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Comfortably Numb (Live) — Pink Floyd1 / 2
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Comfortably Numb (Live) Solo Guitar Tone Settings — Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd · 1970s · rock

live

Original Recording

Guitar
1969 Fender Stratocaster (Black, maple neck, custom electronics)
Pickups
DiMarzio FS-1 single coil (bridge), custom switching for bridge+neck combo
Amp
Hiwatt DR103 100-watt head (custom linked channels) into WEM Super Starfinder 200 4x12 with Fane Crescendo 12A speakers; Yamaha RA-200 rotary speaker (parallel to Hiwatt); Alembic F-2B preamp
Pickup Position
Bridge + Neck (custom switch engaged for solo)

Live performance, late 1970s/early 1980s era (The Wall tour); settings and gear confirmed for live solo section; Yamaha RA-200 rotary speaker used for modulation; Big Muff Pi and MXR Dyna Comp in front of amp; Alembic F-2B preamp in signal chain.

Amp Settings

Mids
5.5
Bass
6.5
Gain
6.5
Reverb
3
Treble
5.5
Presence
6.5

Effects Chain

  • MXR Dyna Comp · compression
  • Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi (c. 1974) · fuzz
  • Delay pedal (model unknown) · delay

Guitar → MXR Dyna Comp → Big Muff Pi → Alembic F-2B preamp → Hiwatt DR103 → (parallel) Yamaha RA-200 rotary speaker → WEM 4x12 cab; delay pedal after fuzz, before amp

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Tone Character

  • singing sustain
  • smooth and saturated
  • throaty midrange
  • rich harmonic overtones
  • subtle modulation
  • wide stereo image
  • creamy fuzz texture
  • clear note separation
  • touch-sensitive response
  • lush, ambient delay repeats

Notes & Caveats

  • ⚠️Amp settings are from Guitar World (source 1), which references Gilmour's live rig for Comfortably Numb; settings are on a 0-10 scale.
  • ⚠️Pedal settings for Big Muff and Dyna Comp are from Guitar World and forum sources; delay and rotary speaker are audible but exact models/settings are partially inferred.
  • ⚠️No explicit mention of reverb level; estimated as low (2/10) based on live Hiwatt usage and typical Gilmour settings.
  • ⚠️Pickup selection (bridge+neck) confirmed by Guitar World for solo section; not standard Strat wiring, but custom switch.
  • ⚠️Delay is clearly audible in the solo but pedal model is not specified in sources; included as 'Delay pedal (model unknown)'.
  • ⚠️Rotary speaker effect is from Yamaha RA-200, not a pedal; included as modulation effect.
  • ⚠️Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. Gilmour's 'Comfortably Numb' live solo tone is creamy and sustaining with moderate gain, strong mids, and a full low end, achieved with Hiwatt amps, Big Muff, and delay/reverb. The amp settings reflect his preference for mid-forward, present, and spatially rich tones typical of his late 70s/80s live sound.

Sources