🎸 Rock · 1970s

Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd (Riff · Clean) — Guitar Tone

by Pink Floyd · riff

The Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd guitar tone is built on a Hiwatt DR103 Custom 100 Head with WEM Super Starfinder 200 4x12 cabinet, dialed in at gain 0/10, bass 6, mid 8, 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)

GAIN

BASS

MID

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 8 are above average (6.2) — mid-forward, built to cut through a mix.

Guitar controls

8-9

VOLUME

7-8

TONE

Original gear

Guitar: Fender Stratocaster (1970s, black, maple neck, stock single-coil pickups) · Amp: Hiwatt DR103 Custom 100 Head with WEM Super Starfinder 200 4x12 cabinet (Fane Crescendo speakers)

Studio recording, 1975. Clean intro/riff section. Acoustic 12-string is also present, but electric clean part is Strat into Hiwatt. No evidence of EMGs or alternate guitars for this section.

Gear used on this tone

🎚️ Fender Stratocaster songs & tones →🎚️ single-coil guitars songs & tones →🎚️ Hiwatt 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 (1970s, black, maple neck, stock single-coil pickups) → Compressor pedal (model unknown, likely studio rack or Colorsound Power Boost compression) → Delay pedal (likely Binson Echorec or studio tape delay) → Hiwatt DR103 Custom 100 Head with WEM Super Starfinder 200 4x12 cabinet (Fane Crescendo speakers)

Effects

compression, delay, reverb

Amp effects: Reverb (plate, level 6.5)

Tone character

bright and glassy, open and airy, articulate and detailed, slightly compressed, warm midrange, clear note separation, gentle reverb ambience, touch-sensitive, studio-quality shimmer, classic British clean

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 Wish You Were Here sound.

Difficulty

2.5/5 · Riff

The riff requires clean, accurate fingerpicking and subtle dynamic control to achieve the signature shimmer and articulation. While not technically advanced, the timing and touch sensitivity demand intermediate skill.

Worth knowing

Gain adjusted to 0 for clean tone
No official studio documentation of exact amp knob positions; settings are averaged from multiple forum sources and typical Hiwatt/Strat clean setups for this era.
Pedal/effect models are inferred from era-correct gear and audible effects; no direct studio photo evidence for this specific session.
Some sources mention EMG pickups, but these were not used until much later; 1975 studio recording used stock Fender single-coils.
Presence setting is estimated based on typical Hiwatt usage and forum advice to 'crank mids and treble'.
Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. David Gilmour's 'Wish You Were Here' acoustic riff is played on a clean, slightly warm amp setting with prominent mids and a touch of reverb for space. These settings reflect his typical mid-forward, balanced tone from the 1970s, using minimal gain and moderate EQ for clarity and warmth.

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

Chords

🎼 Wish You Were Here chords — key, capo & the main progression →

🎸 All Wish You Were Here guitar tones — every part & section →

🎧 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 →

Wish You Were Here guitar tone — FAQ

What amp settings do I need for the Wish You Were Here guitar tone?

Set your amp to roughly: gain 0, bass 6, mid 8, treble 7, presence 6, reverb 5. These are community-researched baselines — GuitarToneAdapt re-dials them for your exact guitar and amp.

What gear was used for the Wish You Were Here tone?

Original gear/effects: Guitar: Fender Stratocaster (1970s, black, maple neck, stock single-coil pickups) · Amp: Hiwatt DR103 Custom 100 Head with WEM Super Starfinder 200 4x12 cabinet (Fane Crescendo speakers); compression, delay, reverb.

Can I get the Wish You Were Here 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 Wish You Were Here — what gear and pedals?

Start with Position 4 (neck + middle), the amp EQ above (gain 0, bass 6, mid 8, treble 7, presence 6, reverb 5), and compression, delay, 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 → · 🎚️ Delay tone guide → · 🎯 more articulate tones → · 📖 New to amp settings? What every knob does →

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