David Gilmour Gear Guide
A quick-reference, table-based guide to David Gilmour's guitars, amplifiers and effects.
The Black Strat and high-headroom Hiwatt rigs are recurring references. His guitars and signal chains changed by album, tour and song.
Quick overview
| Category | Details | Era / use |
|---|---|---|
| Black Strat (1969 Fender Stratocaster) | Heavily modified over decades, including changes to pickups, pickguard, bridge and neck. | Signature instrument |
| Hiwatt DR103 | High-headroom 100-watt tube head with a clear, strong signal. | Core amplifier reference |
| Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi | Fuzz sustain and compressed lead tone; versions changed by era. | Recognizable effects |
Guitars
| Gear / reference | Details | Era / use |
|---|---|---|
| Black Strat (1969 Fender Stratocaster) | Heavily modified over decades, including changes to pickups, pickguard, bridge and neck. | Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, The Wall and tours |
| Other Fender Stratocasters | Multiple Strats served as backups and later-era instruments. | Studio and touring |
| Fender Telecaster | Brighter rhythm and lead sounds on selected tracks. | Early Floyd and studio parts |
| Gibson Les Paul | Humbucker-equipped guitar for a thicker tone. | Selected recordings and live songs |
| Lap steel guitars | Several models used horizontally with a steel bar for slide parts. | “Breathe,” “One of These Days,” “High Hopes” |
| Martin and other acoustics | Acoustic instruments for songwriting and studio arrangements. | Track-specific parts |
Amplifiers
| Gear / reference | Details | Era / use |
|---|---|---|
| Hiwatt DR103 | High-headroom 100-watt tube head with a clear, strong signal. | Prominent 1970s stage rigs |
| WEM Starfinder cabinets | Large speaker cabinets paired with Hiwatt heads. | Classic touring setup |
| Yamaha RA-200 | Rotating-speaker cabinet creates modulation and stereo spread. | Selected Animals / The Wall-era sounds |
| Fender Twin Reverb | Clean combo amp reported in some contexts. | One of several session amps |
| Alembic F-2B preamp | Tube preamp used in later rack systems. | Selected later-period signal chains |
Effects
| Gear / reference | Details | Era / use |
|---|---|---|
| Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi | Fuzz sustain and compressed lead tone; versions changed by era. | Associated with “Comfortably Numb” and later Floyd sounds |
| Binson Echorec | Multi-head magnetic disc echo with rhythmic repeats. | Early atmospheric and rhythmic parts |
| Tape and digital delay | Timed repeats for rhythmic phrases and spacious solos. | “Run Like Hell” and many live arrangements |
| Uni-Vibe / phaser | Modulated sweep and movement. | Selected early and live tones |
| Flanger / chorus / Dimension D | Subtle movement and stereo width. | Period-specific studio and rack-era textures |
| Rotating speaker | Physical speaker rotation creates movement and stereo spread. | Yamaha RA-200-associated effects |
Era and song guide
| Gear / reference | Details | Era / use |
|---|---|---|
| “Time” | Black Strat-associated lead, fuzz and delay. | Studio layers differ from live versions |
| “Breathe” | Slide guitar and spacious echo textures. | Several instruments in the studio arrangement |
| “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” | Stratocaster, sustain and echo. | Clean, sustained and layered parts |
| “Comfortably Numb” | Big Muff-associated lead tone, Stratocaster and timed delay. | Two studio solos use distinct arrangements |
| “Run Like Hell” | Muted guitar pattern and rhythmic delay. | Precise timing is part of the recorded figure |
| “High Hopes” | Lap steel with delay and modulation. | Later Floyd-era sound |