Wish You Were Here
Thin radio-filtered twelve-string that opens into full acoustic strumming.
What is the Wish You Were Here guitar tone?
The Wish You Were Here guitar tone is thin radio-filtered twelve-string that opens into full acoustic strumming, heard on Pink Floyd's 1970s prog rock recording. It is a clean riff tone, and Pink Floyd reportedly tracked it with David Gilmour's 1971 Martin D12-28 twelve-string, processed on the intro to sound like it is playing through an AM radio, with a 1969 Martin D-35 for the fuller acoustic solo overdubbed on top. Sustain and ambience carry these parts, so the delay and modulation settings shape the sound as much as the amp does.
You do not need that exact gear to land in the same place. What carries this sound is the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup choice and the order of the effects, and all four can be rebuilt on equipment that costs a fraction of the original. The numbers change from amp to amp, because a clean channel on a modelling combo and a small practice amp reach the same voicing from different knob positions. That translation is what Tonelify works out for the rig you actually own.
Wish You Were Here amp settings: a starting point
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 2, Bass 5, Middle 7, Treble 5, Presence 5, Reverb 4, with the neck or middle position.
- Gain 2
- Bass 5
- Middle 7
- Treble 5
- Presence 5
- Reverb 4
- Signal chain
- AM radio filter on the intro (studio)
- The control that matters most
- The radio sound. The intro is a twelve-string filtered in the studio to sound like an AM radio, so thin out the lows and highs for that part and play the rest as a plain acoustic.
These positions are free and they are a starting point. A Katana, a Spark and a valve head reach this voicing from different knob positions, so Tonelify rewrites every value above for the amp and guitar you own. Your first match is free with an account, and needs no card.
Adapt these to my amp- Pickup
- Neck or middle position
These are positions on a generic five-knob amp with gain, bass, middle, treble and presence, each running 0 to 10. They are a starting point, not the settings used on the record, and they will not transfer unchanged to an amp with a different gain structure or EQ voicing. If you tell Tonelify which amp you own, it rewrites every value above for the controls that amp actually has.
What gear did Pink Floyd use on Wish You Were Here?
David Gilmour's 1971 Martin D12-28 twelve-string, processed on the intro to sound like it is playing through an AM radio, with a 1969 Martin D-35 for the fuller acoustic solo overdubbed on top.
Sources: Wikipedia: Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd song), Ground Guitar: David Gilmour's 1971 Martin D12-28, Gilmourish: Wish You Were Here 1975
Tonelify reads that chain and translates it to the amp and guitar you already own, returning gain, bass, mids, treble and presence values along with a pickup position.
How do you get the Wish You Were Here tone on your own amp?
Tell us your guitar, amp, and pedals
AI researches the original tone of Wish You Were Here
Get exact knob settings adapted to your rig
Wish You Were Here tone questions
What amp settings do you need for Wish You Were Here?
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 2, Bass 5, Middle 7, Treble 5, Presence 5, Reverb 4, with the neck or middle position. These are positions on a generic five-knob amp with gain, bass, middle, treble and presence, each running 0 to 10. They are a starting point, not the settings used on the record, and they will not transfer unchanged to an amp with a different gain structure or EQ voicing. Tonelify rewrites the same values for the specific amp and guitar you own, because a high-gain head and a small solid-state combo reach the same thin radio-filtered twelve-string that opens into full acoustic strumming from different positions.
What is the most important control for the Wish You Were Here tone?
The radio sound. The intro is a twelve-string filtered in the studio to sound like an AM radio, so thin out the lows and highs for that part and play the rest as a plain acoustic.
Can you get the Wish You Were Here tone without the original gear?
Yes. The original was tracked with David Gilmour's 1971 Martin D12-28 twelve-string, processed on the intro to sound like it is playing through an AM radio, with a 1969 Martin D-35 for the fuller acoustic solo overdubbed on top, but the parts that define the sound are the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup position and the effects order. Those translate to other equipment, which is what the adaptation step does.
Is Wish You Were Here a rhythm or a lead tone?
It is a riff part with a clean character, from Pink Floyd's 1970s prog rock catalogue.
Does Tonelify cost anything to try?
Your first match for your own gear is free with an account, and needs no card. After that both plans start with a 7-day free trial: Stage is $6.99 a month for 20 matches, Headliner is $10.99 a month for unlimited matching within a fair use limit of 150 new matches a day, and yearly billing works out cheaper on both. Reading this page and the rest of the library costs nothing and needs no account.
