Tone library / Dire straites / Money for nothing

Money for nothing amp settings — Rolland Cube 30

The Dire straites guitar tone for “Money for nothing”, dialed in for a Rolland Cube 30 with a Larry clarton L7. Studio version, Brothers in Arms (1985) — the mythical 'accidental tone' at AIR Montserrat

Original rig

Marshall JTM45 head → Laney 4×12 cab, Gibson Les Paul Junior with single P-90 (bridge), Morley wah half-cocked, SM57 pointed at floor (accidental placement)

Thick, aggressive mid-forward crunch with nasal honk and harmonic compression — the wah adds a cocked vowel-like quality

Amp settings — Rolland Cube 30

CHANNELLead (R-Fier model)

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	6
Bass	4
Mid	8
Treble	6
Reverb	0
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE6 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Dunlop Cry Baby GCB95 (or any basic wah)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Set wah to half-cocked (40% forward) and leave it there — do NOT rock it. This creates the nasal midrange honk essential to this tone. If you cannot get a wah, use the Cube's built-in EQ to push mids harder (+1 to mid setting).

Pedal Position 4

Why these settings

The Roland Cube 30's R-Fier model is your closest match to the cranked non-master-volume Marshall character. Your Larry Carlton L7 has humbuckers vs the original's single P-90 — humbuckers are darker and hotter, so I dropped bass by 1 and pushed mids to 8 to recover the nasal bite. The original had zero reverb — completely dry. Without a half-cocked wah, you will be missing the signature 'vowel' quality; the amp alone gets you 70% there.

PRO TIPKnopfler played this riff with his fingers, not a pick — the flesh attack softens the initial transient and adds the round, almost rubbery quality to the notes. Dig in hard with your thumb and first finger on the downstrokes to get that compressed thump.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Rolland Cube 30. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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Song, artist and gear names are used to identify the tone being matched; ToneAdapt is not affiliated with or endorsed by the artists or manufacturers mentioned. Settings are AI-generated starting points — trust your ears.