GuitarCleanSolo
Money for Nothing Solo Guitar Tone Settings — Dire Straits
Dire Straits · 1980s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Gibson Les Paul Junior (original 1958, double cutaway, P-90 pickup)
Pickups
Gibson P-90 single coil
Amp
Laney Combo (2x12, likely L5 or L30, exact model not specified)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup (P-90, Les Paul Junior)
Studio recording, 1984-1985, Brothers in Arms sessions. Clean section is rare; most of the song is the signature half-cocked wah sound. Clean tone is likely the same guitar/amp with wah disengaged or bypassed, as no evidence of a different setup for clean sections. No evidence of additional pedals or effects for clean part.
Amp Settings
Mids6.5
Bass6
Gain0
Reverb2
Treble7.5
Presence6
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Tone Character
- clean and glassy
- articulate and dynamic
- bright top end
- slightly scooped mids
- touch-sensitive response
- single coil clarity
- minimal compression
- studio ambience
- no audible modulation
- no drive or breakup
Playing Technique
- Use the fingers for the transient · difficulty 3/5Pluck with thumb and fingers rather than a flat pick to keep the note start articulate and rounded. The clean variant depends on touch more than gain.
- Let slides carry the phrase · difficulty 3/5Keep the fretting hand relaxed and connect notes with deliberate slides. The line should sound conversational rather than mechanically separated.
- Control the guitar volume by hand · difficulty 3/5Use the picking-hand angle and guitar volume to move from glassy to fuller without adding pedals. Knopfler’s dynamic control is part of the tone.
- Leave the room small · difficulty 2/5Use very little reverb and mute unused strings between phrases. The lead needs to stay close, bright, and intelligible in the mix.
Sources
Tone Story / Why This Tone Works
- Brothers in Arms eraThe 1985 Dire Straits period paired precise players with an unusually engineered, radio-sized guitar production.
- Mark Knopfler’s touchKnopfler’s fingerstyle attack, slides, and restrained phrasing make the hands more important than heavy gain.
- Laney and P-90 colorA Les Paul Junior/P-90-style voice into a Laney combo keeps the clean recreation bright, vocal, and dynamic.
- Why it worksExposed note attack and minimal ambience preserve the swagger of the solo without copying the song’s full driven texture.
What Fans Are Saying About This Tone?
From YouTube commentsDire Straits - Money For NothingDireStraitsVEVO · 51,838 likes on featured comments
41 years later and it's still a banger and that opening guitar riff is just unbeatable
Vote your takeThat guitar intro is legendary. Like an adrenaline shot
Vote your takeThat riff is just filthy. One of the greatest guitar riffs ever imo.
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