Buy their sound: David Gilmour

Introduction

David Gilmour is an anomaly. Compositionally, the Pink Floyd guitarist references rootsy blues scales in his solos and places a similar emphasis on vibrato and string bends - nothing atypical in that.

"The real secret lies somewhere between his brain and his hands"

But there is something in Gilmour’s approach, his meticulous use of vibrato and precision bending, that ethereal delay punctuated by pinched harmonic squeals, to suggest a more astrologically incredible influence. It’s as if he is a blues player answerable to a wholly alien set of physical laws. Few, if any, guitarists phrase a lick better.

He has used a variety of Les Pauls, Strats (his signature Strat was spec’d from his famous Black Strat) and Gretsch electrics, running these clean through 50-watt Hi-Watt or Fender combos, with a fuzz pedal providing the extra dirt for solos. And no self-respecting prog psychonaut could fail to appreciate his use of Maestro Rover rotating speakers for his Leslie effect.

We might have chosen a selection of gear that’ll bring you within touching distance of Gilmour’s tone, but with a guitarist who has an instinct for perfect note choice and placement, the real secret lies somewhere between his brain and his hands.

Squier Vintage Modified 70S Stratocaster

BUDGET: Classic Strat feel and tone at a fraction of the full price.

Fender Mustang III V2 Combo

BUDGET: With more than 40 effects and 17 amp models, the Mustang is a great budget portal to Gilmour-esque tone.

Jim Dunlop GCB-95 Cry Baby Wah

BUDGET: You’ll need a wah to nail David’s sound.

Total spend on budget rig: £516 / $560*

(*approx. based on web prices)

Fender Standard Stratocaster

BLOWOUT: It’s not the Black Strat, but it can be customised for an authentic Gilmour experience.

EMG DG-20 David Gilmour prewired pickups/pickguard set

BLOWOUT: These pickups will get you ever closer to Gilmour’s Strat tones.

Fender '68 Custom Twin Reverb

BLOWOUT: The classic ‘silverface’ has huge, beautiful cleans - a perfect base to build from.

Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Deluxe

BLOWOUT: Gilmour likes to add his gain with a fuzz pedal, and this one’s a doozy.

Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer

BLOWOUT: Every little helps when it comes to making those leads sing.

MXR M68 Uni-Vibe Chorus And Vibrato

BLOWOUT: Essential for vintage Floyd psychedelics.

MXR Carbon Copy Delay

BLOWOUT: Another signal chain essential.

Dunlop 535Q Multi-Wah

BLOWOUT: With boost and sweep control, the 535Q is one of the most expressive wahs on the market.

Total spend on blowout rig: £2,340.99 / $2,747