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Riff Tone

Money for Nothing (Radio Edit)

Dire Straits

Guitarrock1980s

Original Gear

Guitar1958 Gibson Les Paul Standard
AmpLaney amplifier (exact model unknown, likely late-70s/early-80s solid-state or tube head)

Amp Settings

gain6.5
bass4

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Effects & Signal Chain

Notes

Studio recording, 1984-1985. Mark Knopfler used a 1958 Les Paul Standard with humbuckers into a Laney amp. The iconic tone was achieved with a fixed-position (half-cocked) wah pedal and studio mic/console trickery. The tone is unique to the studio version and was not fully replicated live. Pickup selector likely set to bridge or middle position. No evidence of additional pedals or rack effects on the original riff recording.

Tone Character(10)
nasal and vocal-likemidrange-focusedbiting and percussiveslightly compresseddistinctive filtered wah soundcrunchy but not high-gainarticulate and dynamictight and punchy attackwarm but with pronounced upper midsunique studio coloration

Difficulty

The riff requires advanced fingerstyle technique, precise muting, and dynamic control to capture the iconic percussive, vocal-like tone. The fixed wah adds a layer of difficulty in maintaining articulation and consistency.

This tone has been researched 2 times by the community

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