Classic tone: Shine On You Crazy Diamond

Shine On You Crazy Diamond is for many what Pink Floyd is all about. It’s the perfect combination of the instrumental Floyd and Roger’s lyrics and it’s one of David’s finest performances both in terms of his playing and tone. In this article we’ll examine the history of the song, David’s setups throughout the years and look at some of the blues references.

Shine On was written in early June 1974 during rehearsals at King’s Cross in London for the forthcoming French mini tour. David played four notes that immediately caught Roger’s attention and from there they started their normal procedure with pasting different bits and pieces together, all based on a standard three chord blues. The song was premiered at Parc des Expositions in Toulouse, France 18 June 1974.

While Dark Side of the Moon was a collection of shorter “pop” songs Floyd returned to an old formula with Shine On focusing on the music, which makes Wish You Were Here stand out as a stronger group effort than Dark Side. The album is also an example of how Pink Floyd was different from most prog bands. Although they wrote songs that lasted three or four times longer than the average radio hit, they always embraced their blues roots. An inspiration they both shared and got from Syd. Shine On also has that element of gospel like many of the songs on Dark Side of the Moon. It made their music more soulful and easier to understand and like, compared to the often complicated structures of the typical prog rock.

David Gilmour - Classic Tone Shine on You Crazy Diamond
David pictured with the Black Strat at the Theatre de Plein Air in Colmar, France 22 June 1974. This was one of the last shows with the white pickguard. David replaced the white with the now legendary black pickguard sometime in July/August later that year and the “new” guitar made its debut at in Hyde Park, London UK 31 August while performing with Roy Harper. In the back you can also spot the Fender 1000 twin neck pedal steel. David bought this at a pawn shop in while playing in Seattle October 1970. The guitar was used on several albums, including Meddle and Dark Side of the Moon and June shows in France 1974.
Recording Sessions

David’s guitars were recorded in Abbey Road between January and May 1975. His main setup included:

Fender “The Black Strat” Stratocaster
Fender 1000 twin neck pedal steel
Fender Dual Showman amp with a matching cabinet
Hiwatt DR103 amp with a WEM speaker cabinet
Leslie rotating speaker

The Black Strat had already gone through several changes at this point. In June 1972 David replaced the original maple neck with a ’63 rosewood from the sunburst Strat he had been using on and off since 1970. He had also replaced the stock pickups around June 1973 with the pickguard assembly from the 1971 bullet truss rod Strat that he bough in early 1972. The black pickguard replaced the white in July/August 1974.

There has been much debate over what David used for overdrives, – whether it was a fuzz, amp gain or an overdrive/booster of some sort. However, all the solos and rhythm parts includes a Colorsound Power Boost, which had been David’s main overdrive unit since early 1972 and one he continued to use up until The Wall sessions. The quadraphonic mix of the album also reveals that most of the rhythm guitars on the verse/chorus parts were dubbed by several tracks and underlined with both a piano and a fuzz bass.

David also used a Fuzz Face (BC108) for the slide solos and a MXR Phase 90 on Syd’s Theme, the third solo and rhythms on part 8 and a Binson Echorec 2 for delays.

The guitar solos 1974-77

The intro solo, played over Rick’s layers of organs, farfisas and wine glasses, was pretty much written during the recording sessions in early 1975 (the early pre-album performances starts with Rick’s keyboard solo and right on to Syd’s Theme). David recorded the solo with the Black Strat straight into the amp using the neck pickup. If you listen very carefully you can even hear little “mistakes” here and there.

Although David has been fairly true to the original album version in recent years, he often wandered off the signature pattern on the 1977 version and added a more hardcore blues feeling to the solo. Sometimes it was a bit too much but if you listen to some of the recordings from the US leg of the tour, both his tone and playing is just incredibly soulful.

The second solo on Shine On is one of David’s most famous signatures. That bend starting at the 13th fret is instantly recognisable. The tone on the album version is fairly clean with the Colorsound Power Boost set for a very mild crunch. David’s using the neck pickup and switch over to the bridge at the end.

Again, on both the early pre-album and 1977 performances David digs deep into his roots. He has often said that he prefers playing solos based on Gminor as there seems to be more to work with. His playing on Shine On – the second solo in particular – has many references to Leadbelly, Robert Johnson and of course BB King. Those single notes and the fairly basic structure is all King, – one of David’s biggest inspirations. The second passage or lick, which is similar to the fill right after “Nobody knows where you are…” is as if BB King would have played it himself.

David Gilmour - Classic Tone Shine on You Crazy Diamond
A tab of the lick played right after “Nobody knows where you are…”. It’s a slight variation of the 1 to 1 lick BB King signature. David uses this many times throughout Shine On. Note: 6 s 8 means a slide up to 8.

The third solo in the intro section might seem redundant and Floyd did ditch it on the 1980s and 90s tours but it makes perfect sense as the climatic end of a blues jam. On the album version David cranks the Colorsound Power Boost and adds a MXR Phase 90 using the bridge pickup. The phaser was introduced in David’s rig in June 1974 and was extensively used throughout the tour on Breathe, Shine On, Have a Cigar (also used on the album version), Raving and Drooling (Sheep) and You Gotta Be Crazy (Dogs) and even Echoes.

This solo is also one of David’s most aggressive. Especially the 1977 version when he used a Big Muff, that must have blown a few circuits on the stage. More on David’s Animals effects board here. As the Animals tour reached the closing shows, David’s tone got wilder and some interesting versions of the solo has been documented on several bootlegs. A favourite of mine is from New York 2 July 1977. It’s sheer power… far from the soulful album version.

The slide solo was originally just a lot of wild echo sounds with no particular pattern, similar to the album version of One of These Days. David used the Fender 1000 twin neck pedal steel on the shows in France in June ’74 and this was actually the first time that he played a steel guitar on stage. Prior to this he had used the Stratocaster as seen on One of These Days from Live at Pompeii. During the band’s rehearsals at Elstree Film Studios in October ’74 Phil Taylor bought two new Jedson lap steels that David used on the late 1974 shows and they of course became his main slides for the next 30 years.

David had a Fuzz Face and a volume pedal lying under the steel guitar that was fed into the Binson Echorec for delays.

Rhythms

The rhythm parts on Shine On are a mix between straight power chords, random strumming and classic blues. While parts 1-5 are pretty straight forward David does a lot of sophisticated work on parts 6-9. While he would normally play rhythms based on the drums and bass (Echoes, Childhood’s End, Time etc) his playing on Shine On is about creating different layers and textures.

Again the quadraphonic mix reveals many details and the rhythms during the slide solos on part 6 are particularly well crafted. David blends many techniques and although it may sound quite straight forward he incorporates licks and patterns reminiscent of Robert Johnson and Elmore James. Notice that there are two different guitars panned right and left almost duelling, playing opposite patterns and octaves.

Pulse 1994

David’s rig on the ‘94 tour is by far the biggest he’s ever travelled with. The sheer scale of it has both intrigued and confused the fans and his tone on Shine On in particular has always been the goal for many of us, – that fat warm overdrive with endless sustain. The fact is that David’s setup for Shine On ‘94 were basically the same as in 1974-‘75 and ‘77.

David Gilmour - Classic Tone Shine on You Crazy Diamond
David and his red 1983 ’57 reissue Fender Stratocaster with the EMG pickups at Earl’s Court, London 1994.

The intro solo includes an MXR Dynacomp and a Boss CS-2 compressor as well as a Boss CE-2 chorus. David uses two compressors on several of the songs performed on the tour and the reason might be that the SPC mid range booster feature on the EMGs produce a very mild overdrive and by using two compressors he’s able to get a very smooth crunchy tone with lots of sustain without actually using an overdrive pedal.

For the second solo and the verse/chorus sections David is using the Boss CS-2, a Chandler Tube Driver for heavier overdrive, a Boss CE-2 chorus and digital delay. The Chandler is an early version of the BK Tube Driver included in the 2006 Cornish board (the tone is perhaps closer to a Tube Screamer).

As in the 70’s David used both the Hiwatts and rotating speakers to create a bigger sound and if you listen very closely to Syd’s Theme on Pulse you can hear this slow rotating or shifting sound from the Doppolas. More on David’s rotating speakers here.

On an Island tour 2006

The version David performed on his 2006 tour is a mix between the acoustic version from 2001/02 and Pulse. Again, David’s setup is very basic and this time even closer to the older version without chorus or flangers. He’s using the red Strat with the EMGs, a Demeter Compulator, BK Tube Driver (one set for clean volume boost and the other for heavy overdrive for the second solo) and digital delay.

David struggled a lot with the Sound on Sound effect. Some times it worked and some times it didn’t and if it didn’t he got all sorts of feedback and ringing notes. However, all these “mistakes” only made him more focused and perhaps a bit frustrated and this is reflected in his playing just like when he was angry with Roger in 1977. Some of the solos performed in 2006 take us right back to that spontaneity and power from 1977.

Sound On Sound explained

The Sound on Sound effect was something David introduced on the 2001/02 acoustic shows. He wanted to be able to play Shine On without using keyboards and developed this technique of sustaining a chord with delay and playing on top of it.

David Gilmour - Classic Tone Shine on You Crazy Diamond
A (very basic) graphic view of how the Sound on Sound effect works.

The Sound on Sound effect, isn’t an effect in form of a pedal but rather the effect achieved when splitting the signal in two with a long delay assigned to one channel. David strums a chord and makes a volume swell with the volume pedal assigned for the Sound on Sound channel. The signal travels to the Sound on Sound unit (basically a A/B router unit made by Pete Cornish) and into the Roland digital delay, which is set to 1500ms lasting about 20 seconds. The signal then travels into a Hiwatt and WEM cabinet used only for this effect. Gilmour lowers the volume pedal and plays a solo fed through the “normal” signal path, while the Sound on Sound pad is sustained by the long delay. The pattern is repeated for each chord.

The effect can easily be achieved by using a delay with long repeats and an A/B splitting your signal into two cabinets. There’s also a couple of delay units that offers a Sound on Sound effect like the Boss DD-20 but it’s not quite the same.

Getting the Shine On tone

As described above, David’s setup for Shine On is pretty basic and much of his tone lies in just a clean tube amp and the pickups. A set of vintage low output pickups like Fender CS69 will give you the most authentic 1974-77 tones. The bright transparent tone blends nicely with most effects. However, if you’re desperately seeking THE Pulse tone, I recommend the EMG DG-20s – same set as David’s using on his red Strats with the EXG bass/treble booster and the SPC mid booster (read more here).

I do recommend that you try these before you buy them though. They’re Pulse in a box but not very versatile and it can be hard achieving authentic Dark Side or Pompeii tones with them. You can however, get a convincing Pulse tone with vintage style pickups by adding more mid range to your tone with an EQ pedal or simply by using a Tube Screamer as your main overdrive unit. See this article for more tips on which guitars to buy.

David’s Hiwatts are as essential as his Strats. What you want is an amp with as much headroom as possible (doesn’t distort when you turn up the volume) and without too much mid range. Hiwatts, Sound City and Reeves are ideal. I also recommend Fender Bassmans and Dual Showmans but a Twin could be a bit too bright and punchy. For smaller setups I recommend a Peavey Classic or even older Marshall combos for that warm vintage clean tone. See this article for more tips on which amps to buy.

Always connect your effects into the front inputs and set it up like this: bass 50%, treble 50-60%, mids 40% and the master volume should be about 1/3 of the channel volume. I also recommend linking the normal and bright channel inputs for more presence (link the upper normal and lower bright and plug your guitar into the upper bright). Set the bright volume slightly lower than the normal volume.

Effects

I think the trick with getting a good tone for Shine On is to keep things as simple as possible. Base your tone on your amp and your pickups and don’t use too many effects but stick to the bare necessities. Keep in mind that Pulse isn’t really a good reference for David’s tones because what you hear is a mix between the close mic’ed amps, the reverb drenched PA system and the processed album mix. If you’re trying to replicate a sound you should always compare the official live recording with a couple of bootlegs to get the right impression of how it really sounded.

1. Classic 1974-77 tone
MXR Dynacomp – sustain 10:00 and volume 2:00
EH Big Muff (3rd solo 1977) – sustain 2:00, tone 11:00, volume 1:00
Colorsound Power Boost (clean boost/mild overdrive) – treble 10:00, bass 12:00, gain/volume 12:00 and master 2:00.
Colorsound Power Boost (full overdrive) – treble 9:00, bass 12:00, gain/volume 4:00 and master 2:00.
MXR Phase 90 (1974-75) – rate 1:00
EH Electric Mistress (1977) – rate 10:00, range “off”, colour 10:00
Echo/delay – 370ms

If you can’t find or afford a Colorsound Power Boost, check out the Absolutely Analog Fist, ThroBak Overdrive Boost or Vintage FX Colordrive. You can also replace it with similar sounding pedals like a BK Tube Driver, Boss BD-2 (preferably a Keeley model) or an Exotic RC Booster.

For delays, check out the EH Memory Man or Trex Replica for authentic analog echo or simply a Boss DD.

2. PULSE (for EMG pickups)
Boss CS-2 – level 2:00, attack 12:00, sustain 11:00
Chandler/BK Tube Driver – volume 2:00, hi 1:30, low 2:00, gain 10:00
Boss CE-2 – rate 1:00, depth 11:00
Digital delay – 440ms

3. PULSE (for vintage style pickups and smaller setups/home)
Boss CS-2 – level 2:00, attack 12:00, sustain 11:00
Ibanez/Maxon Tube Screamer (preferably 808) – overdrive 2:00, tone 10:00, volume 2:00
Equalizer – mild mid range boost
Boss CE-2 – rate 1:00, depth 11:00
Digital Delay – 440ms

https://youtube.com/watch?v=xiOZPIgVGzQ%26hl%3Den%26fs%3D1

I’ve recorded this at home loosely based on David’s New York 2 July 1977 version of the third solo. I’m using my Strat with Fender CS69 pickups > green Sovtek Big Muff > Boss BD-2 (mod.) > EH Deluxe Memory Man into a Marshall 5210.

My personal setup

Fender Stratocaster with Fender CS 69 pickups
Sound City 50w amp with linked inputs – bass 50%, treble 50%, mids 40%
Gollmer Composus – comp 1:00, sustain 1:00, volume 2:00
BYOC Large Beaver “triangle” (3rd solo and slides) – gain 2:00, tone 11:00, volume 1:00
Maxon OD808 (intro solo) – overdrive 10:00, tone 3:00, volume 3:00
Colorsound Power Boost (Syd’s Theme and Muff boost) – treble 10:00, bass 12:00, volume 12:00, master 2:00
BK Tube Driver (2nd solo and rhythms) – volume 2:00, hi 1:30, bass 2:00, drive 11:00
EH Deluxe Electric Mistress (Syd’s Theme) – rate 10:00, range “off”, colour 10:00
Boss DD-2 – level 11:00, feedback 2:00, time 12:00

I’m using three different overdrives to achieve the best tones from my favourite versions. The Maxon OD808 has that warm, creamy tone perfect for replicating David’s Pulse tones on the intro solo and the BK Tube Driver has enough balls to give me that punchy powerful rhythms. The Colorsound is very similar and I often use it throughout the song but it somehow sounds better for cleans and for boosting the Big Muff on the third solo and the slides.

So, that’s pretty much it. I hope you got a little wiser and found some of the tips useful. I think the essence is to keep things simple. As I’ve said throughout this article, Shine On is a blues song and doesn’t require a whole lot of effects and stuff. Please feel free to share your favourite Shine On set up!

Sources:
– “Wish You Were Here”, original recording 1975
– “Delicate Sound of Thunder”, official live album and VHS 1988
– “PULSE”, official live album and DVD 1995
– “Remember That Night”, official DVD 2007
– “Colmar”, Colmar, France 22 June 1974
– “Wembley FM pre-master”, London, UK 16 November 1974
– “Echoes in the Gardens” Boston, USA 18 June 1975
– “Welcome to the Machine” New York, USA 2 July 1977
– Guitarist magazine, January 1995
– “The Black Strat – A History of David Gilmour’s Black Fender Stratocaster” by Phil Taylor
– “Echoes – The Complete History of Pink Floyd” by Glen Povey

185 thoughts on “Classic tone: Shine On You Crazy Diamond”

  1. Bjorn;
    This tone is so difficult to nail convincingly using a bedroom setup, at least according to my ears (specifically, the album version). I think I may have discovered the secret. I could never get the end of the second solo and verse to sound right; my PowerBoost clone did everything else perfectly. Then I realized- what I’m hearing is double tracked guitar. I don’t have a doubler, but I have a cheap second delay. I set it to almost nothing except the mix (think just below “slapback” settings. And it worked! For anyone trying to achieve the album tone in a small, at home setup, give it a try! Also, I can’t recommend getting a PowerBoost clone enough. The BD2 is very, very close; but there’s something about that PowerBoost, with the right amp, that is magical!

    Keep up the great work!
    -Chris

    1. They did a lot of different things in the studio. Even back in those days. Lining the guitar into the mixing console, using different types of reverbs in teh mixing, double tracking, underlining the rhythm guitars with piano and synths. All kinds of things. The BD2 close, as you say, but it does have a tiny bit amount of mids and compression, which the Power Boost doesn’t have.

      1. Hey Bjorn,

        What do you think about using a Wampler Tumnus for the 2nd and 3rd solos for SOYCD? I’ve been using a BluesBreaker style pedal (Morning Glory), but it a little too dark I think. Looking for something brighter, possibly more a clean-boost type of pedal, which is why I though about the Tumnus. Any thoughts and other suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks again for your devotion to analyzing Gilmour’s tone.

          1. I’m using a Princeton Reverb. Any recommendations for pedals that might give me that clean boosted tone?

            1. If you just want a clean booster you could go for any type of clean boost. A Klon type pedal is similar to an early Marshall/Morning Glory but you should be able to set these up for a brighter clean boost. Do also check out a Boss BD2 which has a wide range from clean to almost fuzz. It can be set very bright.

  2. Hi Bjorn,

    I’m trying to figure out a way of achieving the ‘sound on sound effect’ for SOYCD, and am wondering if you explain in a bit more detail how to get this effect.

    thanks

    1. I haven’t explored the effect myself so I really can’t go much further into details than what’s already been written here.

  3. Hello. By my ear I think shine on you crazy diamond intro was played with a Les Paul with p90. Don’t you think so?

    1. The very first solo was most likely played straight into the mixing console, with some compression added in the mix.

  4. Greetings Bjorn,

    First for most many thanks for all you do for this community, it is indeed priceless.

    I really need you, or anyone to give me some suggestion on how to achieve shine on you crazy diamond sound on guitar rig 5 for the intro and the other parts as well, even better if anyone reading this post has preset for that would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks very much in advance.

  5. Hey Bjorn, I’d like to think that the first solo on Shine On You Crazy Diamond he ether used a Fender Dual Showman or a Fender Twin Reverb
    Because I got the sound pretty close with a twin reverb style.

      1. Okay sounds like it too but on Syd’s theme sounds like hes using the bridge and neck in phase (At least to me)

          1. Okay but on my guitar it’s sounds to harsh on the bridge and too mellow on the neck the middle too hollow but then again my Strat has a dimarzio FS1 in the bridge, and when did he added the switch, what was the switch there to begin with?

                1. Ha ha, well I think there’s a lot you can do to eliminate harsh tones before starting to carve out space for a humbucker :)

        1. Not pedal compression, as these weren’t around, but they most likely, as you almost awlays would, added compression from outboard units or in the channel strip. How much depends on how hard you drive the channel. David most likely recorded Syd’s Theme with the Binson Echorec, which is what creates that reverb effect. It’s not reverb as such but rather the nature of the lush sounding echo produced by the Binson.

          1. But on Syd’s theme and the solos do you think he ether used the fender twin reverb or showman or hiwatts?
            I’d like to think that on Syd’s theme it could be just a Fender showman or the showman and hiwatt together and the 2nd 3rd solos it could be a hiwatt

            1. Hard to tell just what he used as there are no official documentation on this. Footage from the sessions reveal that he most likely used a Showman for Shine On and the Hiwatts for some stuff. He might have used Fender amps too but again, hard to tell. You can make a guess based on what you hear but any of these amps can be made to sound more or less the same with a couple of pedals and studio mixing.

                1. There aren’t any video footage from the sessions as far as I’m aware but check out jill furmanovsky’s photos. She covered a lot during that period.

  6. Love this! So much insight! Haven’t finished it all, yet! Still euphoric from hearing Dave and friends play ‘Shine’ in a cinema on September 13th! And another cinema’s playing it again in a few days, so I’ll get to hear it again .. whoo-hoo !!!

    Thank you !!!

    Steve!

    :-))))))) …

  7. Bjorn, so nice of you to mention BB King and his influence on David’s playing and style. A few days ago I watched the BBC documentary Wider Horizons (which you must have already watched) and in the end David says that the nicest thing he ever heard on his career was after a show he walked out of the stage and BB King asked him “you sure you ain’t born in Mississipi?” and David gives a nice smile. I believe that it says a lot about his guitar hero and influence. BTW, BB must be an everlasting influence on every guitar player. Keep up with your fantastic job!
    PS: have you seen David’s studio on the documentary? I had already seen a few pics here, but seen it on HD was awesome. When they shot the guitar cases I could even see some EC Strats, which I never new David owe!

    1. David has often talked about how BB King, Leadbelly, Peter Green etc influenced his playing from early on. The blues has always been the fundament of David’s playing and very much like Hendrix, he’s managed to take that influence and make it his own. David did play an EC Strat in the early 90s for some gues appearances. Check out Paul Young’s Heaven Can Wait.

  8. Great job done ! Ive been playing this song for sometime now .. This information will surely help me in sounding more closer to the real ones !! Hats off amigo

  9. Hey Bjorn, A little confused about one thing with Shine On. Which part is “Syd’s Theme?” is it the famous 4 note “doorbell” after the first solo or is it the arpeggio? Is there a phase 90 on the doorbell?

  10. Wow, I’m impressed!You must have the finest ears in the world to catch all those nuances in David’s tone! I’ve been playing guitar for a long time before having a family, but now my fingers itch and reading those articles increase the itching :)

    [Cheers! – Bjorn]

  11. I use a 1976 DR103 with a Hiwatt C.S. 4×12 cab.

    Guitar is a U.S. Fender jaguar thin skin all stock.

    Effects: Xotic RC booster scott henderson, Reverend drive train, Modded Big muff(couple of caps changed),70´s Ibanez fl 305, EHX deluxe memory man and a boss re-20 space echo.

    Sounds pretty much like the real deal, maybe because the Hiwatt is the real deal :) The jaguar can be rather spikey at times…

    Have to say however that to nail Gilmour´s tone you have to run the Hiwatt pretty loud. i mean with the master past the halfway mark. Pretty LOUD.

    [What are your pre-volume settings? With the master above 12 o’clock the amp is far too loud and bright. Try setting the normal volume at 12 and the master at 8 or 9 (o’clock). That should sound warmer and the volume should be bearable. – Bjorn]

  12. Hi Bjorn.

    First, let me congratulate you for this awesome article. Very instructional and informative. When I finished reading this article “I’ve become confortably numb” with every detail of it.
    Second, amazing website. It’s a great website and I dare to say that it will get even better with time, like an good old wine.
    And third, continue your spetacular job and efford on this website.
    Shine on is one of my favourite songs of Pink Floyd, and I’m learning it and getting the sounds that I want because of this article.

    My next song that I will learn will be Confortably Numb. Of course I know that I have te essentail tools for learning it. They’re all in here. :)

    Once again amazing job and keep up this awesome work.

    Big cheers from Portugal.

    João Cabral.

    [Thanks a lot for you kind words, Jọo :) РBjorn]

  13. Dr.Pradeep Kumar

    Hi,
    I absolutely love your website, so much of information about my favorite artist.
    I downloaded the Shine on you crazy diamond backing track, and I’m having trouble syncing the start.
    I always miss it or start early. Can you help me out with it.Im not a great guitar player just amateur.
    I also need tips on how to play this particular song with the backing track.
    Thank you.

    [Try setting a click track to the song using the drums as your time stamp. That should give you ques for the intro as well. Technique and tone tips are described in the feature :) Good luck with your playing :) – Bjorn]

  14. Hi Bjorn, I want to say a happy birthday to David Gilmour. I’ve bought the EH freeze currently testing it out for the keyboard party on SOYCD.

  15. Hi Bjorn,
    Have you tried the Electro Harmonic Freeze for creating that sound on sound in WYWH? Love the site.
    From Miami, Florida USA… Denis.

    [No I haven’t… – Bjorn]

  16. Hi Bjorn!

    I love your site. I’m a thirteen year old, left handed Gilmour obsessed guitarist, and your site is an amazing resource. I currently play a lefty American Standard Strat (Black Strat styled), though a few effects, into a ’74 Traynor YGM-3. All tube, point to point.

    Anyway, awesome article. Shine on is my all time favourite to play. I don’t know if you heard of it, but Electro-Harmonix makes a pedal called “Freeze”, which does the sound on sound effect beautifully, and it’s smaler than a phase 90. It actually sounds pretty cool.

    Thanks for such an amazing site!

    -Cameron

    [Thanks for your kind words, Cameron! Glad you enjoy it :) – Bjorn]

  17. Well that would be great, but if not, it doesn’t matter! :) Also, when you guys did that, did you also do Have A Cigar and Wish You Were Here like the ’77 versions? I would imagine the audience not liking the electric guitar instead of acoustic in WYWH? I personally think it sounded great! :)

    [Yeah, we did. I loved performing WYWH on electric and we used to extend that last part with some nice piano and guitar jamming. Have a Cigar was fun because no one expeced the intro to be that heavy so when I did the slide down the fret board and hit that first Em the audience when nuts :) – Bjorn]

  18. Thanks for the reply Bjorn! That’s awesome man! I’m currently playing the Shine On. solos like the Oakland ’77 version, but I’m going to start working on the N.Y. show soon :) I’m going to be a bit cheeky and ask if you could provide some recordings of your band doing those versions? I’d absolutely love to hear you doing Shine On like that! Pretty please? Ha-ha! :D

    [Don’t think there are any recordings of those shows but I’ll have a look. – Bjorn]

  19. Hey Bjorn, just wanted to ask a little question… That video of yours, doing the 3rd solo from Shine On. New York, USA ’77, it’s excellent and I’ve been watching it over and over! Just wondering, when you performed Shine On. live with your old tribute band, did you ever perform the other solos like the ’77 version as well, or just the 3rd solo? Thanks in advance :)

    [Hi Will! Thanks! Love to play that solo :) We often performed Dark Side, WYWH and Animals based on specific live recordings and we tried our best to copy every detail. We even got people coming up to us telling us that we did it wrong and we had to explain that this was not the album but a live recording, ha ha :) Anyway, when we did these shows, I always did all three solos on Shine On like the NY show… we also did the duet solo at the end of Shine On part 9 :) – Bjorn]

  20. Hi Bjorn, at present I live in Oslo and I bought a Marshall SL5 here, very nice amp !! Soon I will return to Germany with it, and I then I have 2 amps there. You wrote above that the Sound on Sound effect can be achieved easily. What do I need to split the signal ? I have 2 delays, one T-Rex Replica and a Boss DD2, which has this stereo option… is one volume pedal neccessary for the effect ? Thank you !! Other thing: the Norwegian “Julebokk 9%” is a great beer !!

    [Ha ha, I haven’t tasted it but we have some very nice christmas beer :) You would need a splitter box for the dry and wet amp and a volume pedal to be able to do the swells. – Bjorn]

  21. Hey bjorn, great job as always!!

    i have a question though…
    any opinions about MXR M169 Carbon Copy Analog Delay???
    is it ok for gilmour/shine on tones???

    thnx in advance ;)
    cheers

    [Great sounding analog echo that covers David old Binson tones from the 1968-75 period. – Bjorn]

  22. Hello Bjorn, I read on your amazing website that on the PULSE version of Shine On You Crazy Diamond for his setup he is using his red strat with the neck and bridge pickups? Does that mean he is switching between them for different parts of the song or that he’s using both pickups simultaneously? My strat couldn’t do them both at the same time right now but I could wire it up so that it could.

    Thanks again and shine on!

    [Hi Brian! The red Strat is wired for standard pickup configurations. He’s switching between the neck and bridge for different parts. It’s mostly the neck from the first solo to the vocals and the bridge during the vocals. – Bjorn]

  23. Hi Bjorn,thanks for your great job!I have a question,can you post a foto of the carbon copy setup for shine on?it’s hard for me to find the right position of the knobbs…if it’s possible of course…Thanks greetings from Switzerland!

    [Thank you, Ruben! Unfortunately, I don’t have the Carbon anymore. Sorry. – Bjorn]

  24. Bjorn, Your attention to detail is amazing. I have been lurking your site for a long time now and thought perhaps you could help me with a conundrum.

    I’m looking to buy a good vintage amp to not mimic exactly Gilmour but help to get me in there when I want to be. I’m looking for amps with good head room and in the article you mentioned the trusty Fender Bassman. I had looked at them before but I heard that they like to crunch and a Bandmaster would be a better option for good clean headroom. Others I’ve talked to said the two amps are pretty interchangeable. What’s your experience? I’ve been leaning toward a Bandmaster, and had written off the Bassman as a different animal.

    [Thanks for your kind words, Jacob! Depends on what tones you want and how you’ll be using the amp I guess. The Bassman combo has lots of headroom but it’ll start to break up if you need to push it hard for large stages. A Bassman head/stack has tons of headroom and can’t really be compared to the combo. The Bandmaster and Showman has lots of headroom and an overall more transparent and brighter tone. Indeed very different from the Bassman. Personally, I’d go for the Bassman combo for recording and smaller clubs and one of the heads for larger halls. – Bjorn]

  25. I am using Roland Micro Cube with Delay and EFX at 10. Ibanez Tueb Screamer 7 with Hot mode setting on it with Level at 75%, Drive and Tone at 50%. Sounds amazing.
    Guitar is Fender MIM 60th anniv having TexMex Pups.

  26. i’m so happy (i can’t underestimate this) i read the user comments. i’ve been so puzzled with gilmour’s intro tone, it’s nagged me for years – but couldn’t for the life of me couldn’t figure out that haunting yet mellow vocal-ish sounds from the bends and vibrato. i could hear the neck pickup and compression – i even questioned whether it was a strat, as i could never get the sound – regardless of amp or indeed amp setting.

    so i stick a classic 50s Squier strat (yep Squier), through an xotic ep booster, into a focusrite pre-amp on my sound card, fire up a channel strip with compression in ableton, a tad plate reverb – voilà – it’s a miracle!!! it’s there – THAT sound.

    i hate a guitar di’d but this – this is the secret i’ve been waiting years to find!

    [Glad to hear you figured it out! David did indeed record the intro straight into the board. He’s done that several times, like on Another Brick 1 and the solo for part 2. – Bjorn]

  27. Hi Bjorn,
    Great artical, would you recommend the Joyo JF-05 Chorus?

    [I haven’t tried it so I can’t tell. – Bjorn]

  28. Hi Bjorn,

    I noticed you don’t mention a compressor at the top of the article when you list David’s gear for the sessions. I think I’ve read elsewhere that supposedly the very distinctive Dynacomp “pop” can be heard in his solos. I’m not sure if I hear it. Do you think he used a Dynacomp on the studio recording?

    Do you think the delay/echo character is also changed during the 3 solos? It seems to me that at the end of the second solo, when he switches to the neck pickup for that more snarly, agressive sound, that the echo also seems a bit slapback-ish…?

    Thanks!
    Brad

    [The Dynacomp came about after the sessions has ended, so he definitely didn’t use that one. He did however use studio compression. All instruments and vocals needs that. I haven’t really paid much attention to the delays but I’m sure he tweaked the Binson for different settings. It could also be different reverb settings that were used in the mix. You can create doubling and slap back effects with reverb as well. – Bjorn]

  29. Hi Bjorn,
    Would you recommend the White Horse 60w Tube Amp?

    [I haven’t tried it, so I can’t really comment on that. Sorry. – Born]

  30. Hi there Bjorn,
    my setup for this song is : mxr dynacomp, Bd2 Boss, EH Small Stone, DD20 and RT20, I play thru a Maxwatt Hiwatt 200 head plugged into a 4×12 Hiwatt….not tube ok, but loud.
    Basically when I play Shine on I find the dynacomp useful to control the amount of gain, as well as using the volume pot on the guitar….certainly also the pickup selector plays a heavy role in it, very round with the neck pickup and it’s very easy to push the bd2 with the bridge PU even without touching the gain control on the pedal….for instance on the third solo, the “heaviest one”.
    I find the Syd’s theme bit the most tricky to recreate….the OD seems a bit too wild and the sounds tends to get muddy and little defined, but that’s not all I’ve got a problem also with the delay, I mean I’ve got a MXR Carbon Copy as well as a DD20 digital delay but I just can’t get that HUGE effect we all know so well. Of course to stand as close to the original as possible I would tend to use the first one but then again the Boss has a good tape machine simulator and since it’s digital, it’s naturally more comfortable to program to get the 310 ms decay. I was considering of using them together for that section….now that could be an idea
    We must consider also that my Pickups are standard fender from 2000 so I guess that I should use something more vintage, anyway
    My settings are:
    Intro : Dynacomp + BD2 (volume 11:00, Gain 9:00) + dd20 (310 ms) + RT20
    Syd’s theme Dynacomp + BD2 (volume 11:00, Gain 1:00) + dd20 (310 ms) + RT20 (I guess I should turn off the Dynacomp)
    2nd solo: Dynacomp + BD2 (volume 11:00, Gain 1:00) + dd20 (310 ms) + RT20 (Neck PU on the most of it, and the bridge for the more aggressive bits)
    Interlude (synth solo) BD2 + dd20 (310 ms) + RT20 (Neck PU)
    3rd solo Dynacomp + BD2 (Vol.11:00, Gain 1:00) + Small Stone (rate 11:00) + dd20 (310 ms) + RT20 (alternating Neck and Bridge PU)
    Verses and choruses : BD2 + dd20 (310 ms) + RT20 (Neck PU and Bridge for arpeggios and phrases)
    Outro: Bd2 + Small Stone + DD20 + RT20
    Have you please any tips or advices to give me Bjorn? especially for the Syd’s theme… thank you very much and keep up the good work!
    Ciao from Italy
    Matteo

    [The setup seems fine. Keep in mind that Syd’s Theme, the album version, includes a lot of reverb too that’s added in the mix. The setup for the recording was very basic – guitar > phase 90 > binson Echo > Hiwatt + Leslie. The Leslie is barely audible on the album though. The Dynacomp has a tendency to squeeze just a bit too much sometimes so be careful with the settings or just switch it off for the part. The Fender Standard pickups are quite hot, which means that they also have a lot of mid range. You might find it hard to get some of that bright top from the vintage pickups but a nice, clean boost with the BD2 should compensate for some of that. I think the most important thing for Shine On is to set up the amp for a warm, punchy clean tone. See this feature for some amp setup tips. – Bjorn]

  31. Hi Bjorn, I have in two weeks spent $1000.00 US on my pedal board, and I’m not done. I am not much at purchasing online, and I tried a Crybaby classic withfasel inductor, and a tank of a duncan volume pedal. I got them yesterday, June 1, and they’re going back today. I need a wah that has a vintage sound, and will do the Seagull effect, can it be bought new? Volume, I can work out, but I managex to get script Dyna conp, and phase 90 for a decent price. My problem is distortion, and boost. I would love a Macari’s orange colorsound, but being in the states, I imagine they’re close to $500.00 w/ shipping. Are ther any alternatives for the power boost, and wah I can buy new, off the shelf,( I want it now!). Lastly, my Jh-F1 is broadcasting the neighbors food processor, and an am station in Antarctica! Is this normal? I only had it plugged in by itself, and when I have unity, and good fuzz, the noise is awful. Should I try another one? Are they all different, and I got a bad one? Once again, Help! I’m rounding the home stretch, but I’m missing my muff, wah, and boost, options for the impatient!
    You are the man, and I need an Airbag CD!
    Peace, Keith the clueless pedal procurer!

    [The Cry Baby GCB95 and the VOX V847 works for sure. I’m sure you are aware, but the effect only works on vintage style pickups (no noiseless and active) and you need to place the wah first in the line. I’ve always used the Ernie Ball JR volume pedal. You can drive a truck over those pedals and they still work :) Check out the Boss BD-2, ThroBak Overdriveboost and TC Electronic Spark Booster… all of these are based on and very similar to the Colorsound. It’s normal for vintage circuit fuzz pedals to pick up noise and radio signals as these aren’t shielded. Be sure to use properly shielded instrument and patch cables and be aware that your computer, phone, fridge, TV, lights… just about anything can cause noise issues. Hope this helped. Cheers! – Bjorn]

  32. Bjorn, I’ve always thought that clean strat tone on the beginning of this album was the most beautiful strat tones ever. When I was transcribing this stuff it was the early nineties and we had no internet. So I was on my own really. I was using a start with a fender twin and could get close but “no cigar”. I finally started playing it with the skin of my thumb and all of a sudden it was there. Strat, Twin and skin of the thumb really got it. I really appreciate the serious research you have done and I see no need to reinvent the wheel. So I’m curious if you can verify this for me. Have you seen David play with his bare thumb on this or other songs?

    [I’m sure he’s played without a pic on several songs to get the tones he wants and needs… last was Where We Start from On an Island. On Shine On however, I’m not sure he’s using the thumbs. I might have gotten this wrong in the article but I’m pretty sure now that he recorded the intro with the guitar plugged straight into the mixing desk. This adds a very soft attack, especially with added compression which they certainly did. – Bjorn]

  33. Alejandro Molina

    Hi again Bjorn. I can’t stop investigating this delay issue, it’s so rewarding. Let me share this with you…
    First, I have to say that I was wrong about the emulation of RE-101 Space Echo in Pods, actually is a 4 playback heads (like Binson Echorec 2) not a 3 playback one, like I said in my previous comment. So, the record head ( the original notes from the guitar) would be number “0”, if it was one.
    By the way, I saw an emulation of Binson Echorec in Pod XT called Echo Platter (with same pattern of settings as Multi-Head one) which is too dark and “dull”. I prefer the Multi-Head, clearer and brighter.
    I downloaded David’s interview video from youtube and imported it to Cubase SX. Then I took those 5 seconds of sound, where David is checking the delay settings, to see the graphic of the sound wave and check (Zoom in) how many repetitions of the original note were in there. I also checked the distands between the notes. Thanks we know the delay time is 370 ms, I could tell for sure (checking it before with my own guitar recorded in another track, playing the same note with same delay settings (370ms “1-34″Heads) that David’s playback heads combination is “–34”, which we don’t have in Pods (“1–34” is the closest) I don’t know why. This isn’ a problem to emulate David’s setting because the extra delayed note that we have in Pods (“1”) is so close in time (370ms/4 = 92’5) to the original one (“0”) that they both become one, and nobody could tell the diference when you’re playing most of Pink Floyd songs :)
    Well, that’s all. Thank you so much again…
    PD: I hope this is my last comment about this issue. Sometimes I can be very obsesive with the things I like, feel free to tell me to fuck off when you see I’m a pain in the ass, ok? :) All the best good man…

    [Well, obsessiveness is what drives this page :) Again, thanks for sharing! I just got a baby girl and have my hands full but I’ll try this the minute I get some time… Cheers! – Bjorn]

  34. Alejandro Molina

    Hello again Bjorn, thanks for the answer.
    Let me share this discovery with you. I’m sure is nothing new for you but, here it goes…
    I’ve been playing through a Line6 Pod Xt Live to see if I could get a delay sound close to what’s on the youtube video. Checking all its delay units emulators I found one of them called Multi-Head.
    It emulates the Roland RE-101 Space Echo with 1 record head and 3 playback heads, which each of them can be switched “On” or “Off” (12–),(1-3-),(1–4),(-23-),(123-),(12-4),(1-34),(-234),(1234). These are the 9 settings for the “Heads” knob. It seems that number 1 is the record head, I’m not sure, is quite messy the way Line6 has emulated the unit.
    Trying to get triplets and fourths delays, the most similar combination that I found is the “1-34”. And… Wow man!!, the sound I got is amazing. Adjusting “FEEDBACK” knob (if you put too much, you can get awful noises), “TIME” knob (370 ms) and the right amount of “MIX”, the sound you get is the one that David’s using in almost all of his solos. With no need of reverb at all (amazing), you get accurate sound for Astronomy Domine riff, Echoes (funky part solo, proper violing effect and seagull effect with reverse wha-wha), Money, Shine on, Comfortably Numb, Another Brick in the Wall, Sorrows, etc.
    I’m sure you already know all these things about multiheads delay units, but for me it’s been a brand new world. I presume that this kind of “delay-reverb” sound, that is so special in David’s solos, it’s got nothing to do with triplets or fourths, it’s got more to do with the combination of the playback heads in the “Binson Echorec 2”. The 1st one “OFF”, the 2nd one “ON” and the 3rd one also “ON”.
    I know David uses triplets delays in “The Happiest Days of Our Lives”, “Another brick in the wall part 1, etc. But this is different, is like a delay that quickly becomes a wired-beautifull reverb. Is so nice when you play a chord and drag it (with the same position of fingers) up the neck a semitone, and you can listen the 1st chord’s wake (it’s tail) coming behind. This happens in Syd’s Theme (Eb Major to D Major).
    Anyway, this is only my theory. I need to double-check this with you, man. You are the guru, let me know if you’re agree.

    PD: I know your bandmate has a Pod Xt. Please, try to borrow it and tell me something about these combinations of playback heads.
    Thanks so much in advance, I really appreciate the effort.

    [Thanks for the info! I have a POD my self so I’ll try it out :) This is the magic behind David’s reverb-like delays in the early days. The Binson, Echoplex, CopyCat and all those tape machines had a unique tone that’s hard to emulate. Since the About Face tour, David’s been using two units, one set for fourths and one for triplets, to simulate the tape heads. Cheers! – Bjorn]

  35. Alejandro Molina

    Hi Bjorn, congratulations for your fabolous web.
    I have a question about a youtube interview ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G91HQRSKW4&feature=related) where you can see David playing Syd’s Theme arpegio for the journalist. Before he starts, he plays a single note to check if the delay is on, and there you can listen triplets or something like that, in the delay settings. Is he using two delays at the same time?, what are the settings? Please, do you mind explaining this for us? I can’t tell what’s going on there.
    In deed, three comments before mine, James shows a youtube video (Pink Floyd Shine on you crazy diamond 1-5 Oakland 1977 part 1) where those delays can be listened quite “clear”, while Syd’s Theme arpegio.
    Sorry in case of this thing it’s been explained before. Anyway is always a pleasure coming back to your web and learn… Thank You

    [I’m not really sure what he’s using for this clip. There might be two units – one in fourths and one in triplets to simulate the Binson – but it sounds to me that he’s using a simulator and I suspect the MXR Digital Delay rack unit although I’m not sure if this is capable of doing this. Some multi processors like the Nova Delay and Eventide Timefactor feature settings for subdivisions, which are meant to simulate the different tape heads on the old tape machines. You could also use two single delay pedals and set them differently. I need to explore this more my self to give you a more accurate answer. – Bjorn]

  36. Hi Bjorn,
    Could I please ask a wee favour if its not too much trouble, something I have been meaning to ask you for a long time but feel silly to ask? I would be extremely grateful if you know and can break down the small phrase from the Pulse version of SOYCD for me David plays between 2.42 – 2.49 (link supplied) on the opening solo. I can play this song as per the original WYWH version note for note but this phrase is one of the key differences between the original opening solo and the pulse version, I think its a good improvement over the original and I’d really love to know what notes they are!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLsoCl-oX3w&feature=related
    P.S I have just purchased a Red Witch Empress Chorus and it’s an outstanding pedal, it has a huge range of different Chorus sounds but importantly it has a mix knob so if playing in mono (like I do) you can blend it in so beautifully with your tone and it sounds great with my EMG’s for authentic pulse. Fantastic for adding a background shimmer for your muff tones also (subtle rotating speaker effect etc). Fully reccomended!
    Kindest regards
    Nick

    [Hi Nick! How’s this… :
    ——————————————-
    —12 > 13 > 12–p11—–13———————
    ———————12——12–12–14–12—–
    ——————————————
    ——————————————-
    ——————————————

    The first note is on the 12th fret and you bend it up 13th and back and do a pull off to 11th. Hope this made sense. – Bjorn]

  37. Hallo Bjorn, I’m thinking much about cabinets at the moment. I use a DR504 with a PALMER 1×12 cabinet with EMINENCE SPEAKER with a modulator knob to adjust the output. I can’t say something bad about it. But on EBAY I discovered this: article number 270794249296 Maybe you can take a look at it and give me your opinion. I know that this cabinet has nothing to do with the old WEM Watkins productions, it is from MUSICGROUND. It has Fane speakers. What is your opinion, would this cabinet make the sound more “Gilmourish” ? And what about the price (the seller offered 699 GBP). Thank you, best regards

    [I haven’t tried the new WEMs but I know that people who’ve compared these with the originals claim they have little in common. I really can’t tell but I think a good Gilmourish cab should be slightly bigger than the usual Marshall-type cab and the speakers should have lots of headroom. I use a Sound City 4×12 loaded with Weber Thames, which are very similar to the old Fanes WEM used in their old cabs. A bigger, closed back cabinet will give you a bigger tone with more punch and a tighter lower end. Given that you have a 50w head you could just as well go for a 2×12 cab but if you do play with a band I would suggest that you use a 4×12 cab loaded with either 2 or 4 speakers. The speakers them selves should be at least twice the amp wattage in total. This will give you the headroom you need for those punchy cleans. – Bjorn]

  38. Hi Born! I’d like to thank you for such an amazing website! This is probably my all time favourite song and I get a lot of enjoyment playing it! I was wondering what do you think is the best way to get that really dark and warm tone heard on intro solo on the original album version and similarly on the 77′ tour in Oakland? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuk9553uedA) I love David’s tone on these two examples! Is it just a case of lowering the tone knob and reducing the treble or is he using a certain effect? It just seems less bright than most of the live versions eg. Pulse.

    Many thanks, James!

    [The album is mostly just the guitar lined through the mixing desk (intro) and into a Fender Showman for the solos with a Colorsound Powerboost. The ’77 version is basically the same setup and he’s also using the Yamaha rotating speaker cabs, which adds a very subtle rotary effect making the tones darker and slightly more rounded in the top. I think the best way to achieve this is to keep it very basic with just a nice punchy clean tone from your amp, a nice sounding compressor and a transparent booster/overdrive like the Colorsound Powerboost, Boss BD2 or BK Tube Driver (although this one’s a bit bright for the vintage tones). Shine On is all about dynamics and your technique and using the volume knob to both roll off the crips top frequencies and adjusting the gain is a handy trick. Using the tone control often muffles the tone rather than creating the dynamics. – Bjorn]

  39. Hey mate cheers for your thoughts,just got back from a couple of weeks Holiday so now going to look into it.Is it just an overdriven tone from a strat neck pickup do you think.Theres just somethimg there I cant quite get.Thanks mate.

  40. Hey bjorn,yeah the chords when the band enters they are played on the D Gand B strings the first chord is D string 10th frett, G string 12th fret B string 13th fret i dont know the chord could be a C5 perhaps played twice followed by the D 8th fret, G 10th fret, B 11th fret could be A#5 maybe then the same shape moved up to the 16th 15th etc,anyway those chords.Hope this helps a bit :) They are struck and held to sustain them,really nice chords.Has this helped at all mate.

    [Sorry for my late reply Dave. I’ve never checked the tabs for this but I always thought it was a bit more basic with the first chord B8+E8 and the last on B6+E6. If you listen to the album, there’s no bass notes in the chord. – Bjorn]

  41. Hey Bjorn,keeping within the Syds theme area the chords that are struck behind the 4 beautifull ringing notes are so sweet sounding,how do you go about replicating the tone for these chords,theres many ways obviously,whammy etc but what efects were used.How does your rythm guitarist achieve it.

    Cheers

    [Not sure what you mean… You mean the four notes or the rhythm chords when the band enters? – Bjorn]

  42. Ricardo Almeida

    Syd’s Theme??? In wich part is the Syd’s Theme? It use the EH mistress? It a quite confusing. The PULSe version have the intro, the parte that have the 4 most famous notes, the solo and a final solo. The intro only uses CS2, Dynacomp chorus and Delayor it uses also a tube driver? Please help me to understand this.
    Best regards,

    Ricardo

    [The four notes that David is playing right before the drums enters is often referred to as “Syd’s Theme”. The first solo and Syd’s Theme are played with a clean tone with compression and delay. The solos are played with a Colorsound Powerboost on the album and Tube Driver on PULSE. On the WYWH album David used a phaser (MXR Phase 90) on Syd’s Theme while on the Animals 1977 tour he’d use an Electric Mistress flanger. – Bjorn]

  43. nevermind i read up a little and found the answer i needed, sorry to waste your time >.<

    [Cheers! – Bjorn]

  44. i dunno if someone has already asked this, but i was wondering what settings would you suggest for the calssic 70s tone for a small at home setup with the same pedals you mentioned above (unless you reccomend useing the BD-2 insted of the Ibanez). Thank you good sir!

  45. Hi man i wanted to ask you if I buy my self a Line 6 POD 2.0 will i get the sounds of Gilmour.Thanks.Love your site

    [Sorry for my late reply. There are some very nice effects and amp sims that you can tweak for some great tones. However, keep in mind that these digital processors won’t cover everything. Some are good at cleans while others have great distortions. I think Line 6 has the best amp sims and great sounding overdrives and delays but I’ev found it hard to dial in a decent distortion for David’s lead tones. Don’t get fooled by the many vintage effect sims. They’re only so-called “based on” sims and some are pure crap. Personally I prefer Line 6 and the Boss GT10 over other processors. Cheers! – Bjorn]

  46. Hi Bjorn, thanks for this great site.
    It seems that for the classic tone of Shine On, as you hear it on the album you basically need three settings:

    1)’clean’ for 1st intro solo
    2) Mild Overdrive (2nd solo, fill-ins)
    3) Heavy Overdrive (3rd solo and rhythm).

    What settings would you recommend for a Tubescreamer type pedal and a small practice amp?
    In your article you give a guide for a ‘Pulse’ tone for the first solo with a tubescreamer. What about a more classic sound closer to the album for the overdrive parts?
    Note I just bought a behringer TO800, (not bad for its price, and thanks to your your advice), and I play with CIJ Strat (still with its factory cheapo ‘vintage style’ pickups) and a no-frills 15w Hiwatt.

    Ciao from Melbourne

    [The Tube Screamer has a different character than the Colorsound Powerboost David used on the track but it works great and especially for those 80s and 90s tones. A Boss BD2 (or Behringer BO100) would perhaps be a better choice tough for that vintage transparent tone. Settings are always hard to suggest because it depends on the the other gear, which pedals you combine, which pedals that are placed before and after (some will effect the tone even when they’re off), how loud you play and not least your technique. I think I’d set the TS for a slight volume boost, with the tone around 11:00 and the gain fairly mild. You just have to try a couple of settings and hear what fits your setup. Check out this article for more tone tips. – Bjorn]

  47. i know what you mean about the bb king connection – i heard love scene version 6 on mp3 player on shuffle and thought it was bb king and was thinking that many of the riffs sound like gilmour but it was kind of the other way around

  48. interesting question luciano.. those are things i’d love to find out about myself.. the jens/arias go for good prices too.. i think guyatone produces these tube od units too..

    what bout tube works? i noticed they go for very low prices compared to a bk butler/chandler.. anyone?

  49. Hi, Bjorn.

    I need your help.

    Do you or the guys here know anything about the JEN or ARIA TD-1 Platinum Drive???

    They seem to be the same pedal, changing the brand when sold inside (JEN) or outside (ARIA) of Japan, perhaps.

    And they are supposed to be (Chandler/BK) Tube Drivers clones.

    Are they any good, or just another cheap tube pedal like Behringer’s?

    Cheers.

    Luciano.

    [Never tried it… anyone? – Bjorn]

  50. Aah, okay, Any Colour You Like was actually the track that changed my mind into trying a Univibe, and knowing it’ll work just as well puts me at ease.

    Yet, the fact is, that Small Stone is definitely the more economical option, in terms of both pedalboard space and actual cost. and your samples do make it sound rather good. (Admittedly, the pedal space was never a big deal to me, I’m more like the pre-Dark Side David in terms of effects. I’d go for the big box version because I think it looks better, but isn’t there a significant volume drop on those? If so, I’d definitely go for the less interesting Nano version)

    If I were to buy blind, without being able to try it on my rig, would you still recommend it?

    [The big box Small Stone has a terrible volume drop so I’d go for the Nano. The tone is the same. I love phasers and especially the Small Stone. There’s always been a debate which is better – the Small Stone or MXR Phase 90 – but there’s really not that big difference between the two. You could very well substitute a UniVibe with a phaser but they’re not entirely similar so it depends on how accurate you want to be. Anyway, I warmly recommend it. – Bjorn]

  51. Thanks Bjorn !
    ps : your tone and playing in “Homesick” are incredible !
    A+

    [Thanks! Glad you liked the clips :) – Bjorn]

  52. Hm, must’ve gotten it confused with some other EHX unit, then, my apologies.

    Thing is, I was never fond of the phasers too much. just not really my thing, I guess. maybe I’ll try one in person for bit, see if it bonds with me.

    on that matter, how about, say, a used Electric Mistress? I do find myself liking the sound it produces, and you said it produces a very nice rotary sound earlier up in the thread. Of the two that EHX currently makes, which one would end up better for me?

    [I guess you were thinking of the Small Clone, which is a analog chorus. I really recommend the Small Stone phaser. Classic tone. Check out my review here. The Deluxe Electric Mistress can produce wonderful rotary (not UniVibe) sounds. I use mine for Any Colour You Like. – Bjorn]

  53. Well, there is always risking that Danelectro Cool Cat Vibe pedal. The Fuzz unit in that line fulfilled all my expectations and more, so I’m willing to try it. Maybe I’d consider a tremolo pedal as well? The triangle wave can sound a bit like a leslie depending on how you fix it…

    Why do you mention the Small Stone? Chorus was never really my thing….

    [The Small Stone is a phaser and phasers can produce a convincing rotary tone besides it can easily replace a UniVibe on Breathe… which David also did on the Dark Side tour in 1973-75. – Bjorn]

  54. hey bjorn, I read somewhere that gilmour got the sustain in the shine on first solo by using two compressor’s together for the pulse tones MXR Dynacomp, and the Boss Cs 2 If that is the boss compressor code.

    [Yep… and so it says in this article too :)
    The intro solo includes an MXR Dynacomp and a Boss CS-2 compressor as well as a Boss CE-2 chorus. David uses two compressors on several of the songs performed on the tour and the reason might be that the SPC mid range booster feature on the EMGs produce a very mild overdrive and by using two compressors he’s able to get a very smooth crunchy tone with lots of sustain without actually using an overdrive pedal.
    – Bjorn]

  55. Considering Evan question, maybe I could help (or confuse).

    I bought, a few months ago, a BBE Soul Vibe and a Dunlop Rotovibe. I know this sounds a bit redundant, but I found each of them for a very good price, so I just had to buy them both… :) But I could not test any of them before.

    Well, I found out the BBE Soul Vibe to be quite disappointing. I don’t know how to describe, but it doesn’t sound organic to my ears. If that makes sense, I think the sound “swells up” slowly and then “drops down” suddenly.

    Like someone said in a forum, it’s like an abrupt “chopping”. I didn’t find it “liquid” at all.

    The Rotovibe sounds a lot better, although maybe it’s not a real Uni-vibe (well, I’ve never played through a real one, either).

    Another interesting thing: the Rotovibe sounded even better before the distortion/overdrive units… (as a matter of fact, I have not tried the Soul Vibe before dist/od, only in the end of the chain, before delays).

    Hope that it helps.

    Luciano.

    [Thanks for the input! I agree but it depends on what you’re looking for. I think the Soul Vibe makes a decent tone for the price but it doesn’t stand the chance next to a Rotovibe. Perhaps the best option – if money is a matter – would be a Small Stone Nano or something like that. – Bjorn]

  56. Hi Bjorn…just wanted to ask you how do get rid off the 60 cycle hum from your single coils…?? Thanks…

    [Noise and hum can be caused by a lot of things. The best way to start is to eliminate as many sources as possible like mobile phones, computers, TVs, radios, lights – especially stage lights/rigs and flourescent tubes. Make sure that the power supply you’re using is separated from other power sources and the instrument/patch cables. You can shield the cavity inside the guitar or the backside of the pickguard. Use good quality shielded instrument and patchcables and try to eliminate the more noisy pedals or place them in a loop. Keep in mind though that high gain pedals will be noisy… that’s their nature. Hope this helped. – Bjorn]

  57. A rather incredible article, as always.

    An interesting effect occured while reading your article. I came to the part about BB King, and that lick you provided, and that triggered something. I find myself, about a week and a half after reading, with a BB King album in hand and learning whatever I can from the guy. most interesting. He was really a big influence on David?

    So, Bjorn, Christmas is coming up, and I’m looking to add to my board. I’ve settled on either a Leslie sim or a Univibe for a while now. I managed to find a BBE Soul Vibe on the cheap, like under $90, you wouldn’t have any complaints against that pedal would you? I wanted a RE-20, but considering the economic situation, money is tight.

    Additionally, I’m looking to replace my Danelectro PB&J Delay. Not because I don’t like it, just because it’s too damn flimsy. Looking at either the Ibanez DE-7, or the Rocktron Short Timer. both are analog-voiced digital delays. any recommendations there?

    [Glad you found the article useful :) David has picked up a lot from BB King and he often mentions it in interviews. I have only tried the Soul Vibe a couple of times and it sounds OK. You get that nice smokey UniVibe tone but it doesn’t sound as good as the more expensive models. Anyway, it should give you great tones. As for the delay, I recommend the DE7. – Bjorn]

  58. well I checked it out in a bit more detail and the dynacomp is fine but the cable connecting to it is faulty so

    [There you have it :) – Bjorn]

  59. Hey Bjorn, is it normal for my dynacomp (Newer version) to make a sound after turned on that it makes a sound like someone is blowing into a microphone?

    [Do you mean when you pick the tricks or is it a loud pop when you switch it on? Either way, it shouldn’t sound like that. Might be something wrong with the on/off button or the settings are too high… too much compression squeezing the tone. – Bjorn]

  60. Hello Bjorn,

    thank you for the great article! Speaking of Shine On and Snowy White working with the Floyd: During the last shows of the North American In The Flesh Tour 1977, David and Snowy played a unison guitar part at the very end of Shine On 6-9, which i think is one of the most moving & upliftig guitar parts the Floyd have ever done. (well, we all know there are a lot of those :-)). Is there a tab for this part? Help would be very appreaciated.

    As for the Waters solo shows: I’ve always liked Snowy there as the one guitarist who will not be copying Davids tone & style and add his own Sound to the songs. Sometimes this works well (Set the Controls/ What God Wants / Shine On) and sometimes no so well (CN comes to mind). But his sound is distinctive and stands on it s own. Just like Clapton during in 84 shows. You can love it or hate it – which i think its better than arguing who is the best Gilmour copy. (That would have to be Chester Kamen IMHO. His Playing on “Dogs” and Shine On 6-9 in 2002 was fantastic…)

    Have a great Weekend,
    Henning

    [The unison Gilmour/Snowy part on Shine On 9 was performed throughout the 77 tour in different forms. Sometimes David played an intro with just Rick on the piano and then they went into the album version with band/moog solo. They also did a version where David and Snowy played the very last part after Ricks solo. Kind of the ultimate climax at the end of part 9 (which my band often do). However, as you point out, they also performed a version on the last US dates where the moog solo was completely replaced by this wonderful duet between David and Snowy. I’ve never seen any tabs for it but it’s fairly easy blues all the way… I’ll try to make an YouTube clip one day. – Bjorn]

  61. Dave Kilminster did a great job of nailing elements of Gilmour’s tone and style and choice of notes…but visually he was hard to watch….

    Well said!!!!

  62. For those interested, this guy just ACES David’s PULSE tone.

    his equipment used is mentioned in the comments section…of course, he’s using the EMG pickup set, but I’ve never heard anyone get it that closely before

  63. Re: Snowy – perhaps the mark of a good sideman is how well they fit into the job, such as being reliable, professional, consistent…and in the world of rock and roll, these count for a lot. Roger also likes to have a great deal of control over his productions so maybe a quality of a musician is that they can endure his direction. Maybe what Roger sees in Snowy is someone that does not ape Gilmour’s sound or style and just makes it his own. I have to say, though, that his In The Flesh solo to Set The Controls was outstanding. Dave Kilminster did a great job of nailing elements of Gilmour’s tone and style and choice of notes…but visually he was hard to watch….just acted too much like an 80’s hairband guitar slinger. Snowy’s unassuming, humble approach is refreshing.

  64. Great!!

    Awesome article as always Bjorn thanks! i only have one question..
    Do you think a Peavey Windor Tube Head 100W will be good for that gilmourish sound?? thanks!

    Daniel

    [Sorry. Never tried it. I know the Classic amps are really good though. – Bjorn]

  65. Here is the link for anyone interested in the ’76 “Script” MXR Dyna Comp. Jared, these have been available since mid October, I meant to post something here about it, but forgot. These are a limited run and won’t be around long. Luckily, there is always eBay. By the way, there is also a Custom Shop ’74 Phase 90 available.

    ’76 Dyna Comp.

  66. Bjorn, could you send me the MP3 version of Shine On from Colmar, 1974? I got billions of bootlegs, but i couldn’t find it anywhere. If you do that i would be very pleased! Please, send to my e-mail, which is in the Informations of this part “Leave a Comment”.

    Cheers, Gabriel. :)

    [Give me a couple of days and I’ll send it. – Bjorn]

  67. Superb article mate! I’m feeling well chuffed that I figured out how to do SOS with a delay pedal, volume pedal & a Boss LS-2 Line Selector. Parallel evolution alongside one of the masters :)

  68. I agree about Snowy’s playing not exactly fitting with Floyd, but ,aybe the band (or Gilmour) picked a guitar player like Snowy as a backup guitarist simply because he was far different from Gilmour. No upstaging the primary guitarist that way.

    [I’m not sure why they chose Snowy but I think he was recommended by Kate Bush or her manager, who Gilmour had been working with prior to this. Roger and Snowy recorded the extended version of Pigs on the Wing for the 8 track cassette and from there they chose him as the rhythm guitarist for the following tour and later on the first half of the Wall tour. Snowy did a lot of session work at the time and was a very respected guitarist so I guess Floyd went for one of the best and one they could trust to do his job. In a way, Snowy is very much like Tim Renwick… The typical session guitarist with a distinct style of his own. They’re playing is very different but both are tremendously skilled and at the same time doesn’t have a huge ego that will shadow David, nor Waters. Personally I don’t think Snowy fits into the Floyd sound but he’s no doubt a great guitarist. – Bjorn]

  69. Hey Bjorn,

    I was looking on the Dunlop website yesterday, and found out they are coming out with a Custom Shop “76 Script Dynacomp”. I cant wait to try one out. I thought you and us Gilmour heads would be interested in it. By the way great article on “Shine On”, it is the reason why “WYWH” is my favorite album.

    [Thanks Jared! I’ll check it out… – Bjorn]

  70. Did Snowy play the outro on Pigs (Three Different Ones)? It seems I remember reading several accounts that Snowy played the outro solo on the Animals album version of Pigs. Is that true?

    [Nope. That’s David. Roger mixed an extended part of Pigs on the Wing for the 8 track cassette because 8 tracks looped and Snowy played a short solo at the end of part two before the tape turned and went over into part 1. They did a similar thing on the concerts, where they extended part 2 with drums and organs and Snowy’s solo. – Bjorn]

  71. Great article Bjorn!

    I’m glad you managed to get ahold of a copy of the Quadraphonic Mix (I have all three of the albums the Floyd did in Quad if you ever need a copy of them) of Wish you Were here. It’s my favourite mix by far as David’s guitar parts – particularly in the opening minutes of Shine On – are very prominent and clear.

    Great article! Keep it up!

    [Thanks! I have WYWH and Dark Side… Can’t remember the third… Meddle? Would very much like a copy! – Bjorn]

  72. Congrats man, nice stuff.
    I love this song, its like a JAM made song, well pretty much all the great PF classic are, but hearing different bootlegs you can follow the song live progresss, wich its great for musicians around, its the way my band compose things after all.

    About Snowy White, every time i hear his solos on the Animals tour I rofl, it ruins my personal inmersion on FP music, you see, some floyd song a ride for me, Snowy its like waking up from a nice dream, its completely out of place.

  73. I never liked Snowy’s playing with Floyd either. He just dosen’t fit in in my opnion. And like you said, Bjorn, I thought he was awful on the “In the flesh” tour too….lol
    Doyle did a good job though.

    On a sidenote….”Homesick” is awesome!!!!!

    Cheers,

    Daniel

    [Thanks Daniel! Glad you liked the new song! – Bjorn]

  74. thanks so much for this site every now and then that i need to read about david gilmour
    tone , song facts, history , i come to this amazing site ,thanks to you it has helped me tremendously getting the right approach to the music i love ,i have a better understanding of the effects that you describe so well ,the bootleg recordings of pink floyd shows are something i enjoy and every time you mention a fact of a certain song or show i quickly go to my collection , i think the 1977 tour the band sounded very good and shine on you became an epic song ,i like how you have included a video of the song ,
    i hope in the future you can discuss pigs 3 different ones , i think the tone is amazing and the solo is very interesting again coming out of the bootleg from 1977, and i will very grateful if you can include a video of this amazing solo ,thanks so much again Bjorn

    [Thanks for your kind words! Glad you enjoy my site :) – Cheers! – Bjorn]

  75. You’re right Bjorn, I just listened to “In the Flesh” for the first time in a year or so. On the album, it definitely sounds like Jon Carin singing the vocals on ‘Dogs’. When I saw Roger in ’99 it was definitely Doyle singing and playing the main acoustic part. I saw him again in ’00, and I think it was the same at that
    show too. I saw Roger in ’06 and I don’t think Doyle was even apart of that touring group, but I could be wrong. Mind you, my state was slightly altered at these shows, but I have a fairly good memory.

    D.K. thanks for the info. I don’t so much love the exact solo played on ‘Set the Controls’ on the “In the Flesh” album, which is really good, but I just love that there’s a solo like that in the song. I have always loved ‘Set the Controls’, but the ’68 album version needed a little pick-me-up in it. Snowy or whoever, that solo jams!

    I have to agree that Doyle does try to be Gilmour a little harder than Snowy, but hey, David’s voice and style are what they’re trying to replicate. I enjoy Snowy’s playing, but as Bjorn said, it is a little repetitive. The worst thing about Doyle singing the Gilmour parts is that he noticeably strains his voice to sound like him, and though he does a great job, if he sang a little more naturally, it would sound better and work just as well. But a good job overall.

    Like most of us here, I tend to like performers who are themselves… not the missing link. Every now and then you do find someone who does a good, or better, job than the original. But like I said, Doyle’s voice, for the most part, sounds forced and contrived on the recorded versions.

  76. Doyle’s solo album, Welcome, is a killer CD as well. He is a good songwriter, singer, and guitarist. His work as backup guitarist to Clapton on the Robert Johnson stuff is great too.

    Great article Bjorn. I agree, the ’77 versions of Shine On are incredible. I just picked up a CS-2 on ebay and have been messing around with combining my BK Butler Tube Driver, MXR, and Boss BD-2, Colorsound OD. I learned about most of those here, and I can get great Shine On tones with either compressor and any one of the drivers.

    Oh, by the way, I am working on a Muff comparison thread on the Gilmour Gear Forum “Post Your Clips” page. This one is just with the OAI solo, but I’m trying to get a good audio reference for many of the Muffs and Muff clones that you turned me onto.

    [Thanks! I’ll check it out. – Bjorn]

  77. Randall, and Bjorn, just a remark on this – the solo on the Set the controls was played by Snowy – on the record and in the DVD You can clearly hear the difference in tone between Doyle’s Fender and Snowy’s (mostly) Gibson. Interestingly, I tend to like Snowy more than Doyle in Waters’s “Bleeding heart Band”, ’cause he is the one who is allowed not to try to be David, that’s why he sounds more like himself (whether one likes it or not as a different question). On the other hand, Doyle’s impersonation of Dave’s was often tonally too aggressive. Well, like You’ve said, I guess he is he is more of a Hendrix/SRV type…

  78. I have to agree Bjorn, Doyle Bramhall is one of Roger’s better choices as the role of David. I’m not sure, because I’m too lazy to go check the CD right now, but whoever played the solo on “Set the Controls” on Roger’s “In the Flesh” live CD is a god among men. Whether that was Doyle or not aside, he his a really amazing player.

    But yeah, I saw Roger twice with Doyle on guitar and it rocked. He also did a great job singing David’s parts. Especially on “Dogs”, he was stellar. I must say, David’s voice is still great and it’s aged very well. But Doyle probably sang ‘Comfortably Numb’ and ‘Dogs’ the best they could be sang, second only to Mr. Gilmour. Side note: I wish Roger would play “Echoes” live sometime. I’d really like to hear his take on it, although I still think David and Rick at Gdansk nailed the definitive live version for all time. Roger’s live material is generally weak, but has it’s moments. “Set the Controls” is a staple of his set, and it fucking jams every time, without fail!

    I did see Doyle’s solo group once opening for Eric Clapton back around 2000. They were a really rockin’ blues band. Pretty awesome. I’ve meant to check out one of their albums for a long time, and this conversation just reminded me to go on Amazon and find one right now. I was just glad to see someone else remembers his work with Roger.

    [I think Doyle is a great guitarist. Always liked his playing especialy as a solo artist although he can be a bit too much Hendrix/SRV at times. I think it was Jon Carin who sang on Dogs though… – Bjorn]

  79. Great article!!! I love this site. I’m not 100% certain but I do remember reading some interview where Gilmour said that critics were bashing Floyd about hiding behind their effects and not truly being talented, what hog wash. But in retaliation to the comment David said he recorded the first solo directly into the board with a little compression added after. Your right usually this result will sound processed and possibly thin but then again this track was recorded in Abbey Road with some of the finniest pre-amps and studio compressors ever made. In a recording magazine some of these single Abbey Road pre-amps have sold for over $20,000 and clones made new for about $8,000. So this might very well be possible. David and the Floyd did many crafty studio tricks and even the 12 string guitar intro part on WYWH was recorded by reversing the polarity on one of David’s car speakers while also running an aux track of a old vinyl record player.
    For some people asking about volume drop using the Deluxe Mistress there is an easy solution. If you open it up you will see four little trim pot things perfect for a screw driver embedded into the circuit board. There will be three on the top and one down below. The left, and bottom seem to effect delay times. The one in the center effects wet/dry, but the one on the right will help with the volume drop. Please remember your settings before tweaking!!!!! and I’m not sure if this voids any warranty. But the one on the right I turned clock wise from 12 o’ clock to 1 o’clock or 1:30 and this seemed to help completely. But be warned if you turn it too far you get this horrible ring mod squeal that is no good for your amp or your ears. This right trim is also effected by the color knob turned up. Look at the effects reviews on harmony central that is where I found these easy mods. Good luck and mind your settings and diaphragms.
    Another cool thing was that in the intro of Shine On with the Keyboards and wine glasses they also had recorded a violin part that was obviously never used. Can you imagine?

    [Thanks for the info! Do you remember which interview this was? – Bjorn]

  80. Well, Bjorn, I really must disagree with you and Franck on Snowy White.

    I think you need to have a really sensible or “picky” ear to say his playing with Roger is awful.

    And even though Tim Renwick is a great sideman, you must consider Snowy’s great solo stuff. Just listen to “Bird Of Paradise” or his version of “Little Wing”, and, after that, his solo albums.

    Sure he’s not David, nor Clapton or Peter Green. He’s more of a straight blues player, closer to Green than to David’s. But I don’t understand this harsh judgement upon him.

    Anyway, everyone’s is entitled to have a different opinion.

    Cheers,

    Luciano.

    [I was talking about what he’s done with Floyd. I don’t think he was right for the band, nor for Waters. His style is too different from David and it doesn’t sound right when he’s replicating David’s playing… especially when he’s with Waters. I think Doyle Bramhall did a much better job but that may be because he has many of the same influences as David. They’re very similar to some degree. Snowy has a very distinct style just like David, Clapton, Knopfler etc… You can instantly recognize his playing but that also makes him more unsuited for Floyd I think. His hard core blues style with this repetitive technique… I don’t like it. Nor did I like what he did with Lizzy. That being said, I really enjoy his playing on Wet Dream and some of his solo stuff is really great. I guess he’s one of those guitarists that has such a personal style that he sounds better alone… I don’t know. – Bjorn]

  81. Thank you Bjorn.

    This is the song that made me pick up the guitar. All I wanted to be able to do is that first bend. After many years I can do it, now for the rest of the song.

    The site is constant source of interest and entertainment for me. I would also appreciate some more of your clips to help me with phrasing, and the arppegiated bit too.

    Keep up the good work.

    [Thanks Phil! – Bjorn]

  82. Kelton Gomes (Brazil)

    Well, I don’t know if it’s DI or not, but a think the tone David Got on the first solo might be easily achieved just rolling off the guitar’s tone pot a bit – which could elimininate a lot of the “that trebly, slightly harsh” feel usually provided by Fender amps…

    []’s

  83. Bjorn, this article made something go click and activated in me and urgent need of re-listening to the 75 and 77 “Shine On” bootleg versions. One version has surprised me : the Montreal july 6th, 77 concert. The first intro solo, played by David, is doubled by Snowy White with a very short delay (I think so). Do you confirm ? Or is David using a kind of effect that replicate the same phrases with delay.

    I use this post also to add one comment out of topic : Snowy White. I have always been quite dubious about Snowy White. His playing (it is only my opinion) never reached the Gilmour level. White is often gabby and not inspired. He is able to let great phrases going out his Les Paul, but most of the time (chorus work, not rhythm work), his style is unable to fit with the Floyd sound, staying enclosed in a pure blues style, without grace, without reaching the inspired playing of Eric Clapton or Peter Green. I am surprised that David gave him sometimes so much space on stage to play, and I am always very frustrated to ear that David let him play the “Have A Cigar” solo, the album genuine solo version is so amazing.
    I must admit that some moments are very good anyway, with Gilmour and White in unison, Shine On part 6-9, Dogs, Pigs,… But I think definitely that Tim Renwick, as surrogate guitarist, is at a much higher level that deserves David Gilmour. His playing is so much more inspired and aerial.
    Sorry for being so nasty about White but that’s what I think each time I listen to a 77 tour bootlegs. Am I too negative ? Did I miss something ?

    [First of all I agree with you on Snowy. I know people strongly disagree but I’ve never liked his playing and what he’s doing with Roger is just awful. Second, what you hear on that bootleg is an echo of David’s guitar. Sounds like the guy recording the show is standing in a place where he pics up the echo from the rear speakers or the sound bouncing off the walls or something. – Bjorn]

  84. Hey Zarek, the best way to achieve sound on sound is placing a looper last in your chain. LOL Plus, there’s none of the hassles Mr. Gilmour experienced. Hell, nowadays loopers are cheap and can do several different effects in addition to looping. I use a Line 6 DL4 placed after my Line 6 X3 Live, but before my tube preamp and rackunits. It has stereo in/out, so I maintain stereo signal, and I can double speed, half speed, reverse, overdub, etc. I love it and use it often. The only problem is the DL4 is a delay unit, so the looper can only record 16 seconds, which works in most cases, but sometimes I need more.

    Anyone out there have experience with any of the Boss loopers?

  85. very good article indeed ,could you please help point in the right direction
    which is would be better the stereo electric mistress or the deluxe electric mistress thanks you

    [Deluxe. The new stereo sounds more like a wild chorus than anything else… – Bjorn]

  86. Oh, man, You’ve really done something beautiful with this article. This very song (this great piece of music, to be more precise) was the first step in my transition to a conscious electric guitar player. This song was also the reason for me to buy a single-coil equipped music man silhouette (I only play Ernie Ball Music Mans). So, You get it, Shine on, is my favourite, and You did such a GREAT job on covering it. As always – You never cease to amase me.

    BTW, during my university days studying classical musicology the professor in “theory of classical harmony” used the Part 1 of “Shine On” (before Syd’s Theme) as an example for a non-metrical piece of music. This was THE ONLY time during the whole year he has used an example from the world of the “popular” music. But, he should have been around 20 when “Wish You Were Here” came out, so that probably explains a lot…

    One of my frineds once said: “If there are space wars one day, the pilots of the Earth will go to battle with Shine On playing in their headphones”. You probably know this, but it’s quite astonishing that “Delicate Sound of Thinder” was the first ever music LP to be taken (by a then-soviet cosmonaut team) aboard the space station “MIR”

    So, to cut the long and very personal story short – THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!! I greatly appreciate Your website, shine on…

    [Thanks for your kind words! Glad you enjoyed the article :) Cheers! – Bjorn]

  87. Sup Bjorn

    Man, great stuff. I was very pleased with this article, as i am with all of them. The guitar is so great, i think it would be awesome if you did a video of just how to achieve this one tone. The guitar sounds so stripped down from his usual stuff that it’s like,” Dude, is this really Gilmour?”

    Again, great stuff, and are you really doing a dogs article?

    [Thanks! Dogs is next one up but it won’t be finished until January. I have a couple of other things planned first. – Bjorn]

  88. Hi Bjorn,
    I’ve gotta agree with Lorne here and say that the intro solo sounds very much like it was direct into the board with a bit of compression.
    Direct inject guitar tracks don’t have to sound plastic. It just depends on what board you’re plugging into.
    To me, you can tell it’s DI’d because of that very, up-front tone, as if it’s right in front of your face, and also because of the amount of treble that’s in there, that would usually otherwise be tamed by a speaker cabinet.

    [I’ve been listening to the original album and the Quad mix over and over for the last couple of days and it’s not easy to tell. I agree with your description of it sounding very much like it’s DI’d but listening to only the front speakers quad mix it sounds like it could very well be a mic’ed cab. Fender amps has that trebly, slightly harsh tone. I also thing that it sounds very much like his tone on the second solo. If you listen to it it sounds like he’s using just a clean tone up until 6:05 and then either kicks in the Colorsound or a different track enters that starts with the neck pickup and then the bridge. The first part of the solo sounds like the intro solo only with more reverb. Comments? – Bjorn]

  89. Hi Bjorn,

    Again, a great article…as always ;-)

    Very nice info in this one, especially since it’s all together on one page now.

    Gonna be waiting for the Dogs article.

    Cheers,

    Daniel
    PS: Can I say “When” so you come to Holland too? ghehehe…

    [If you pay for the stay… LOL! Cheers! – Bjorn]

  90. Great article! As always. :)

    There is another way to achieve the sound-on-sound. It’s called EHX HOG. With some tweaking I can achieve a beautiful soundscapes with it. You can freeze the chord and play on top of it. Great stuff, IMHO. But surely needs tweaking – 99% of it’s settings are crap.

    Cheers!

    [Thanks for the input! – Bjorn]

  91. For anyone building their own Black Strat, I have been playing around with several different pickups lately, and after three sets, here’s what I settled on. If you what the Gdansk version of Shine On tone, these pickups (in an alder body/maple neck Strat) will nail it perfectly.

    Duncan SSL-5 Custom Stagger- Bridge Position

    Duncan Antiquity Texas Hot (standard wind)- Middle Position

    Duncan Antiquity Texas Hot (standard wind)- Neck Position

    I recommend using a standard wind in both positions. Here’s why. The SSL-5 is wound top coming with south polarity. The Texas Hots are wound top going with north polarity; basically, RW/RP from the SSL-5. This setup will give you hum-canceling in bridge/middle position and if you use the bridge/neck mod like I do, you’ll have hum-canceling in that position as well. However, you will lose hum-canceling in the middle/neck position, but you’ll still be in phase. This setup is totally in phase, no matter what combination you’re using.

    Like Bjorn, I like the CS ’69 pickups, but these Antiquity pickups are really sweet. They are hand-wound by Seymour Duncan; the man, not the company. The scatter wound pickups give you a slightly more authentic Gilmour Custom Shop tone, and that’s the tone he approved. Also these pickups can be a little smoother with distortion, and are not as noisy as the CS ’69s as far as I can remember. I haven’t used the CS ’69s in a few years, but I remember they were extremely noisy, but did deliver sweet tones!

    By the way, the Texas Hot does not give you that SRV tone, don’t let the name fool you. These things are just like the CS Fat 50s, but a little better quality with a little more punch. I hate Stevie Ray, and I would never want anything that gave me that tone. These are truly sweet. Also, check out the aging process of the magnets and covers that Seymour does… it’s pretty cool. In addition, aged magnets are stable, most pickups aren’t stable for 20 years! These magnets are also perfectly calibrated. Great pickups, definitely a 10 out of 10!

    Here are the links for anyone interested:

    SSL-5

    Antiquity Texas Hot

    I’ve done a lot of homework on pickups the last two months, and already knew quite a bit. I love Gilmour’s tone, and these will give you a near perfect copy. What you do with it is what’s it’s really all about. By the way, if you read my previous review of the SSL-5 on here, I had a phasing issue and it affected the output. I fixed this with my last installation of the mid and neck pickups. and the SSL-5 sounds great all by itself. Very full. Excellent clarity. Drives really nice. By far the best bridge pickup in a Strat I’ve ever used. I know why David approved that one as well. Great tone!

    [Thanks for all the info! – Bjorn]

  92. I have to slightly disagree about the origins of those four famous notes. I’ve read Phil’s book, and it is the account you state here, but I saw an interview with Roger Waters a few years ago and this is what he said:

    “David and I were sitting in the control room at Abbey Road. David had either an acoustic guitar, or one of his electrics unplugged, but we did often have an acoustic laying around the control room. Anyway, I was busy mixing or something and he was noodling around with chord inversions. He played those notes and I immediately turned around and asked “What was that?”. He said, “What?” After playing around for a few seconds he played it again. And the rest is history.”

    Now I don’t remember where I saw that, but when I do, I’ll give you the citation. That isn’t an exact quote either, but it’s damn close. I remember reading Phil’s account, and thinking that doesn’t mesh with Roger’s version. But who knows? Just like the ‘who saw Syd first’ tale, there may be several versions, but that version above came directly from a band member, not a guitar tech.

    [Well, according to Phil’s book, Shine On was written during the rehearsals in october for the winter tour in 1974. But we all know that the song was performed on the French tour in June, so Phil’s got it wrong. I’ve also read the interview you’re referring to but according Glenn Povey’s book “Echoes – The Complete History of Pink Floyd” they only had a brief session at Abbey Road in January… some 6 months before they premiered Shine On. According to most sources, they hastily wrote two songs during the rehearsals in early June, – Shine On and Raving and Drooling (Sheep). You Gotta Be Crazy (Dogs) was written in October. – Bjorn]

  93. I’ve got to say, you’ve really hit on something that everyone else ignores. I’m speaking of the riff you have transcribed in the article. Everyone seems to obsess on Syd’s theme without thinking about some of the really great phrasing that is found throughout David’s solos. That particular phrase stands out because it comes in after much musical exploration, and brings the tune back to its center with a few choice notes. In a way, I’m a little disappointed that it is not employed by David in contemporary recordings. Kudos for picking out a true diamond!

    [Well, the riff is by no means unique but it says so much about where David is coming from musically and I though it was a nice way to describe both his influences and the blues orientation of Shine On. I think David does a lot of cool riff on this song… both on the album and the live versions. Cheers! – Bjorn]

  94. I seriously wish that someone could buy the rights to the bill lewis guitar and then build it but make it sound just like it and look just like it and of course … feel just like it.

  95. João J. Francisco

    I though a few time before write this!…

    I’m a little chocked with a comment I read here! :-( And I’m not going any further!…

    I’m related with music since I was a kid and I’ll never dreamed to got the sound I got today! And all that is from the fact of the existence of this site!!!
    Bjorn always helped me, always answered my lazy questions!
    There no site like this in the world, and that’s what makes this guy “Bjorn” singular too! Guitar players tend to hide their little “secrets”, but not him!…
    None knows everything! The world is changing all day and the past is dark hole… it’s difficult to find things in it!

    I ask Bjorn to forgive this “letter”, and all of you to keep this sanctuary free from bad thoughts!

    Peace!

  96. Thanks very much Bjorn! Always helping us to improve our style understanding better how to set up our board. Please when a visit to Barcelona with Airbag or TPFE? I’ll take you to eat some good spanish food and you can give me an axe masterclass!! Cheers Alberto from Spain

    [Thanks Alberto! – Bjorn]

  97. Great article Bjorn
    it s a compendium of what you ve always said about Gilmour tone and overall about the sound on sound sistem used by uncle David. I found in the last time a basic simple set up for gilmour tone : 1 main board- Boss tu2-boss cs 3-boss ce2-ibanez ts9mod-trex replica///into fender princeton ’65—2 SoSound 2nd board .using the TU2 bypass output go through a volume pedal and cheapy zoom G2(wonderful delays!)///into a cheapy transistor amp(samick sm series,mod with jensencr10 speaker) or if you want into a PA or HI-FI sistem. I think that next I’ll add a Boss LS line selector instead Tu2 bypass, and a mixer for the SOS board .
    I have tested this sistem with my blackstrat ,with my acoustic guitar for some Gdansk situations,and with my Gibson 175 for an intimate HomeJazzyShineOnSound.
    thanks for your work .Ciao Steve

    [Thanks for the input Steve. – Bjorn]

  98. Regarding the studio version’s dry intro, I always thought it was a similar method to the way he recorded the solo to ABITW2, which was straight-jacked into the board, presumably with a DynaComp (or similar). If you’ve not ever tried it, give it a whirl!
    Special to Eric: I compensate for pedals that suffer from volume drop like the EH Deluxe Electric Mistress, and a few years back with an MXR Phase 90 (Dunlop), is to run it through a Boss LS-2 Line Selector. One can engage one effects line or a second (or together!) and adjust the volume of each of those loops. Sorted!

    Oh, and thanks for the great read, Bjorn!

    [I’ve never seen anything written on how he recorded the intro solo but if you listen to it it doesn’t sound like it’s fed straight into the board. It sounds much more organic and alive than that. Desk recording gives the tone a very processed tone with an almost plastic feel… if you know what I mean. – Bjorn]

  99. Great article, as always, Bjorn.

    Like Gabriel said, though, I would have enjoyed a “arppegio” tutorial, since it’s a bit tricky to play, even with the tabs (by the way, David played the Echoes arppegio section in a very peculiar way on the acoustic version, didn’t he?).

    Now, let’s wait for Dogs, another one in my Top 5.

    Cheers,

    Luciano.

    [Can’t remember the Echoes bit right now… need to watch it again to be sure but I think he played it like he always does. Keep in mind that the tab I used in the Echoes article is a stripped down version that’s easier to play. – Bjorn]

  100. This is more interesting than history but then it is!!!

    Also After rummaging through some of the older comments I saw u said “Just say when” after someone commented on u guys needing to come to canada (the pink floyd exp.) and I say “When”.

    [LOL! Thanks Alan! – Bjorn]

  101. Great article Bjørn thank you.
    I have got Kinman pick ups with my japan strat. I have very good tones with them but they are not for gilmour sound i think. what do you think? have you ever try kinmans?

    [I’m not a big fan. They sound a little too processed for my taste… – Bjorn]

  102. A fascinating ‘peek behind the curtain’ of a truly great guitarist. Oh, and David Gilmour’s not so bad, either. LOL Seriously, a VERY interesting article (as always). I really look foward to these little nuggets of wisdom from the Netherlands.

    I have managed to use a Kork AX3000G, a Boss RT-20, and a Digitech Whammy, and pretty much get the Gilmour sound. Good enough to fool all but the true Gilmour officionado. Just an FYI…..it can be done!

  103. Love it, love it, love IT. That clip is fantastic. The tone is perfect (especially when hitting those low notes) and your playing is great. But…what are “Beatles”?

    [Thanks Wray! Sorry about the shirt… I think it’s a band my father used to listen to some 70 years ago LOL! – Bjorn]

  104. Hi Bjorn, fist post here, but I’ve been reading your website religiously for months now. Its fantastic. just though I’d say that first.

    I have a ’57 strat with EMG pickups. my setup isn’t gilmouresqe but I like to think its pretty decent. I use boss cs3, RAK chorus (which I think is a really nice warm sounding effect), and blues driver, boss dd2 delay. the above with the SPC turned all the way up and of course the right amp setting. I sort of get there. lol……oh and of the bit after the first “intro” I would add mxr phase 90 EVH with soft button. anyways I love the site and all the info on. its a David Gilmour wikipidia lol

    [Thanks! Glad you enjoy my site :) – Bjorn]

  105. hey!!! yo always erease my coments ´cause i tell ya things that yo do´t know about Dave, and that makes you a bad looser…hahaha.

    [I never erase comments but I have a pretty rigid spam filter… – Bjorn]

  106. Another great article Bjørn.
    SOYCD and Comf. numb is the reason I started playing guitar.
    And thanks to this site I feel I have a very gilmourish tone:)
    Would just like to add, since this article does`nt say anything about it,
    I get my best shine on sound with Cornish SS-3 and Colorsound.
    On the intro I have the sustain on like 8 o`clock. For the second and third solo I just give more sustain to the SS-3 to get a more fuzzy tone.
    I dont even know if that`s a setup Gilmour have ever tried.
    I get a very warm and smooth tone combining those pedals.

    Keep upp the good work Bjørn!

    [Thanks for the input! I think the SS-2/3 is an excellent choice for the Shine On tones and the other bluesy tones on PULSE like Coming Back, Another Brick etc. – Bjorn]

  107. Yes Bjorn, i Meant the variation of Syd’s Theme on Sax Solo.

    I didn’t see it here, but no problem, amazing as always.

    [Yeah, well I assumed that most of you already knew how to play that :) Let me know if you need a tab. – Bjorn]

  108. You wrote : “Shine On also has that element of gospel that made their music more soulful and easier to understand and like, compared to the often complicated structures of the typical prog rock.” I’ve never realised this before. How right it is !!!! I would add : this “gospel perfume” also contributes to give the tune an indescribable class, rooted in BB King blues style, that makes the Floyd very different to blues rock bands like Rolling Stones, rooted in a more “dirt” Muddy Waters blues.

    [Agree. Don’t forget that Pink Floyd started out playing old blues songs and Syd being a huge fan named the band after two of his heroes. Roger has a lot of blues in his writing and if you listen to songs like Money you can hear the inspiration from 1930s and 40s blues. There’s a lot of blues in Pink Floyd but they were masters at “disguising” it with prog and classic rock elements. – Bjorn]

  109. Bjorn thank you for your response on my question regarding the 2006 tour. Indeed you wrote red strat was used but I was responding to the ‘Getting the Shine On tone’ bit where you say that ‘A set of vintage low output pickups like Fender CS69 will give you the most authentic 1974-77 and 2006 tones.’ So this must be wrong then.

    [I was talking generally but since this is a Shine On article I guess you’re right about it being a little misleading. – Bjorn]

  110. Also could the mistress pass for a leslie on SOYCD and Comfortably Numb?

    [The Mistress works remarkably well as a rotating speaker sim as is doesn’t get detuned when you increase the rate like most flangers. But, I don’t think I’d use it for replicating David’s leslie sounds. Keep in mind that he always mix his leslies lower than the Hiwatts, – 70% Hiwatt and 30% Leslie. When you listen to PULSE you can’t really hear the Doppolas but you would have noticed if they’d been turned off. They add more depth and character to his tone but it’s not a dominating effect like playing straight through a Leslie. I’d use the Mistress for the flanger tone like David did on Shine On in 77 and Comf Numb in 1980-81. – Bjorn]

  111. Bjorn,
    I’m very pleased to see the SOYCD article up, it’s excellent. I ordered a deluxe Electric Mistress and it should be here tomorrow or the next day. Could you offer some advice on compensating for the volume drop?

    [I don’t really have a problem with the volume drop. I think it depends very much on how you use the pedal… it’s more evident on smaller amps at lower volume. On a loud amp it kind of just smooths out the distortions. There are many different mods you can do but the easiest way is to use a booster behind it. – Bjorn]

  112. Yeahhh ! The long time expected article is released ! I’ve read it once quickly. I’m posting this comment just before reading it a second time, and probably more time, just to be sure to pick up each piece of new information about this “in the top five” Floyd tune. This tune is one of the amazing song I can listen to 2 or 3 times in a day without being bored.
    As always, you made a good job. The mix of technical and historical stuff is the kind of article we can’t find anywhere else. It becomes your trademark. Thanks Bjorn.

    [Thanks Franck! Glad you enjoyed it :) – Bjorn]

  113. That’s just fantastic. You go into such detail for each of the parts, and relate little details with other articles written on this site. Very informative!

    Cheers!

    ps: there might be a few information links which may need to be added into the article. There are some parts where it says “click here” but there’s no link.

    [Thanks! I think I’ve fixed most them now. – Bjorn]

  114. Alright! I’ve been looking forward to this article for a while, and you didn’t dissapoint. Your efforts never cease to amaze me.

    [Thanks Collin! – Bjorn]

  115. WOW!. Great stuff, what an amazing job! That clip of you playing is absolutely incredible. I hope some day to be able to play like that.

    Brad

    [Cheers Brad! – Bjorn]

  116. Greate , greate review, it´s a shame you didin´t mention that they have to record shin on twise ´casue roger “accidentaly” ereased all the previous work. And the now legendary syd´s (that sounds kind a old) famous frase.

    cheers.

    [It’s a great story but little do with David’s guitars don’t you think? – Bjorn]

  117. Thank you Bjorn for this extensive piece. You really know your stuff. But I have to ask though: Didn’t he use EMG pickups for this song on the 2006 tour ?

    [Yes, he did… In the article it says
    “The version David performed on his 2006 tour is a mix between the acoustic version from 2001/02 and Pulse. Again, David’s setup is very basic and this time even closer to the older version without chorus or flangers. He’s using the red Strat with the EMGs, a Demeter Compulator, BK Tube Driver (one set for clean volume boost and the other for heavy overdrive for the second solo) and digital delay.”
    – Bjorn]

  118. Hey, I’ve been waiting on this one! I’m always interested to hear the story of how a song was created so thanks for the history. I’d also like to add that I get great tones with CS ’54 neck/middle pickups, FS-1 bridge pickup, Tube Driver, Small Stone Nano, Large Beaver (triangle), and Ibanez DE7. You are very right about Shine On, it’s not complicated with regard to effects. All in the fingers!

    By the way, your playing on the third Shine On solo has inspired me to start playing it like David did in 1977. I really like this version and you do a great job with it.

    Looking forward to Dogs.

    [Thanks Jason! – Bjorn]

  119. Fantastic! Shine on was the first floyd song i ever heard and still my favourite.The slightly stripped down version on Live in Gdansk is very affecting too.Will try to find some of the bootleg versions you have mentiond.
    A great examination Bjorn,thankyou.
    Joby.U.K.

    [There are many cool versions of Shine On but mine is the ones listed in the sources section. I think David’s tones on the Animals tour was simply out of this world! But I also love that bluesy, phaser tone he used in 1974-75. – Bjorn]

  120. Juan Luis Batalla

    I had to stop three times to “Take a Breath”!!!

    Excellent article Bjorn, as always…

    Cheers from Spain!

    [Ha ha! Thanks! – Bjorn]

  121. Very detailed, a lots of descriptions, is really good. It be cool if you can add a pics section with a lot of David live pics. Thanks for the info.

    Saludos desde Mexico.

  122. Hey Bjorn Great Article!!!

    Thanks for using my SOS video in this article too!!! I am actually using a DD-6 in the video.

    Cheers

    Adrian

    [I though your clip was very informative and useful :) – Bjorn]

  123. Amazing article, say it all about Shine On, i’ve learned a lot!

    Very deep on effects and all that stuff, impressive as always.

    I just felt that the Arpeggio work is missing, but thats ok.

    Cheers, Gabriel.

    [You mean the variation of Syd’s Theme on the sax solo? – Bjorn]

  124. A great insite into the setup and gear used for this masterpiece of a song. I am very impressed with you’re video and the way you expained the PULSE version :).

    [Thanks! – Bjorn]

  125. Great article Bjorn as always, I particuarily enjoyed this as Shine On is my favourite track of all.

    This magical track is as you descibed the epitomy of Floyd. I have toyed with getting as close to the originl tone for a long time. The simplisity of the clean tones makes it even more difficult to achieve, this article will certainly help,

    Thanks as ever,

    Darran

    [Thanks Darran! I’ve tried to stress that it’s important to keep things as basic as possible but this song also requires that the amp and guitar sounds right… and more so that other songs perhaps. Ideally you should have the same pickups as David and a clean tube amp but I think the goal should be to get a decent blues tone and go from there. – Bjorn]

  126. Pascal Grand'Maison

    Good work Bjorn ! Always intersting reading you.
    Just want to know if you did experienced or study about the Boss CE-2. It seems to have some version with Black label on the back and some with a green label. Do you know wich one is better or wich one Gilmour use ? there is some made in japan, some in china i think ?

    If someone in the wolrd know about, it must be you (after PhilTaylor and Gilmour himself…)

    Thanks.
    Pascal

    [I’m no expert on the differences between the Boss models but I would assume that David’s using the Japanese model as he started using the CS-2 around 1983/84. The Japanese pedals seems to be slightly better. – Bjorn]

  127. Shine On You Crazy Diamond is my all-time favorite song in the world. If I had to choose only one song to take on a desert island, this would be definitely the one. Many thanks Bjorn for this great article.

  128. Very good article article as always Bjorn, love the clip, fantastic playing as always!

    Can’t wait for Dogs!!!!

    [Thanks! – Bjorn]

  129. Thanx so much , very clear and interesting . Any chance in the future you will do a follow up on youtube showing how you set up your effects etc for this song with some sound sample on there own without backing.

    [I’ll keep that in mind. – Bjorn]

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