GuitarDistortedSolo80% confidence
Sorrow Solo Guitar Tone Settings — Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd · 1980s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Fender Stratocaster (Black Strat, 1983 EMG pickup era not yet, so likely stock single coils)
Pickups
Fender single-coil pickups (likely stock 1970s/early 80s, not EMG)
Amp
Fender Concert combo amp (early 1980s, silverface, 4x10, used in studio for 'Sorrow' solo)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup
Studio recording, 1986-1987 for 'A Momentary Lapse of Reason'. Gilmour used a Big Muff into a Fender Concert combo for the solo, as documented by Gilmourish and Equipboard. No evidence of Mesa/Boogie or Hiwatt for this specific solo in the studio. Quad PA system was used for re-amping the solo in the LA Sports Arena for the album's massive sound.
Amp Settings
Mids7
Bass6.5
Gain7
Reverb4.5
Treble7
Presence6
Effects Chain
- Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi · fuzz
- Delay pedal (model unknown, likely rack or studio digital delay) · delay
Fender Stratocaster → Big Muff Pi → Delay pedal (studio/rack) → Fender Concert combo (spring reverb, mic'd and re-amped through PA for ambience)
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Tone Character
- massive and saturated
- singing sustain
- rich harmonic overtones
- liquid fuzz lead
- ambient and atmospheric
- lush reverb tail
- crisp articulation
- huge, stadium-filling sound
- fuzzed-out lead
- pronounced delay repeats
Notes & Caveats
- No direct numeric amp settings found for 'Sorrow' solo; settings estimated based on typical Gilmour Fender Concert + Big Muff studio usage and genre/era.
- Guitar model and amp confirmed for this recording via Equipboard and Gilmourish, but pickup selector position not explicitly stated—bridge pickup inferred from tone and Gilmour's solo habits.
- Pedal models confirmed for studio use, but exact pedal settings not found; delay and reverb are clearly audible in the solo.
- No evidence of modulation effects (chorus/flanger/phaser) on the solo, only fuzz, delay, and reverb.
- Signal chain order inferred from typical Gilmour studio setups for this era.
- Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. David Gilmour's 'Sorrow' solo tone is saturated and sustaining but not modern high-gain, with a full mid-forward character typical of his Hiwatt/Boogie setup, balanced bass, and smooth but present highs; moderate reverb reflects the song's ambient production style.