🎸 Rock · 1970s

Time by Pink Floyd (Solo · Distorted) — Guitar Tone

by Pink Floyd · solo

The Time by Pink Floyd guitar tone is built on a Hiwatt DR103 100-watt head into WEM Super Starfinder 4x12 cabinet, dialed in at gain 5.5/10, bass 6.5, mid 7, treble 7, 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)

5.5
GAIN
6.5
BASS
7
MID
7
TREBLE
6
PRESENCE
3
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 5.5 sits right around the rock average (4.8); mids at 7 are right around average (6.2).

Guitar controls

10
VOLUME
10
TONE

Original gear

Guitar: 1969 Fender Stratocaster (alder body) with late-'70s Charvel birdseye maple neck · Amp: Hiwatt DR103 100-watt head into WEM Super Starfinder 4x12 cabinet, parallel with Yamaha RA-200 rotating speaker cabinet

Studio recording, 1972-1973 for 'The Dark Side of the Moon'. Signal path for the solo: Strat bridge pickup into pedalboard (Big Muff, delay), into Hiwatt amp and Yamaha RA-200 rotary speaker in parallel. No evidence of live rig or alternate guitars for this solo.

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ Fender Stratocaster songs & tones →🎚️ single-coil guitars songs & tones →🎚️ Big Muff songs & tones →🎚️ fuzz 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

Bridge pickup (DiMarzio FS-1 single-coil)

Signal chain

1969 Fender Stratocaster (alder body) with late-'70s Charvel birdseye maple neck → Electro-Harmonix Ram's Head Big Muff Pi → Binson Echorec (or Delay pedal, model unknown) → Yamaha RA-200 Rotary Speaker (modulation effect, not pedal) → Hiwatt DR103 100-watt head into WEM Super Starfinder 4x12 cabinet, parallel with Yamaha RA-200 rotating speaker cabinet

Effects

fuzz, delay, rotary speaker modulation, reverb

Amp effects: Reverb (plate, level 2)

Tone character

singing sustain, smooth, violin-like lead tone, rich, harmonically complex fuzz, modulated, swirling ambience, long, clear delay repeats, slightly compressed attack, liquid sustain, airy, spacious soundstage, notably present midrange, distinct rotary speaker modulation

Recording context

studio

How it’s played

straight, medium tempo, loud dynamics · crunch distortion. This shapes how hard the amp is pushed and where the EQ sits for the Time sound.

Difficulty

4/5 · Solo

The solo requires advanced control of bends, vibrato, and sustain, as well as expressive phrasing and precise timing with delay repeats. The technical challenge is not speed but nuance and articulation.

Worth knowing

⚡ Same tone, YOUR gear — re-dials the gain & EQ for your amp and pickups, free →
🎧 Can you guess the tone?
Recognise famous songs from just the amp dials — a quick 10-round game. Beat your friends. Play free →
🎸 Which guitar legend is your tone twin? Take the quiz & share your result →

Time guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the Time guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 5.5, bass 6.5, mid 7, treble 7, 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 Time tone?

Original gear/effects: Guitar: 1969 Fender Stratocaster (alder body) with late-'70s Charvel birdseye maple neck · Amp: Hiwatt DR103 100-watt head into WEM Super Starfinder 4x12 cabinet, parallel with Yamaha RA-200 rotating speaker cabinet; fuzz, delay, rotary speaker modulation, reverb.

Can I get the Time 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 Time — what gear and pedals?

Start with Bridge pickup (DiMarzio FS-1 single-coil), the amp EQ above (gain 5.5, bass 6.5, mid 7, treble 7, presence 6, reverb 3), and fuzz, delay, rotary speaker modulation, reverb. Then let GuitarToneAdapt compensate for the guitar, amp and pedals you actually own so it sits like the record.

Share this tone

𝕏 PostRedditFacebook

Sources

Free practice tools

🎤 Online guitar tuner →  ·  🎶 Guitar chords →  ·  🎸 Guitar tunings →  ·  🎚️ Tuning chart →  ·  🎼 Guitar scales →  ·  🎚️ Chord transposer & capo →  ·  🥁 Metronome →  ·  🎶 Song chords →  ·  🎧 Guess the Tone game →  ·  🎸 Tone Legend quiz →  ·  📊 Tone data report →

🔥 The most famous guitar tones of all time →  ·  🎯 Easy guitar songs to play (with settings) →  ·  🗂️ Browse tone collections (by genre & language) →

More like this

🎸 How to get Pink Floyd’s guitar tone →  ·  🎸 more Rock guitar tones →  ·  🎚️ Hiwatt settings →  ·  🎛️ best rock amp settings →  ·  🎸 more iconic guitar solos →  ·  🎚️ Fuzz tone guide →  ·  🎯 more singing sustain tones →  ·  📖 New to amp settings? What every knob does →

Related tones

Comfortably Numb — Pink FloydBreathe (In the Air) — Pink FloydEchoes — Pink FloydAnother Brick In the Wall, Pt. 2 — Pink FloydBoys Don't Cry — The CureWay Down We Go — KALEO
Settings are community-researched estimates, not official. GuitarToneAdapt adapts them to your gear. guitartoneadapt.com