Tone library / Pink Floyd / Comfortably Numb

Comfortably Numb amp settings — Positive Grid Spark 40

The Pink Floyd guitar tone for “Comfortably Numb”, dialed in for a Positive Grid Spark 40 with a PRS SE Hollowbody II. Studio version, The Wall (1979)

Original rig

Black Strat (DiMarzio FS-1 bridge pickup) → Ram's Head Big Muff → Alembic F-2B preamp → Hiwatt DR103 + Yamaha RA-200 rotating speakers

Singing sustain with compressed, liquidy distortion and swirling spatial modulation

Amp settings — Positive Grid Spark 40

CHANNELMarshall Plexi amp model with 4x12 Greenback IR

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	2
Bass	5
Mid	6
Treble	7
Presence	6
Reverb	0
Master	6

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Guitar

PICKUPbridge TONE10 VOLUME10

Signal chain

01Big Muff (Ram's Head voicing) — RECOMMENDED

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned; critical for the compressed, singing distortion character

Sustain 7 · Tone 6 · Volume 7

02Chorus/Flanger (Electric Mistress or CE-2 voicing) — RECOMMENDED

RECOMMENDED — not currently owned; emulates the Yamaha rotating speaker swirl on the second solo

Rate 3 · Depth 5

03Delay

Use Spark's onboard delay set to ~480ms; light single repeat

Time 5 · Feedback 2 · Level 3

Why these settings

Spark set to Marshall Plexi model with amp gain at 2 because the Big Muff pedal is the distortion source—stacking amp overdrive with the Muff creates mud. Your PRS humbuckers are hotter than Gilmour's single coils, so gain is dropped 1 from a single-coil equivalent and treble is pushed 1 to retain clarity. The hollowbody's natural resonance adds warmth; the mid bump compensates for the Muff's inherent scoop.

PRO TIPPlay the first solo's neck-tone phrases (bend at 15th fret B string, sustained 14th fret high E) by picking directly over the neck pickup area while still in bridge position—this captures Gilmour's warm phrasing without switching pickups mid-solo.

Get this tone on your amp

These settings are for a Positive Grid Spark 40. ToneAdapt matches any song to whatever amp, guitar and pedals you own — first match is free.

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More tones for the Positive Grid Spark 40

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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.