David started using this pedal in 1974, and ever since then, it has been a key to his sound.
I introduced David to the Electro Harmonix Big Muff Pi in 1974. He liked it, and he has continued to use one ever since. David has tried many of the different incarnations and models over the years, but his original has often been preferred for most things
Phil Taylor, Guitar Player January 2009
He used the pedal on various studio recordings, but most notably on the solo on “Comfortably Numb”.
It think it’s just pretty much him. He is obviously using a couple of effects, like a Big Muff and a delay, but it really is just his fingers, his vibrato, his choice of notes and how he sets his effects. I find it extraordinary when people think they can copy his sound by duplicating his gear. In reality, no matter how well you duplicate the equipment, you will never be able to duplicate the personality.
Interview with Phil Taylor – Guitar World
To read more about this pedal, and learn the history of various different versions that David used, please refer to Gilmourish page David Gilmour’s Big Muffs.
David often uses delays with long echoes to create fat, smooth, and fluid lead sounds. He used analog delays such as the Binson Echorec throughout the 1970s, and one of these was seen in his Medina studio from 2013 to 2017. He began using digital delays in place of the Echorec around 1977. Some of the most commonly used digital delays in his live rigs have been the MXR 113 Digital Delay (1977–1986), the MXR 151 Digital Delay System II (1983–2016), the Boss DD-2 (1983–1986, 2006), the TC2290 Dynamic Digital Delay (1987–1994), and the Free The Tone Flight Time FT-1Y Digital Delay (2015–2017). Some songs call for softer, warmer analog repeats, while others require cleaner, more precise digital delay repeats. David typically sets his delays in time with the song’s tempo, which helps hide the echo repeats. He sometimes even uses two delays simultaneously to create double-tap echo effects or to amplify a lead sound. His delay times typically ranged from 300 ms to 550 ms, with 5-8 repeats, but some songs required more specific delay times and settings, as described below.
David sometimes uses an equalizer to alter his guitar tones, adding some subtle tone shaping. Big Muffs have a very “scooped” tone, meaning they lack “mids” in the EQ range. This makes the tone sound huge for solos, but it also means the Big Muff occupies much of the same EQ space as the bass guitar does in a band. This can sometimes cause the Muff to get lost in a band mix and sound muddy. Adding some mids with an EQ can correct this problem.
David’s primary EQ was the Boss GE-7. He had three of these in his Division Bell rig and in his custom Pete Cornish pedal boards. I use it to add a bit more bass and highs to my Big Muff tone. Best when used at light settings to avoid adding hiss and noise to your signal. Some people prefer to boost mids and cut bass to make their Big Muff’s stand out more in a band mix, or slightly boost the volume for solos.
David Gilmour has been an avid Tube Driver user since the 1990s. He first used them during the recording sessions for Pink Floyd’s “Division Bell” album in 1993. The same sessions also spawned Pink Floyd’s “The Endless River” album, which wasn’t completed until 2015. He used 911 Tube Drivers extensively on his 2006 “On an Island” album and subsequent tour, heard on the “Remember Than Night” and “Live in Gdansk” concerts, as well as on the 2015 “Rattle that Lock” album and tour. I have a page on Gilmour’s various Tube Drivers and setups.
Putting four pedals on when David uses dozens is a poor job, just to put a few photos. Attached is one of the many photos of David’s pedalboard.
Tell me what any one of those does, or more specifically – what David uses it for, and I’ll add them right away. I see no purposed in adding just photos. If I wanted to that, this page would have 100 pedals. Plenty other websites that do that.
I know that David uses a lot of pedals and you’re right, but I see that for instruments like guitars, you’ve put them all in, so great work, I’ll try to explain the various pedals that David uses.