Gilmour again

[Kilby]

Seemingly I'm a complete stalker at the moment.

I'm finally watching the radio 2 video stream (sounds wierd saying that) and was wondering if he has moved away from EMG pickups.

They don't appear to be the model he has been using since the late 80s (and not the ones in the DG set sold by EMG) having staggered pole pieces, though perhaps their vintage strat version.

As for his guitar tone, it's a lot less processed and seems to have regained a lot of the top end that has been missing since The Wall, hence my thoughts that he may have returned to passive pickups. Some of it like the Animals album, and some very like Meddle / Pompeii era. which to me is a good thing.

Richard Wright is quite on form during the gig, though the modern keyboards don't seem to have the (course) growl that a real Hammond can unleash.

Rob...

[HJM]

I think I remember hearing pickup buzz! He was using a lot of compression too at times, so that didn't help. I wondered if it was his black strat that he used a lot live during the 70s?

[Kilby]

I think I remember hearing pickup buzz! He was using a lot of compression too at times, so that didn't help. I wondered if it was his black strat that he used a lot live during the 70s?

Yeah the Boss compressors where busy during that gig, but much more natural than the 80s and 90s, though live his guitar sound was so huge you could almost forgive all the processing going on.

It's hard to tell with that black strat as it has been hacked about so much, khaler trem and the like being added and removed, new necks and Di Mazzio pickups (I cant spell them and cant be arsed to look it up).

The strat wasn't any of the 50s reissues that he has been seen with over the recent years, as it had a 70s large headstock, with 6 screw trem (but no bullet truss rod adj). However the fingerboard didn't appear to have any lacquer wear or ingraned dirt but then the video stream is pretty low res. I can't imagine him getting the fingerboard relacquered incase it changes the feel too much, but who can tell.

But I will look a little closer over the weekend (I need somthing to do during a 12 hour shift), and I will grab any high res images off the press feeds (yeah it's really sad I know)

The reason I asked is ther does seem as you said to be some hum, but also the mid boost that was over used with the EMG equipped guitars is missing during the gig.

It's a pity he couldn't get some of Shine On, quite right though.

Oh yeah, scratch the hammond remark, it was a hammond, but either the speakers or the audio compression seem to have lost the growl, hence it justifys my hatred of MP3s as it destroys hammonds and upright bases. At least ATRAC can manage the lowend properly.

Rob...

[sambo]

^Dimarzio  :D

[Kilby]

^Dimarzio  :D

Jeez I remember the days when Dimarzio where the only replacement pickup you could buy.

I felt so guilty about a Dimarzio comment I posted got out of bed and logged on again to remove it.

[willo]

Has anyone got a link for this performance?

[Kilby]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/events/davidgilmour/gallery/index.shtml

But I think the bbc have tahen the video offline now.

However I do have a realvideo file on disk which bears a remarkable similarity to the realvideo stream the BBC had ;)

From the higher res images on the bbc site ATM it looks like I was talking utter cr@p about the 70s headstock, though in the video footage the headstock still looks a bit 'fat' to me, perhaps it's the aspect ratio of the realvideo stream. But it gives good shots of his guitar (wooah guitar pr0n d00d)

Rob...

[tewboss]

He's using Analogman's comprossor (sic) pedals in his rig - they are based on the old Ross compressor.

I much prefered his tone on the Live 8 gig than how it sounded on the Division Bell. I was listening to the live version of The Wall earlier - it sounds so much more alive than the studio album.

[Kilby]

I reached the depths today and bought the new edition of Guitar World (theres £4.25 gone) and it has answered the Strat questions.

The strat he is currently using on stage is indeed his Black 1970 which appears to have been re-necked (yet again).

The pickups are Fender, but they where re-wound by Seymour Duncan when he was working alongside Fender UK.

The EMG pickups appear to have been dropped because of improved shielding and lighting rigs, he has no need for them. Apparently they don't sound 'stratty' enough for him, so he is back to passives.

Now how can we get Mr Gilmour using BK pickups ;)

Rob...

[willo]

The strat he is currently using on stage is indeed his Black 1970 which appears to have been re-necked (yet again).

Why would someone like Gilmour find themselves renecking a guitar? I understand the need to refret, and a new neck obviously if you smash one up but Gilmour doesn't seem like the type?

[Kilby]

The strat he is currently using on stage is indeed his Black 1970 which appears to have been re-necked (yet again).

Why would someone like Gilmour find themselves renecking a guitar? I understand the need to refret, and a new neck obviously if you smash one up but Gilmour doesn't seem like the type?

I assume he just didn't like the original neck (apparently it's on his brothers tele), though with all the changes to the guitar over the years like khaler trems (therefore locking nuts) or perhaps he just keeps on finds new necks that he prefers.

It's apparently his favourite strat, and I suppose apart from his ownership of it, it dosn't really have anything special to give it a high value (though to sad individuals like me thats a lot)
Rob...