GuitarCleanSolo
Tunnel of Love Solo Guitar Tone Settings — Dire Straits
Dire Straits · 1980s · rock
studio
Original Recording
Guitar
Fender Stratocaster (likely 1961, rosewood board, stock single-coil pickups)
Pickups
Fender single-coil (vintage 60s Stratocaster type)
Amp
Mesa/Boogie Mark II (studio recording, 1980), possibly Fender Vibrolux or Twin Reverb also used in era
Pickup Position
Position 2 (bridge + middle)
Studio recording, 1980 (Making Movies album). Mark Knopfler is widely documented using a Fender Stratocaster for the solo, plugged into a Mesa/Boogie Mark II combo amp for this era. No evidence of pedal use for the solo section; compression may have been used in studio processing but not as a pedal. Pickup selector is bridge/middle (position 2).
Amp Settings
Mids5
Bass5.5
Gain3
Reverb3.5
Treble7
Presence6
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Tone Character
- bright and articulate
- clear note separation
- slightly compressed
- touch-sensitive
- dynamic fingerstyle
- singing sustain
- warm but not muddy
- clean with a hint of edge
- country-influenced clarity
- open and expressive