Tone library / Pink Floyd / Shine On You Crazy Diamond Pts 1-6

Shine On You Crazy Diamond Pts 1-6 amp settings — FirstAct MA155

The Pink Floyd guitar tone for “Shine On You Crazy Diamond Pts 1-6”, dialed in for a FirstAct MA155 with a Spectrum AIL-95. Studio version, Wish You Were Here (1975) — the iconic four-note Bb-F-G-E opening motif and subsequent solo sections

Original rig

1969 Fender Stratocaster 'Black Strat' with 1971 single-coils → Colorsound Power Boost → Big Muff Pi → Hiwatt DR103 (linked inputs) → WEM 4x12 Fane Crescendo; Electro-Harmonix Memory Man delay, Leslie 147 for rotary texture on some sections

Crystalline sustain with vocal-like singing quality, clean-to-mild breakup with massive delay trails, liquid and sustaining rather than aggressive

Amp settings — FirstAct MA155

CHANNELClean channel (the FirstAct MA155 is a small practice amp with limited headroom — keep it clean and let the NUX MG-300 handle tone shaping)

Knob	Setting (0–10)
Gain	2
Bass	4
Mid	6
Treble	5
Presence	0
Reverb	0
Master	5

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Guitar

PICKUPneck TONE8 VOLUME9

Signal chain

01NUX MG-300 Mk2 — Compressor Block

Essential for the infinite sustain character — Gilmour's tone relies heavily on compression to keep notes alive

Level 7 · Sustain/Ratio 6 · Attack 4

02NUX MG-300 Mk2 — Big Muff / Fuzz Block (use 'US Muff' or similar model)

The MG-300's Muff model handles the vocal sustain character — keep tone at noon for balanced mids, not scooped

Gain/Sustain 6 · Tone 5 · Level 6

03NUX MG-300 Mk2 — Delay Block (use 'Analog Delay' or 'Tape Delay' model)

Set delay time to approximately 480ms (around 5 on most MG-300 delay models = ~450-500ms range); single repeat with moderate mix — the delay trails should be audible but not wash out the phrase

Time 5 · Feedback/Repeats 3 · Mix/Level 5

04NUX MG-300 Mk2 — Reverb Block (use 'Plate' or 'Hall' model)

Original used studio plate reverb — adds depth and space without muddiness

Decay 5 · Mix 4 · Tone 6

Why these settings

The FirstAct MA155 is a basic solid-state practice amp with no real tube warmth or Hiwatt-style headroom, so the MG-300 does all the heavy lifting here. I set amp gain very low (2) because the Big Muff model provides the sustain — stacking amp gain would create undefined mush. The Spectrum AIL-95 has humbuckers where Gilmour used single-coils, so I rolled treble down slightly (5 vs Hiwatt's brighter 6) and pushed mids (6) to compensate for the humbucker's darker, thicker voicing and recover some of that vocal-like midrange clarity.

PRO TIPGilmour's signature on this track is his slow, wide vibrato and precise bending — each of the four opening notes gets a deliberate whole-step bend with controlled vibrato at the peak. Practice bending to pitch and holding the note with even vibrato; the gear only works if your hands sell the sustain.

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These settings are for a FirstAct MA155. 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.