🎸 Rock · 1970s

Hey You by Pink Floyd (Riff · Clean) — Guitar Tone

by Pink Floyd · riff

The Hey You by Pink Floyd guitar tone is built on a Hiwatt DR103 Custom 100 Head into WEM Super Starfinder 4x12 cabinet, dialed in at gain 0/10, bass 6, mid 7, treble 6.5, presence 6 (community-researched baseline). Full breakdown below — then adapt every knob to your exact guitar and amp, free.

🎛️ These settings are for the original rig — re-dial them for YOUR amp in 10 seconds. Free, no signup →

Amp settings (0–10)

GAIN

BASS

MID

6.5

TREBLE

PRESENCE

REVERB

Community-researched baseline. Your rig is different — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials every knob for your specific guitar, amp and pickups.

How these settings compare

Measured against the 540 rock tones in our researched catalog: Gain 0 sits well below the rock average (4.8) — cleaner and more dynamic than typical rock; mids at 7 are right around average (6.2).

Guitar controls

8-9

VOLUME

7-8

TONE

Original gear

Guitar: Fender Stratocaster (Black Strat, late 1960s/early 1970s, maple neck, stock single-coil pickups) · Amp: Hiwatt DR103 Custom 100 Head into WEM Super Starfinder 4x12 cabinet

Studio recording, 1979. Clean riff section of 'Hey You' on The Wall. Gilmour used his Black Strat for the clean electric parts, with the Hiwatt DR103 as primary amp. Yamaha RA-200 rotary amp was also used for modulation/ambience in some overdubs, but main clean riff is Hiwatt. No evidence of live/tour gear for this section. Strings: GHS GB-DGG David Gilmour Signature Nickel-Plated (10.5-50).

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ Fender Stratocaster songs & tones →🎚️ single-coil guitars songs & tones →🎚️ Hiwatt songs & tones →🎚️ Leslie rotary speaker songs & tones →

Don’t own this gear? GuitarToneAdapt re-creates the sound on the rig you actually have.

Pickups

Position 4 (neck + middle)

Signal chain

Fender Stratocaster (Black Strat, late 1960s/early 1970s, maple neck, stock single-coil pickups) → Yamaha RA-200 Rotary Speaker → Hiwatt DR103 Custom 100 Head into WEM Super Starfinder 4x12 cabinet

Effects

modulation, reverb

Amp effects: Reverb (spring, level 3)

Tone character

crystal clear, lush and three-dimensional, slightly scooped mids, chiming, bell-like highs, full-bodied low end, soft attack, no breakup, modulation shimmer, dynamic and touch-sensitive, warm, glassy character

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

straight, medium tempo, soft dynamics · clean distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Hey You sound.

Difficulty

2.5/5 · Riff

The riff requires precise arpeggiated picking and dynamic control to maintain a clean, lush sound with modulation. While not technically advanced, the tone and timing are critical for authenticity.

Worth knowing

Gain adjusted to 0 for clean tone
No direct numeric amp settings for 'Hey You' clean riff found in sources; settings estimated based on typical Hiwatt DR103 clean setup for Gilmour in this era.
No explicit pedal model confirmed for the clean riff; chorus/rotary effect inferred from audible modulation and Yamaha RA-200 mention.
Some sources mention Binson Echorec and delay, but these are not clearly audible or documented for the clean riff section.
Pickup position inferred from typical Gilmour clean tones and audio analysis; not directly confirmed in sources.
Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. David Gilmour's 'Hey You' riff tone is clean but full, with mild breakup and prominent mids typical of his Hiwatt amp and EMG/Strat setup; bass is warm but not boomy, treble is present but not harsh, and reverb is moderate for space without washing out the clarity.

⚡ Same tone, YOUR gear — re-dials the gain & EQ for your amp and pickups, free →

🎸 All Hey You guitar tones — every part & section →

🎧 Can you guess the tone?

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Hey You guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the Hey You guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 0, bass 6, mid 7, treble 6.5, presence 6, reverb 3. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

What gear was used for the Hey You tone?

Original gear/effects: Guitar: Fender Stratocaster (Black Strat, late 1960s/early 1970s, maple neck, stock single-coil pickups) · Amp: Hiwatt DR103 Custom 100 Head into WEM Super Starfinder 4x12 cabinet; modulation, reverb.

Can I get the Hey You tone on a different guitar or amp?

Yes. Different guitars and amps need different knob positions to sound the same. GuitarToneAdapt models pickup output and wood brightness, then compensates so you match the record on your own rig.

How do I sound like Pink Floyd on Hey You — what gear and pedals?

Start with Position 4 (neck + middle), the amp EQ above (gain 0, bass 6, mid 7, treble 6.5, presence 6, reverb 3), and modulation, reverb. Then let GuitarToneAdapt compensate for the guitar, amp and pedals you actually own so it sits like the record.

Share this tone

Sources

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More like this

🎸 How to get Pink Floyd’s guitar tone → · 🎸 more Rock guitar tones → · 🎚️ Hiwatt settings → · 🎛️ best rock amp settings → · 🎸 more iconic guitar riffs → · 🎯 more scooped mids tones → · 📖 New to amp settings? What every knob does →

Settings are community-researched estimates, not official. GuitarToneAdapt adapts them to your gear. guitartoneadapt.com