Tone library / Pink Floyd / Comfortably Numb

Comfortably Numb amp settings — Gear4music GA-15

The Pink Floyd guitar tone for “Comfortably Numb”, dialed in for a Gear4music GA-15 with a Fender Jimi Hendrix Stratocaster. Studio version, The Wall (1979) — second solo

Original rig

1969 Fender Stratocaster (DiMarzio FS-1 bridge) → MXR Dyna Comp → EHX Big Muff Pi (Ram's Head era) → Hiwatt DR103 Custom 100 (linked channels, near-clean) → Yamaha RA-200 rotary + delay

Singing, vocal-like lead with endless sustain, smooth midrange bloom, and ethereal ambience

Amp settings — Gear4music GA-15

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	3
Bass	5
Mid	6
Treble	5
Presence	0
Reverb	4
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPneck TONE8 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01MXR Dyna Comp (or similar compressor)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Essential for the smooth sustain and consistent attack that defines this tone. A Dyna Comp, Keeley Compressor Plus, or Boss CS-3 gets you there.

Output 7 · Sensitivity 4

02Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi (NYC or Ram's Head reissue)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. This is the gain source, not the amp. The Big Muff's scooped mids and infinite sustain are non-negotiable for this tone. EHX Big Muff Pi NYC (~$90) or a clone like the TC Electronic Honey Pot.

Volume 4 · Tone 6 · Sustain 6

03Delay (analog-style, 400-500ms)

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned. Original used Maestro Echoplex. MXR Carbon Copy or Boss DD-3 work. Set 400-500ms delay time, moderate repeats. Adds depth and sustain bloom.

Level 4 · Feedback 3 · Time 6

Why these settings

The GA-15 is a basic solid-state practice amp with limited headroom and no natural tube compression—it cannot replicate the Hiwatt's clean power amp push. Gain stays low (3) because the Big Muff provides ALL the saturation; the amp's job is clean amplification. Mid boosted +1 from Gilmour's Hiwatt settings because the GA-15 lacks the Hiwatt's inherent midrange authority. Reverb at 4 substitutes for the ambient room mics and rotary depth on the original. Without the Big Muff and compressor, this tone is unobtainable on your rig—the amp alone cannot produce the singing sustain.

PRO TIPGilmour's secret is his vibrato—slow, wide, and deliberate, applied AFTER the note blooms. Let the Big Muff sustain build for a half-second before adding vibrato. Also, roll your Strat's tone knob to 8 to tame the single-coil ice-pick; the Jimi Hendrix Strat's reverse-angle bridge pickup is already brighter than Gilmour's FS-1.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Gear4music GA-15. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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