are ringing now 😱
cute guitar player - YouTube
man, my ears are ringing now 😱
I've seen some interviews with him. He can pretty much get his sound out of any random guitar he picks up. Some amps might have enough gain some need the boost pedal but I think his sound is in the way he bends strings. Most amps can be set to be clean and smooth get still high gain just to breaking
His style is such that every little mistake is noticeable so you have to be careful and and be good at muting strings. His tone is mostly in the fingers. But I can't do it at all so don't listen to what I say
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Like I said, it's mostly in the skill of the player.
An ex-workmate, was (and is) a pretty good guitarist, and a friend of his (with more money than sense) bought a Genuine Les Paul, and a top of the range Marshall Combo. He wanted to sound like Jimmy Page on a specific track (I forget which track), and he was VERY disappointed in the sound he got.
My workmate mentioned to me that it was probably just because this guy only knew two chords, and wasn't very good at those 😀
Last I heard the guy had orders in at a number of local music shops looking for the exact same amp that Jimmy Page used on the track, money no object!. I don't know if he ever found one, but I just know it wouldn't help him 😀
No doubt Gilmour uses his fingers to do tremolo and bends but the effect boxes have to be there and getting the same pickups is important too. Its not that hard to sound like Pete Townsheld with a Gibson SG.
but Jimmy and Dave are some of the best players of all time and it would take a lot of work and talent to get close to them.
but Jimmy and Dave are some of the best players of all time and it would take a lot of work and talent to get close to them.
I thought the gig they (Floyd) did the other year was great, not played together for decades (or even talked) and the performance was outstanding.
Equipment changed a LOT over the years too; remember they've been at it a while. When 'tape echo' was the cool thing they didn't use an echoplex, they used the Binson EchoRec (and more than one) which was essential to some sounds, and of course several species of small creatures in a cave grooving together with a pict. So we all wanted one, and got sold a "space Echo" instead. Some ring moudulator sounds are indeed skill, particular harmonics of multiple distorted particular notes. Analog and digital flangers, perhaps an aural exciter on recordings, and a Leslie off an organ did distinguish the pros from the riff-raff. And of course monster tone talent and skill. It seems later to have distilled to fundamentals and...emotive fingers.
My good friend and top notch gitar player likes to say that his playing is "digitaly enhanced" while holding up his fingers.
Well apart from being a really nice bloke, it's all down to technique I'm afraid. I worked on the Momentary Lapse of Reason tour rehearsals at London Docklands, and one day he brought in a load of different guitars in from his lock up, and frankly, whether it was a Strat, a SG, or a Gretsch White Falcon, it sounded just like him.
Oh, and case you were wondering, my gig was polishing all the mirrors on the rotating front panels of the stage, they used so much smoke that they needed cleaning twice a day or the lasers lost all coherence. 😀
Oh, and case you were wondering, my gig was polishing all the mirrors on the rotating front panels of the stage, they used so much smoke that they needed cleaning twice a day or the lasers lost all coherence. 😀
Their Live 8 performance was the best I ever heard and seen. I believe that happened in 2005 and the 4 song set was short but sweet. Unfortunately that will never happen again.
The Binson Echorec unit has been replaced but digital units. Probably still has the Big Muff and Phasor 90 flangers and rotating speakers.
Quite an art just hooking that up.
Really interesting post, pinkmouse.
I'm reading on gillmourish.com where they list every bit of gear the guy ever played. Also the setting on the amps. He changes it every night It seems that he is able to get the same sound using a wide range of different equipment. When he plays a concert he'll play much of his older works but using whatever is his current rig. He keeps using the same kind of gear but not exactly. I think in general what you need is a rig with tons of clean headroom and an echo delay and the Big Muff pedal seems to be a near constant. Anything after that is "details"
The think what makes his style so hard to emulate is that he plays music like a slow motion instant reply on a football game. In other words he plays in a way that if there where the tinniest mistake it would be obvious. I think the sound is more in the gaps between the notes than in the gear.
hmm, I dont know about that
but he composed the songs and tunes
and that noone else can do better
but still, the sound 'design' and technology involved might still be worth something 😉
hell, JimiHendrix wasnt such a great guitarist either, but he created a fantastic sound
getting there first is the real achievement
and you could say the same about BB King
not technically the best, but noone will ever sound exactly like him
At the time of Comfortably Numb David Gilmour was using two custom Bob Bradshaw peddle boards. Also probably early Eventide harmonizer and AMS delay's and reverb's in the studio.
I was seated behind and above the stage for a show and could see a table of pedals lined up in rows and columns. The strange thing was it looked like there were about 5 pedals of each type. Maybe 25 all together. My guess was that he was switching not only thru various pedals but various pedal settings by having 5 of each. I couldn't see the settings thru my binos.
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