Comfortably Numb amp set up

Lestratcaster

I'm sure this has cropped up many times before, but I need some suggestions. For the 2 solos in Comfortably Numb I can't seem to get that singing sustain David Gilmour gets with his amp set up. Is he running an overdrive on top for a boost? Or just whacking the gain up on the amp as I don't think he plays the chord parts in the verses. Also any other effects like delay?

octatonic

It is one of the holy grail tones and it is hard to do well- I've seen many fail.

You want a clean amp (extra points for a Hiwatt but most things will do) and turn it up loud.
Then a BK Butler tube driver and/or a big muff, with some delay with medium feedback.

It is mostly how you play it though.

Barney

We do that in the band ...I can get fairly close with a valve amp ...omega nodded hot rod deluxe ...or my redplate cds2 ..and a delay set to around 500 ms ..the amp is fairly loud to get the sustain and quite a bit of gain..

zepp76

Everything you need to know here - http://www.gilmourish.com/

flying_pie

You don't need his exact tone unless you're in a tribute band.

For general pub/function use a ballpark time will be fine - a fair bit of gain with a wee bit of delay and some reverb. There are lots of ways of achieving it. I used a clean boost on the gain channel of my Blackstar HT 50 with reverb and delay when I played it in a previous band.

The approach is more important than the precise tone. Target all those money shot bends and wring the notes out with loads of vibrato. 

Lestratcaster

flying_pie said:

You don't need his exact tone unless you're in a tribute band.

For general pub/function use a ballpark time will be fine - a fair bit of gain with a wee bit of delay and some reverb. There are lots of ways of achieving it. I used a clean boost on the gain channel of my Blackstar HT 50 with reverb and delay when I played it in a previous band.

The approach is more important than the precise tone. Target all those money shot bends and wring the notes out with loads of vibrato. 

Yeah its just when I do those first two phrases with the long bends there's not much sustain before the note fades so I want to make it sing a bit richer.

impmann

The man plays *LOUD* for a reason. A lot of the sustain you hear is a guitar on the verge of feedback...

I've played it live (a lot better than at the N'hampton Jam... sorry chaps, poor performance that) using a RAT for drive and a Boss DSD2 for delay into a Laney Lionheart 20 head. Tbh, its more about the vibrato (finger and wang bar) to eek out each note.

Branshen

Our resident expert @Gassage has recommended a tiny little muff for the tone and has included a video of the exact song you are asking about to show it off. 

http://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/127575/muffs-we-have-an-unlikely-winner#latest

flying_pie

At the risk of heresy I'll point out that not using a Strat helps sustain...

IvisonGuitars

@Gassage will be along shortly to tell you the serial numbers on the valves in his HiWatt...

Gassage

It is many many things.

but muff, eq, a chorusy flanger and a 150 delay into 600 will get you there. And volume.

Gassage

flying_pie said:

You don't need his exact tone unless you're in a tribute band.

For general pub/function use a ballpark time will be fine - a fair bit of gain with a wee bit of delay and some reverb. There are lots of ways of achieving it. I used a clean boost on the gain channel of my Blackstar HT 50 with reverb and delay when I played it in a previous band.

The approach is more important than the precise tone. Target all those money shot bends and wring the notes out with loads of vibrato. 

No reverb on it whatsoever.

uncledick

Isn't there an Andertons vid on how to sound like DG for 100 quid - or something similar?

Branshen

Gassage said:

It is many many things.

but muff, eq, a chorusy flanger and a 150 delay into 600 will get you there. And volume.

Would that be into a clean amp?

baldy

Two Andertons videos on how to sound like David Gilmour.

baldy

Not sure if either vid specifically shows how to get the sound on comfortably numb though.

Danny1969

Personally I wouldn't worry about the gear ..... it's all about the phrasing. I've recorded a couple of Pink Floyd tribute bands with Hi Watts and muffs and stuff and it was so so. Then I've watched a friend of mine play the song on a pub with a Les Paul and a Vox AD120 and he got the phrasing, bend accuracy and vibrato so spot on it just sounded completely right 

There's post EQ and effect by Guthrie on the desk to help it sit in the mix and the second solo's comp'ed from a load of takes. When Gilmour played it live in more recent years the delays were ridden on certain phrases. It became a bit bombastic and overblown for me but the first solo is a thing of beauty  

newi123

So many people see this as a Holy Grail, so personally if I had to cover it I`d bin the original solo and go for more of a Morello or Malmsteen kind of approach. Liven it up a little.......... maybe that`s just me.

mistercharlie

newi123 said:

So many people see this as a Holy Grail, so personally if I had to cover it I`d bin the original solo and go for more of a Morello or Malmsteen kind of approach. Liven it up a little.......... maybe that`s just me.

You mean how Mariah Carey "livens up" songs with oversinging?

impmann

mistercharlie said:

newi123 said:

So many people see this as a Holy Grail, so personally if I had to cover it I`d bin the original solo and go for more of a Morello or Malmsteen kind of approach. Liven it up a little.......... maybe that`s just me.

You mean how Mariah Carey "livens up" songs with oversinging?

Nah... thats just a malfunctioning remote control dildo...

John_A

Danny1969 said:

Personally I wouldn't worry about the gear ..... it's all about the phrasing. I've recorded a couple of Pink Floyd tribute bands with Hi Watts and muffs and stuff and it was so so. Then I've watched a friend of mine play the song on a pub with a Les Paul and a Vox AD120 and he got the phrasing, bend accuracy and vibrato so spot on it just sounded completely right 

There's post EQ and effect by Guthrie on the desk to help it sit in the mix and the second solo's comp'ed from a load of takes. When Gilmour played it live in more recent years the delays were ridden on certain phrases. It became a bit bombastic and overblown for me but the first solo is a thing of beauty  

This!  Get the feel and phrasing right and it'll sound right, it's 90% in the fingers.  Until you can do that it's pointless trying to buy the extra 10%, even if you got the 90% it's not worth the trouble/expense IMO