Four notes. That's all it takes to recognise "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" — a lament for Syd Barrett with some of the most emotive, sustaining lead tone Gilmour ever recorded. Here's how.
What makes the tone. A Strat into a warm amp with compression and delay for the clean bends, and a Big Muff-style fuzz for the fatter solo sections. Huge sustain, smooth mids, a long musical delay, and Gilmour's slow, vocal bending. As with "Comfortably Numb," the notes and the feel carry it.
The analogue recipe. Strat, compressor for sustain, a Muff-style fuzz for the solos, delay set long, a touch of reverb. Warm amp with headroom. Bend slowly.
On a Boss GT-100 / GT-1000 / GX-100. A clean/edge amp, compressor, fuzz/Muff for the leads, delay + reverb.
On a Kemper. A clean profile, Muff-style fuzz stomp, delay and compressor in the loop.
Skip the guesswork. The Soulster Tonebook for fans of Pink Floyd → has Gilmour's settings for Boss GT and Kemper.
Put it on the wall. The "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" print → and London poster →.
Higher Ground Guitar Tone: Frusciante's Funk Fuzz
Killing in the Name Guitar Tone: Tom Morello