Get David Gilmour’s Tone With This Simple Pedal Setup

Explore the soaring guitar sounds of classic Pink Floyd.

In this video, Voodoo Lab’s James Santiago uses a simple pedal chain — including the Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe — to conjure David Gilmour’s singing lead tone and swirling rhythm parts on Pink Floyd classics like “Comfortably Numb” and “Have a Cigar.”

David Gilmour Tone Toolkit:

Signal Chain: MXR FET Driver → MXR Phase 90 → Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe → Catalinbread Echorec → Amp

The Drive: The MXR FET Driver has long been an alternative to a vintage B.K. Butler Tube Driver used by David Gilmour and Eric Johnson among others. The FET Driver delivers a fat “full frequency” grind and can really pummel the front of an amp. Set the Hi and Lo controls all the way down, crank the Drive, and adjust the Level to taste. Bonus Tip: Turn off the FET Driver’s high cut and add in a little more treble and hear how it opens up the delay repeats with a touch more clarity.

The Phase: Set the Rate a little above halfway on the MXR Phase 90 and have a cigar!

The Vibe: Although it’s phase-ish, the Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe (a recreation of the classic Shin-ei Uni-Vibe) is throbbier and thicker sounding. Crank the intensity and set the Speed around 11:00 for a lovely slow swirl.

The Delay: A Catalinbread Echorec delay adds depth and dimension to arpeggiated chords and melodic leads. Select program 3, keep the Mix low, Swell around 10:00, Tone about halfway, and Delay Time around 3:00.

—Darrin Fox