Sound david gilmour cpu settings. David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) Facts & Biography

23.12.07 Phil Taylor: Gilmour's main secret to the sound is Gilmour himself!

David Gilmour's technician Phil Taylor continues on about David's equipment and answers questions from guitar fans.

The David Gilmour Strat will still have that little Black Strat button that combines neck and bridge pickups like I read somewhere?
Yes, the Fender David Gilmour Strat will have it.

Will the Gilmour Strat become a production Fender product, like the Clapton and S.R.V. ?
Yes, it's planned. There is no mention of a "limited edition". David insists that this model, a good faithful replica in terms of sound, set-up, look and playability, should be affordable. He won't give Fender permission to produce a limited edition that will be snapped up by the few who can afford the investment.

Is it true that the soundboard of the Black Strat is made from two varieties of alder?
I don't know, because it seems to be painted black.

How do Black Strat David's sensors connect to the selector?
This information is in my book.

Does David protect his ears? If not, how does he manage to play loudly and not go deaf, and even have an excellent ear?
No, he doesn't use earplugs. Don't play too loud and focus the speakers lower, i.e. don't aim directly at your ears.

Does David only use Evidence Audio cables, or does he use them along with others? And why did you switch to Evidence Audio?
All David's cables (both signal and speaker) are Evidence Audio, and I have them cryo-frozen for big gigs. In time, all the cables of all the musicians on stage were replaced with these - and with excellent results.

How important do you think the quality of the cables is when passing a signal?
Very important: after all, the sound goes from the instrument to the amplifier through the cable. The quality of the cable can greatly affect both the level, frequency response, depth and detail of the useful signal, as well as unwanted extraneous noise. This also applies to speaker cables.

I know that David has two amplifiers and two speakers. Are they all used together or are there different combinations of amps and speakers for different songs?
Basically they are used together. The "On An Island" tour featured a third amp and speaker for his Long Delay effect on "Shine On You Crazy Diamond".

Which lamps in Hiwatt... EL34s or KT-77?
Mullard EL34 - we have always used them.

I've been eyeing the original 1970 Hiwatt SA212 amplifiers, but I'm afraid I won't be able to properly care for them. I see that Hiwatt is re-issuing David Gilmour SA212, this is the second option. In your opinion, what should I buy, maybe even a Fender?
First, at home you probably don't need a 50-watt amplifier - 3 to 10 watts are more acceptable. The original Hiwatts are known as the most reliable amplifiers ever made, but they are too powerful for the home. They would just work for nothing. It is better to use something smaller and turn on stronger. (I've tried and compared some of the new Hiwatts - they don't sound like the old ones.)

What piece of David's equipment is the most valuable?
I have no idea. Ask him when you decide what you mean by "valuable".

David's 1955 Fender Esquire guitar looks pretty beat up. What is the biography of this guitar?
In this condition, David received it from Seymour Duncan (Seymour Duncan) in the early 70's. David just loves this instrument and does not disdain its appearance. Interestingly, there are marks on the wood of the deck, which is why we call it The Workmate (like Black & Decker benches).

David's playing technique, especially his bending, requires frequent string changes. But because of this, the life of the pins is significantly shortened, also requiring their frequent replacement?
No, I do not think so. I don't know what the average life expectancy of a ring is.

Have any changes been made to the red Stratocasters besides EMG and electronics? Maybe Pre-CBS or Callaham block...
Not now. At different times they had other parts: breeches, string three, springs.

It was said that Eric Clapton abandoned the Blackie because the guitar was unplayable. Can this be the case with an electric guitar, especially with a Stratocaster that is so repairable (replaceable necks, interchangeable electronics, etc.)? If so, how long do you suppose David's Black Strat has left to live?
Parts of the Stratocaster can always be replaced. All alterations for David are described in my book "The Black Strat".

If you could hypnotize David into giving you three of his guitars, which guitars would they be and why?
Why only three?

I just found out on [David's] website that David is an Arsenal (Gooner) fan. And you, too, "guner"?
Manchester United forever!

What do you think conveys the "true" tone of Pink Floyd: the Pete Cornish P-2 or the newer G-2?
Neither one nor the other. David almost never used a Pete Cornish distortion pedal, a popular but misleading misconception. They are in his panel, but only as an alternative to his favorites, and as separate pedals. He tried them, as did many others - Rat, Boss HM2 and so on, but his choice was always EH Big Muff, BK Butler Tube Driver and, in the past, Fuzz Face or Colorsound Overdriver.

Do you think it's true that the secret of Gilmour's sound is David himself? So he could play a cheap copy of the Strat for £80 and still sound like Gilmour, or is that just an excuse for those who are faced with the fact that "the sound is not right"?
Yes, this is definitely true. The way David plays combines the choice of moves, a sense of melody and tempo, and at the same time the pressure and refinement in the work of both hands with the instrument, and its tuning of the apparatus, and control over it. It's all a combination of what his sound is. It is said that sound quality can be achieved by using the best sound equipment. But think about it - does it sound like David playing a Telecaster, Les Paul, Gretsch Duo Jet or Lap Steel instead of a Stratocaster? We were filming a TV show once with Mark Knopfler - he used David's red Stratocaster with David's amp and David's settings - and who did he look like? On Mark Knopfler, of course. Like any great guitarist, he is his sound. I've never heard anyone like David because this sound really comes from the person who created it. You can only be like yourself, even if you try to imitate someone else. It's like professional parrot parrots like Roger Waters or Pink Floyd cover bands who try their best but don't sound like David. In this regard, the analogy with the facsimile of the original work of art is best suited.

The other day, the legendary rock musician, known for his work in the Pink Floyd group, the great David Gilmour turned 70 years old. This is a cool date and a great reason to write something good, kind, bright, positive, joyful and something else about him. And a bunch of people have already done just that, littering the already littered Internet with all sorts of useless words. In order not to be like all these wonderful sons of planet Earth, you have to go some other way, and instead of talking about Gilmour, write something about more interesting things, that is, about his equipment and guitars.

Early last year, in the wake of interest in Pink Floyd's official last album, The Endless River, released a couple of months before this officially final album, The Endless River, the staff of the British guitar magazine Guitarist visited Gilmour's studio, chatting with Phil Taylor, who has been Gilmour's technician since 1974. In addition, he runs a warehouse and a Floyd studio. That is, the most correct person in order to see what a rocker with a semi-divine status is rich in terms of various nonsense to create beautiful sounds. I must say that, as befits any millionaire, David stocked up quite well. But it could have been much worse. Although it's not cooler - the same is not a warehouse of guitars, but simply what was at the studio at the moment to work on “The Endless River”. So, off we go.

It all starts, of course, with his most famous guitar, the legendary Black Strat, who has endured so many trials that it would be far more merciful to simply bury him. However, the old man is still in business, just some new prosthetics and he still creaks like before. It makes no sense for the thousandth time to retell the history of this guitar, which they just did not tune on it. Not all of you have had as many women in your life as she has vultures. Well, Gibson pickups, Kahler bridges, XLR jacks - all this changed back and forth, sawed / inserted wood and had other adventures. This, of course, is not something anyone would want.

The full story is published in - there you can read it, if suddenly this did not happen to you earlier due to some tragic accident. We can only say that Fender released a copy of this guitar - it was Phil who was involved in the project, who somehow even wrote a whole book about the original instrument. The guitar was purchased from Manny's Music in New York in May 1970 during an American tour. A few weeks earlier, David had already bought a black strat there, but it was stolen, and then he went again and bought another one. In the early 80s, Gilmour replaced this Strat with a new 57 Reissue, and this one hung at the Hard Rock Cafe in Dallas and Miami until 1997, when he returned to play the 2005 Live 8 concert for a start.

In addition to the original instrument, David uses two replicas from Fender - one relic beaten and one NOS that looks new. Phil says that Fender spent 20 years trying to persuade him and David to give permission for this project.

The next legend, which for some reason Fender has not yet released in the form of a copy, is the red strat, well known from the recordings of the P.U.L.S.E concert. Before releasing his solo album and the subsequent tour (1984 About Face), David bought some new 1983 Strats to avoid taking a black Fender with him on tour. There was a '62 Reissue Fiesta Red (with a rosewood fingerboard and white pickguard), two '57 Reissue Cream (the neck from one of them is now on a black strat), and this 57 Reissue Candy Apple Red. Its distinguishing feature is electronics (sensors and filters) from EMG, which are still produced in the form of a personalized set.

1956 Gibson Les Paul Gold Top. This guitar was bought because it had a Bigsby tremolo that was originally factory set. David used to have 55 GoldTop but no Bigsby. He played it on Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2). And he wanted it with Bigsby and at the same time he did not want a guitar where Bigsby would have been put later, not at the factory. David prefers to play only singles, he doesn't like humbas. His only guitar with humbs is the Gretsch Duo-Jet, but there are humbs that are closer to singles. Gilmour also has a 2009 Gibson Les Paul Re-Issue with Rolph pickups and a Duesenberg tremolo. On this GoldTop, David played a lot on the On An Island album - for example, the first part of the first solo on the title track.

David has a 1963 Fender Bass VI which is kind of like a baritone. But there is a 30 inch scale. And Phil talked to Fender to do something different for David. The result was a custom Fender Tele Baritone with a 27" scale. They made two of these guitars. Phil made some changes to it, firstly he attached a Bigsby Vibramate String Spoiler (a device that makes it easier to change strings on a Bigsby) and replaced the electronics with a Callaham Cryo.

1971 Martin D-12-28 David bought from a friend around 1973-1974 but definitely before Wish You Were Here. And he played the solo part in the song Wish You Here on another Martin, six-string.

When Waters left Pink Floyd, he left behind a few instruments that belonged to the group. One of them is this 1970 Fender Precision Bass. It was Roger's main instrument from 1974 until 1978. Mostly it was on it that he played on Wish You Were Here and Animals. Phil put a black pickguard in there before the Animals tour in 1976 to make it look like David's black strat. Roger had a total of three black basses - one with a rosewood fretboard and two with maple. This is good bass. David played it on The Endless River.

Phil does not know the age of the Fender Lap Steel Deluxe, but when David plays with a slide, it is only on this instrument. He doesn't play stand-up slides on conventional guitars. Only sitting on this kind of lapstile. He also owns a 1940s Gibson EH-150 that he played in High Hopes and Shine On You Crazy Diamond, plus Take A Breath. Two more lapsteals that Phil remembers are Weissenborn Hawaiian Style from the DVD “Live in Gdansk”, and Rickenbacker A-22.

Of course, David has a million lotions. But here's the current setup at that time:

In order to switch all this nonsense stacked on several floors, David has a special outdoor switcher with a bunch of buttons. Live and enjoy.

Echoes, reverbs, delays have always been almost the main effects of Gilmour. Here is his current surround sound source - Alesis and TC Electronic racks, as well as a Binson Echorec 2 reissue.

And here's the thing that David has in common with Steve Vai. Tell me what's her name? Wah-mmm-tee-na!!

Gilmore's amps are also such a bunch that you can't figure it out without a special switch.

Fender, Yamaha, HiWatt, Alessandro, Magnatone, Leslie - only one thing surprises everyone in this. How can such a gentleman live without Mesa Bogie? Quite they apparently already in England their snickering.

And now, finally, the main secret of Gilmour's sound. His amazing picks!

Due to the fact that there is a huge variety of guitars, amplifiers, effects and accessories, the search for sound (“that very” sound) seems to many to be something extremely difficult, even mysterious. We will not deny that in many ways this is true, but if you look from the other side, then this is a creative activity that brings great pleasure. In this article it will not be possible to say how everyone can find an individual sound color, but we will present examples that will help you navigate, perhaps serve as a standard.

Kurt Cobain

So, first of all, you need to narrow the topic. After all, someone is interested in grunge music, others like metal, others like blues. At the same time, each style has its own legends, so you should feel free to read interviews with your idols and find out the technical details of the musical craft. To give an example, Kurt Cobain in one of his interviews with Guitar World magazine said that “the basis of my sound is the BOSS DS-1 distortion”. Also, as many musicians know, he absolutely loved the BOSS DS-2 overdrive pedal. Agree, this information already says a lot and will be of great help to those who are interested in the style of playing the guitar from the leader of Nirvana. How did he play? The photo clearly shows.

And now let's go to the distant times, which is often called the era of classic rock, and learn about other tricks that give an amazing guitar sound.

Origins of experimentation with effects

It is believed that in the 60s the creation of guitar pedals (in most cases this is a symbolic name) gained active momentum, especially thanks to British teams - The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Pink Floyd. They were looking for the brightness of the sound, even the abnormality. The electric guitar gave a huge potential for development. A good example is Pink Floyd and the band's guitarist David Gilmour. We will dwell on his decisions in more detail and note that the inventor, designer Pete Cornish helped the musician to implement the technical ideas. He organized effects, created pedalboards.

In the 60s and 70s, many people used fuzz. Gilmour is one of the best guitarists who has managed to "tame" this effect. Along with him Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison, Peter Townsend and other legends. The pedal itself is called Fuzz Face. The sound is distorted by transistors and sometimes resembles the timbre of not a guitar, but rather an organ. Distortion and overdrive have different characteristics - the amplitude is limited to a certain extent, the sound becomes harder, but the original timbre is recognizable. One way or another, various distortion pedals are more popular than fuzz because they allow you to play more cleanly, including simultaneously on several strings. To understand what we are talking about, it is worth watching the video, the heroes of which are Dunlop's Fuzz Face, from the series in honor of Jimi Hendrix, as well as the aforementioned Boss DS-1 overload.

As for David Gilmour, he is also known to have used a really simple chain of effects in the late 60s: the specified fuzz, wah-wah (wah-wah) from Vox and a couple of others. For clarity, we present a historical photo. Naturally, the recordings took place on professional equipment. Over the years, the arsenal of “lotions” has increased, until now Gilmour is happy to tell how he is looking for sound and gives advice on his official website - www.gilmourish.com.

And finally, we note that learning the basics of playing the guitar (including the electric one) is recommended to be carried out on a clear sound in order to better feel the instrument. You can sometimes not even turn on the amplifier (at night in complete silence, for example) and just practice playing a certain melody, improve sound extraction with a pick and do finger stretching exercises. After all, whatever one may say, the effects only emphasize the skills of the guitarist.

Among the new psychedelic bands that emerged like the London bombing of 1967 was a quartet called The Pink Floyd. In small, smoky clubs like UFO or Rounhouse, The Pink Floyd delighted the London scene with their long, unformed instrumental jams. The young "flower children" were drawn to the exciting new sounds in the halls, which seemed to sway and rise like patches of multicolored liquid light streaming down the walls around them.

"The Pink Floyd" was arguably even more psychedelic than "Cream" and "The Jimi Hendrix Experience" which both debuted in 1967.

Over the next year, however, the band was forced to confront the rapidly deteriorating mental state of Syd Barrett, their brilliant but unstable guitarist and leader. In 1968, "The Pink Floyd" got rid of the article "The" in the title and Syd Barrett. Guitarist David Gilmour, Sid's school friend, replaced him. Undeniably, "The Pink Floyd" was Barrett's brainchild, and his restless genius would later serve as the theme for some of the band's best songs.

But the man whose lyrical guitar sound created Pink Floyd's trademark sound, and propelled them to worldwide fame in the 1970s, when smoky clubs gave way to huge arenas and stadiums, was David Gilmour. The band's ever-evolving instrumental canvases have reached the highest levels of sophistication, perfectly complementing their otherworldly imagery used during concerts.

Guitar World: There is a famous story about how Syd Barrett was kicked out of the band in 1968: you were all driving in a van to a concert in Southampton...

Gilmour: No, not in a van. We were driving in a Bentley.

Guitar World: Right. And suddenly someone said: "Let's not take Sid today." Can you remember who said that?

Gilmour: Probably Roger. In any case, not me - I was then a newcomer to the group. I was in the back seat. Perhaps someone said, "Shall we pick up Sid?" And Roger probably said: (in a conspiratorial tone) "No, let's not." And we went to Southampton.

Guitar World: Didn't you feel at first like a surrogate for Sid?

Gilmour: Of course I did. They wanted me to play his parts and sing his songs. Nobody else wanted to sing them, and they chose me. Basically, that's what I did, at least as far as live concerts are concerned. I performed with Sid only five times. Or maybe four. Maybe the fifth was supposed to be a concert in Southampton, I don't remember exactly. While all this was going on, we were trying to make a new album, "A Saucerful of Secrets". But "live" we did not perform songs from it, but played all the old ones, written by Syd. Because there was nothing else to do. It was still better than playing Bo Diddley covers again.

Guitar World: What influenced the band's decision to record such a long and hard to understand instrumental as "A Saucerful of Secrets" (1968)?

Gilmour: Hard to say. I had only joined the group shortly before. I don't think the band really knew what they wanted after Syd left. "A Saucerful of Secrets" meant a lot to us and showed us the way to go. Take "A Saucerful of Secrets", "Atom Heart Mother" (Atom Heart Mother, 1970) and "Echoes" (Meddle, 1971) all logically follow "Dark Side of the Moon". "Saucerful" was inspired by Roger and Nick (Mason, Pink Floyd's drummer) to draw whimsical shapes on paper. Then we composed the music based on the structure of the picture. We tried to write music that echoed the peaks and valleys of the drawing. My role, I suspect, was to try to give it all a bit of musicality, to create a balance between formlessness and clarity, disharmony and harmony.

Guitar World: There are different opinions as to whether Syd was involved in the recording of "A Saucerful of Secrets"...

Gilmour: No, it's all lies. Sid is featured on three or four other songs on the album, such as "Remember a Day" or "Jug Band Music" (the only song on the album written by Sid). He also played a little on "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun". I think the same as me.

Guitar World: Do you remember any of the tricks you used to create an unusual guitar sound when recording the song?

Gilmour: Well, during the recording of the middle section of "A Saucerful of Secrets" the guitar was on the studio floor most of the time. You probably know that mic stands have three metal legs about a foot long?

I unscrewed one of them and slid it very slowly up and down the strings. Another trick that I started to use a little later was that I took a piece of iron and moved it in a circular motion across the strings. Just move it around and hold it where it sounds good, like a bow.

Guitar World: How did you come up with the idea to use slide guitar in the instrumental "One of These days" on the album "Meddle" (1971)?

Gilmour: I guess I was never really sure about my ability to actually play the guitar, so I tried to use all the tricks I knew.

I've always liked "sit down" or pedal steel guitars and stuff like that. The only reason I didn't use a slide guitar all the time was the "thing" you had to put on your finger. This has always annoyed me.

Guitar World: Who wrote this signature 7/4 intro for "Money" on Dark Side of the Moon (1973)?

Gilmour: This is Roger's riff. By the time we first heard the song, Roger had the verses and lyrics more or less ready. We just came up with the middle part, the guitar solo and all that. We also wrote some new riffs - we conceived a 4/4 time signature for the guitar solo, and forced the unfortunate saxophonist to play in 7/4. The lull during the second chorus in the solo was my idea.

Guitar World: What was the role of producer/engineer Chris Thomas on "Dark Side of the Moon"?

Gilmour: Chris Thomas was involved in the mixing and his main job was to end the arguments between me and Roger about how it should be mixed. I wanted "Dark Side" to sound loud and dark, with a lot of reverb and stuff like that. And Roger "moved" on that. to create a very "dry", clear sound. I think he was influenced by John Lennon's first solo album ("Plastic Ono Band"), which sounded very "dry". we argued for so long that we decided to resort to the opinion of a third party. We left the mixing to Chris to do it to his liking, with the help of sound engineer Alan Parsons. Of course, one fine day I found that Roger still climbs with his advice. Then I began to climb with advice. And since then, we've been sitting behind Chris, interfering with the mixing process. Luckily. Chris was closer to my point of view.

Guitar World: Was that the first album where there was friction between you and Roger?

Gilmour: Yes, there have always been frictions, but they could still be controlled until the moment we started working on the "The Wall" album.

Guitar World: There are creative differences and open hostility...

Gilmour: There are creative differences and divisions caused by ultimate self-centeredness and megalomania, if you will.

Guitar World: Were you under pressure when recording Wish You Were Here (1975) to follow the success of Dark Side of the Moon?

Gilmour: Yes, that's exactly what bothered Roger during the recording. It reminds me of the feeling we ended "Dark Side" with - "What else can we do when it's already done?" However, we were able to overcome it. And, from my point of view, "Wish You Were Here" is our best album. I really love it. I mean, I'd rather listen to it than "Dark Side of the Moon". Because on "Wish you Were Here" we achieved a better balance between music and words. "Dark Side" has gone too far in terms of the significance of the lyrics. Sometimes melodies were ignored, they were only a means to convey words to the listener. In my opinion, one of Roger's failures is that in his desire to convey the lyrics to the listener, he uses far from the most successful means.

Guitar World: Throughout the 70s and 80s, each successive Pink Floyd album became more and more technical. Was it difficult for you to reflect this increasing complexity on stage, for example during "Animals" (1977)?

Gilmour: Of course, it is very difficult. We have spent years gathering specialists around us in order to have qualified support in all areas of our activity. It was always hard work, but it was reflected in the quality of our performances.

Guitar World: When did you feel freer: during the early period of free psychedelic experimentation on stage, or later, when you relied on a carefully rehearsed production?

Gilmour: Somewhere in the middle, I guess. The Wall show was great and a great achievement. But I had to take on the role of musical director, if you like, and deal with purely technical issues so that Roger wouldn't have to think about them. I had a huge sheet (we all had these on our monitors or by the curtain) with my amp settings and delay settings that kept changing. Very difficult. In the end, you're pretty satisfied with the way you've set everything up and how great it all works, and there's practically no downside, except for the solo on "Comfortably Numb" where you can say to yourself, "Spit it and play it like it is." Having said that, I must say that I am rather strict about form.

I love melodiousness, I'm a huge fan of the Beatles, and pretty much all the music I like, blues for example, is played with form. Absolutely free form is not to my liking, as, however, it is too rigid.

Guitar World: While Pink Floyd's early albums were concept albums, The Wall (1979) is the first with a solid concept. What do you think about it?

Gilmour: I liked the storyline that Roger came up with. Although I do not fully agree with her, I should have let him present his vision. I had a different view of our relationship with the audience than Roger. He did not feel connected to the audience in front of him. I had a different point of view, and it has not changed to this day. I think "The Wall" sounds more vicious today than it did back then. It's like a list of people that Roger curses for his failures in life, like "you ruined this for me, you ruined that..."

Guitar World: How about your solo on "Comfortably Numb"? How long have you been thinking about it?

Gilmour: No. I just went into the studio and recorded five or six different solos, and then I went through my usual pattern of listening to each solo and marking myself which parts came out well. In other words, I made a table for myself, placing checkmarks and crosses on various parts, putting two checkmarks if it turned out very well, one if it was just good and a cross if it was bad. Then, following the chart, I turn up one knob on the console, then another, going from phrase to phrase, trying to get a really nice solo.

Guitar World: How would you define your relationship with the guitar?

Gilmour: The guitar is an instrument, playing which I can express all my feelings in the best way. I don't play very fast, but I don't need to. It's similar to how John Lee Hooker plays. Between vocal lines, he just strikes the first string and one note says it all.

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