GuitarDistortedRiff
Money For Nothing (Live) Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Dire Straits
Dire Straits · 1980s · rock
live
Original Recording
Guitar
Gibson Les Paul Standard 1958 (used live for riff section)
Pickups
Gibson PAF humbuckers
Amp
Marshall-style amp (exact model not confirmed, likely JCM800 or similar, used live)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Live performance, not the studio recording; Knopfler used his 1958 Les Paul with humbuckers for the riff, with a Marshall-style amp and a wah pedal set to a fixed position to approximate the studio tone. Year: mid-1980s (Brothers in Arms tour).
Amp Settings
Mids6.5
Bass4
Gain6
Reverb2
Treble7
Presence6
Effects Chain
- Wah pedal (set to fixed/cocked position, model unknown) · wah
Gibson Les Paul Standard → Wah pedal (fixed position) → Marshall-style amp (spring reverb on low)
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Tone Character
- mid-heavy and nasal
- cocked-wah filtered
- biting and compressed
- percussive fingerstyle attack
- distinctive, almost synthetic drive
- not overly saturated
- tight and focused
- slightly rolled-off highs
- aggressive bridge pickup punch
- ZZ Top-like crunch