That Gilmour sound

[manson]

I'm still so impressed by the sound of David Gilmour's guitar at Live 8, especially the Comfortably Numb solo's.
Just listen to this, at 02:10 ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wtiNzci1Wc

I know he has a Cornish effects board, and that he uses a compressor, (sort of) big muff into an overdrive, eq and delay. It sounds powerfull and smooth, there's hardly any grit or fuzz there, yet it screams. Unlike the results I get with my own muff or rat, which sound either too fuzzy/wooly or too harsh and gritty.

Is there anything DIYable that catches Gilmour's sound? Maybe a combination of effects? I'd very much like to hear your recommendations!

Thanks!

[aron]

Doesn't sound like a Big Muff at all to me. I'd say there's less overdrive on there than you might think. That being said, I think that a large number of the overdrives that have appeared over the years trying to be amp-like can get that type of sound.

[scaesic]

i think at least 50% of it is the gilmour active strat pickups. You could probably get the other 50% with the right overdriven class A amp and pedals.

[RDV]

IMO the EQ(s) are the key to the sound. The playing is of course just DG.

RDV

[nooneknows]

imho it's a combination of compressor + overdrive + delay + amp distorsion. I'm pretty sure about compressor becuse the attack is quite strange for a strat.

[Caferacernoc]

"imho it's a combination of compressor + overdrive + delay + amp distorsion. I'm pretty sure about compressor becuse the attack is quite strange for a strat."

I agree. That sound is not as distorted as you might think. It's a smooth overdrive. Plus compression further smooths out the tone and adds sustain along with his tube buffers and very loud stage volume from big tube amps and lots of speaker cabinets.

[manson]

Thanks, and in reply to scaesic: he was playing the black strat which has regular single coils

I understood that Gilmour uses either a Cornish G2 fuzz or a Big Muff, but always followed by a unit with less gain like the Cornish Soft Sustain or a Chandler Tube Driver. Now this is kind of a hassle and doesn't guarantee 'his' sound. I'm particularly interested in the sound you hear in this youtube clip. I don'd know if it realy is a big muff there, maybe he hadn't switched it on and just used some overdrive. I do agree about the compressor and delay.

What kind of overdrive would get you there? I heard some clips of the landgraff overhyped ts808, would that be a starting point?

[shredgd]

That sound is simply a beautiful overdrive sound, played by an experienced guitarist.

You can nail that tone, or something very similar, by using a good overdrive pedal like the Tubescreamer into a good tube amp, or by directly using the overdrive channel of a good tube amp. Maybe you might need a single coil bridge pickup instead of a humbucker to get that exact tone.
Obviously you also have to be good at playing guitar...  

Giulio

[manson]

imho it's a combination of compressor + overdrive + delay + amp distorsion.

Yes, all but the amp distortion. His amps are said to be totally clean, and very loud.


And yes, the technique is quite something else.. let's not start about that

[nooneknows]

in that case try a simply tube screamer type pedal  in another tube screamer, both with just a slight amount of distorsion, it produces a edgier but dynamic sounds, disotrted but intelligible. There must be 'something' in adding more harmonics in a already distorted sounds, the most important thing is not driving too much, the sounds becomes a dark mudd.
(I know it's completely a different beast but I remember when I tried to reproduce a Dinosaur Jr type of distorsion the combination of two pedal running 'low' was a winner)

[slideman82]

Well, I haven't read all the opinions posted, neither watched that video, but, months ago, I plugged a Ge FF into a Vox AC15 (with master volume, reverb and a Celestion Alnico Blue... great amp!), and, using a Deluxe Strato, the sound was that Gilmour's type! I was impressed, I mean, it sounded so well I decided to build my own Vox clone, but something powerful. Oh, there's go some bonus, that strato is a SX (made in PRC) with active EMG, and a FF I made for that guy, I think through a Boss digital pedalboard and a horrible Marshall MG15:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6zqOS1DvI8

[gigimarga]

for gilmour sound you find all the informations that you need here: www.gilmourish.com...and trust me, there are great!!!

[WGTP]

Part of the secret to that tone is that he is using the middle pickup on his strat and picking up near the neck. 

[Ed G.]

Gilmour probably gives me more goosebumps-per-note than any other guitarist I can think of.

[modsquad]

There is something to be said for overdrive into another overdrive.   I built a Fooltone 69 fuzz clone and put it after my modded DS-1.   Wow did it sound really good, especially with a Ross Compressor in front of both.   I have EMGs on my strat and it sounded real close before I even tweeked it.   I would say his compressor-big muff(modded)-tubedriver-eq-delay.    The cool thing about the eq on the end is that you can really bring the mids of the sound up.

[Shepherd]

very loud.

+1

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=62200.msg489294#msg489294

[Satch12879]

1. That's the famed "Black Strat."  It's loaded with anonymous Seymour Duncan and Fender pickups NOT EMGs.

2. Middle pickup my eye.  Look at the video, very clearly you can see the bridge selected.

3. Don't discount the heavy distortion followed by the overdrive unit; that's the game.  ++1 loud.

4. Highly recommend either the Butler Tube Driver or the Boss Blues Driver preferably modified.

[Papa_lazerous]

2. Middle pickup my eye.  Look at the video, very clearly you can see the bridge selected.

+1

remember DG has his strat modded to have bridge and neck together if he desires, thats part of his tone.

Also remember allot of its in his fingers.  even with his rig you wont get the same sound, thats just how it is

[km-r]

very smooth indeed...

but the comfortably numb record definitely has a big muff...  

[oldrocker]

Goose bumps and inspiration sums up D.G.