GuitarCleanSolo
Sultans of Swing Solo Guitar Tone Settings — Dire Straits
Dire Straits · 1970s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
1961 Fender Stratocaster
Pickups
Fender single-coil (original 1961 Strat pickups)
Amp
Fender Twin Reverb (Blackface, early model, studio recording)
Pickup Position
Position 2 (bridge + middle, selector jammed between bridge and middle)
Studio recording, 1977-1978. Mark Knopfler used his 1961 Stratocaster with the pickup selector jammed in between positions (likely position 2 or 4) into a Fender Twin Reverb. No evidence of pedals or outboard effects on the original studio solo; all tone is from guitar and amp. No chorus, delay, or phaser audible or cited for the original album version.
Amp Settings
Mids4.5
Bass6
Gain0
Reverb3
Treble7.5
Presence5
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Tone Character
- bright and articulate
- clear, bell-like highs
- snappy, percussive attack
- touch-sensitive
- minimal breakup
- warm but not muddy
- slightly compressed
- distinct in-between pickup quack
- studio clarity
- dynamic response to fingerstyle