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Riff Tone

Money For Nothing (Live at Live Aid, Wembley Stadium, 13th July 1985)

Dire Straits & Sting

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

Guitar1983 Gibson Les Paul '59 Reissue
AmpMarshall JCM800 2203 head into Marshall 1960 4x12 cabinet

Amp Settings

gain6.5
bass6.5

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Effects & Signal Chain

Notes

Live performance at Wembley Stadium, Live Aid, July 13, 1985. Mark Knopfler is confirmed to have used the Les Paul '59 Reissue at this show (see Guitar World photo evidence). The JCM800 was his main live amp for this era. No evidence of additional gain pedals for the riff section; distortion is amp-driven. Wah pedal was used in the studio version but is not audibly engaged during the Live Aid riff.

Tone Character(10)
thick and burnishedBritish crunchmidrange punchpercussive attacksinging sustainslightly nasalclear note separationdynamic and touch-sensitivearena-filling presenceamp-driven distortion

Difficulty

The riff requires advanced fingerstyle technique, syncopated muting, and dynamic control to achieve the iconic percussive sound, making it challenging for most players.

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