Time Riff Guitar Tone Settings — Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd · 1970s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Studio recording, 1972–1973, The Dark Side of the Moon sessions. Rhythm/riff section. No evidence of alternate guitars or amps for the rhythm part. Gilmour used his main black Strat and Hiwatt/WEM rig for the rhythm tracks.
Amp Settings
Effects Chain
- Compressor pedal (model unknown) · compression
Guitar → Compressor → Hiwatt DR103 amp (with light plate reverb) → WEM 4x12 cab
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Tone Character
- warm and rounded
- mellow attack
- high midrange presence
- low treble for smoothness
- full-bodied chords
- slightly compressed feel
- touch of reverb for space
- not boomy, bass controlled
- clean and articulate
- neck pickup warmth
Playing Technique
- Use a soft attack with complete chord contact · difficulty 2/5Fret every voice cleanly, then brush the strings with a controlled pick stroke. The rhythm should sound full without a sharp transient; heavy attack makes the clean Hiwatt-style tone feel harder than the arrangement needs.
- Let chords decay naturally · difficulty 2/5Hold the shapes and listen to the sustain instead of filling every gap. Light compression and ambience should extend the harmony, creating the patient space that distinguishes the rhythm part from the later lead guitar.
- Keep bass strings under control · difficulty 3/5Use the fretting-hand thumb or spare fingers to silence unused lows. A clean high-headroom amp preserves everything, so uncontrolled bass resonance can cloud the keyboards and make the chord movement feel slow.
- Place the rhythm calmly behind the vocal · difficulty 3/5Avoid pushing accents ahead of the beat. The part should feel inevitable and spacious, with dynamics shaped over whole phrases; that restraint gives the song room to grow into Gilmour's more forceful solo section.
Sources
Tone Story / Why This Tone Works
- Style and eraTime comes from Pink Floyd's 1973 Dark Side of the Moon era, when extended experimentation became precise, cinematic studio storytelling.
- Player identityDavid Gilmour's signature is touch, melodic economy, and effects that extend the natural note rather than hiding the player's phrasing.
- Why the clean riff needs itWarm mids, controlled bass, and restrained space let the rhythm sit among clocks, keyboards, and vocals while preserving contrast for the later solo.
- Why it worksThe tone breathes: light compression steadies the attack, clean headroom keeps chord detail, and subtle ambience carries the song's quiet anxiety.
What Fans Are Saying About This Tone?
A widely shared fan message says the song becomes more powerful as the listener gets older.
Vote your takeOne listener notes the paradox of a song about impermanence becoming something that feels eternal.
Vote your takeFans often say youth hears the music first, while age reveals what the lyrics were warning about.
Vote your takeA recent comment hopes the song will still be playing at the end of the universe.
Vote your takeAt the close of another year, listeners return to the track to mark how quickly time moved.
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