Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms sound

I wasn't sure where this fits in the forum , so I put it here. Feel free to move it.

I am discussing the anatomy of good solos with my instructor. Among the songs I suggested we look at was Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits. It's obviously Mark using a Les Paul, but I am not sure what effect(s) he's using. Over drive or distortion and what else ? It's obviously a good amount of what ever it is, but it doesn't sound shredded type stuff. I would like to get near that with my SF4, if I practice that sort of stuff. Any insight about what you think it may be, would be helpful.

Interesting question! The internet says he used a Marshall JTM45 (turned down the bass), plus some boost/compression and some reverb. Credible to me.

Edit: Here's a discussion on the gear page concerning this matter.

On Tonecloud from Positive Grid you can find user-created presets aiming to match Knopfler's exact sound for the BIA solo (among thousands of others), and one of them is actually surprisingly good! However, this requires the appropriate software and equipment... But since you seem to be forced to look for a new solution anyway and you are going in that direction, would that perhaps be a possibility?

Just to give you an impression: This is how it looks on tonecloud.





And this is how it looks in BiasFx on the iPad:



On this screenshot only the amp is active, you see the different effects on top greyed out.

It scarcely matter what guitar/amp/pedal you use, the tones are all very similar.



Nice old Les Paul, is it the one?

I never cared much fro Mark switching to the Les Paul for gnarly tones like Money for Nothing. After the clean Strat solos of Sultans of Swing, his musical legacy was set, regardless of how many overdriven solos he played later on Les Pauls.

When the Brothers In Arms album was recorded Knopfler didn't yet have his old Les Pauls. I think he had an early '80s one at the time. Re. playing Strats less: I just think he didn't want to be pigeonholed. He's probably had and used at least one of everything at this point. ☺

-Dave-

A lot of guys went from a Paul to a Strat. He did it in reverse. Reading up on Trower the other day it seems he found Martin Barre's Strat at a rehearsal - Barre himself more known for using a LP Jr. at the time - plugged in the Strat and could be heard yelling quite loudly "This is it!", Trower playing a Les Paul at the time, just post Procol Harum and before his solo career with Stratocasters.

"It scarcely matter what guitar/amp/pedal you use, the tones are all very similar. "

Well it sort of does, because I can't get that tone with the SF4 and the amps and pedals I have. I'm just trying to get a bit of a ball park idea. If it's just guitar, amp and maybe one pedal, then that is a place to look.

I think I'm a P90 sort of player, right now, but it would be nice to have a better feel for making tones as needed. No, I am not going to go buy a big Marshal amp and an old Les Paul, but I would like to approximate that sound, when I need it.

JohnW63 said:

No, I am not going to go buy a big Marshal amp and an old Les Paul, but I would like to approximate that sound, when I need it.

Click to expand...

Perhap you consider a modeling amp even if the Carvin does come back and work?

Guildedagain said:

Nice old Les Paul, is it the one?

Click to expand...

Not old at all! The one in the video is his 2016 made '58 Custom Shop Reissue prototype. Exactly the guitar which was pictured on the stock picture on the webpage and which Mark received afterwards. He's using her frequently live!



Ralf

in the Money for Nothing video, one of the guys is playing a left handed strat- right handed/upside down. just wanted to let u all know.

That would be Jack Sonni in the video. He met Knopfler while working at Rudy Pensa's guitar shop in NYC.

-Dave-

Word SONNI in finnish translates to BULL in english