His sound has been ranked by Rolling Stone magazine at number 14 on their list of the greatest guitarists of all time.
As for gear, David is mostly known for playing Fender Stratocaster(s). Perhaps his best known guitar is a 1969 model with black finish and matching pickguard, which he started using around 1970. In the 80s he mostly relied on 57′ Stratocaster reissue models, and on his solo album he 1995 Fender Esquire nicknamed “Workmate”. One piece of equipment that is perhaps David’s signature thing is the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi, which he used extensively over the years.
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David Gilmour’s Electric Guitars:
Gilmour tells us about his favorite guitars, effects, and why no matter what he does, he always ends up sounding like himself.
"The Stratocaster obviously has to take first place. That was the guitar I always wanted when I was a kid—mostly because Hank Marvin had one. I just loved the Strat, but I couldn’t afford one, so I played other guitars. The one I played most often while I was in bands in my hometown was a Hofner Club 60, which was a very nice little guitar. Then, when I was 21, my parents—who lived in New York at the time—bought me a Telecaster, which was the first actual Fender
I owned. It was lovely, but I still lusted after a Strat, so I got one as soon as I could afford it. The Stratocaster is the most versatile guitar ever made, and it has this funny way of making you sound like yourself. In my view, you can recognize guitar players who play a Strat more readily than you can those who play Gibsons, and that’s an opinion I’ve held for some time. Having said that, it’s very nice to play something else occasionally, like my goldtop Les Paul with those old singlecoil P-90s." (DAVID GILMOUR on Guitarplayer.com)
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Does it have Les Paul’s original trapeze bridge or a stop tailpiece?It has a stop tailpiece. For the last album, I wanted one with a Bigsby vibrato, but I didn’t want to change the old one I’d used to play, for example, the solo on “Another Brick In the Wall Part 2,” so I found another one. I suppose you could say that they are a little raunchier than Fenders.You also play a Gretsch?
I’ve got an old black Duo Jet I’ve had for a very long time. I actually used it on a couple of tracks on my first solo album in 1978. It’s quite hard to play, but it’s a real beauty, and it’s a beautiful-sounding instrument that fits perfectly for some things. I played it on “Where We Start.”(DAVID GILMOUR on Guitarplayer.com)
Phil Taylor has been David Gilmour’s guitar technician since 1974. He is also Pink Floyd’s warehouse and studios manager.
Taylor’s definitive book, The Black Strat, is now in its third updated edition. It had a Fender late ’60s maple neck (large headstock) and 21 frets, but a rosewood-necked version features on The Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You Were Here. To muddy the waters still further, it later had a Charvel neck fitted!
For amplification he uses a pair of Seventies 50-watt Hiwatt combos, a pair of '59 re-issue Fender Bassmans, and a Maestro Rover revolving speaker. Every once in a while he'll experiment with different guitars, but his primary instrument for the last 10 years has been his red 1984 '57 reissue Fender Stratocaster, which he also uses on the road.
GW: Is the Strat customized in any way?
PT: Yes. It's fitted with EMG-SA active single-coil pickups, an EMG-SPC midrange controller and an EMG-EXG expander which boosts treble and bass. Additionally, the guitar features a cut-down tremolo arm. http://www.pink-floyd.org
Another Tele that made its way into Gilmour’s hands was what appeared to be a late 50’s model that had a natural brown finish with a maple neck and fretboard. This guitar was purchased as a replacement for the lost blonde Tele. This guitar is seen on the back of the Ummagumma album cover and was seen later in Paris in 1970 and Lyon in 1971. This is the only guitar that was not lost when the band’s gear got stolen in 1970. http://tonereport.com/
