Money for nothing amp settings — Line 6 spider IV 30
The Dire straits guitar tone for “Money for nothing”, dialed in for a Line 6 spider IV 30 with a Fender Stratocaster Squire. Studio version, Brothers in Arms (1985) - Iconic main riff
1958 Gibson Les Paul Standard (bridge pickup) into a cranked Laney 2x12 combo, mic'd with accidental room/mic phase cancellation creating the signature cocked-wah honk
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 6 |
| Bass | 4 |
| Mid | 9 |
| Treble | 5 |
| Reverb | 2 |
| Master | 5 |
01Dunlop Cry Baby Wah (used as fixed/cocked filter)
RECOMMENDED — not currently owned; leave rocked forward at ~60% sweep to nail the phase-cancellation honk
The Spider IV Crunch model captures the cranked British Laney breakup, but because your Squier Strat has single-coil pickups instead of Mark Knopfler's PAF humbucker, the mids are pushed hard to 9 and tone rolled down to 7 to add body and tame thin highs. The Spider IV 30 has no physical presence knob, so treble is kept moderate at 5 to prevent harsh fizz while preserving attack bite. Adding a real cocked wah pedal in the future will deliver the final 20% of the studio track's accidental mic-phase frequency notch.
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These settings are for a Line 6 spider IV 30. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.
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