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I'm a bit of a Gilmour freak which is why I built my TriWatt in the first place - I knew that I wanted a Hiwatt for that big punchy sound. The Triwatt gives it on spades for sure, but I've been on a quest to find the perfect overdrive to give me that "Pulse" sound - huge, fat, and rich in harmonics. The Triwatt with a nice analog delay and a bit of reverb is pure Gilmour with a Strat but the overdrive sound has been a bit more elusive.

I have a Strat with the EMG DG-20 setup that sounds and plays great. It's a Mexican, but it easily the equal of any American Strat after the EMGs and a Callaham bridge. After a pro setup it plays like a custom shop. So the guitar end is nailed down.

I've gone through about 1.2 zillion Big Muff Pi's trying to find the Gilmour sound. All of them sounds just "ok". I built the BYOC Large Beaver and while it sounds like the best Muff I've ever played it still didn't sound fundamentally like Gilmour. Yeah I know you've got to have his hands (god I wish) but I just couldn't get the tone in the right ballpark. It was always just to muddy and undefined - which is the exact opposite of Gilmour. Something was missing - definition and shimmer.

But I think I found the secret tonight. I stuck a Boss SD-1 ($20 Criaglist special) in front of it and dialed the gain way down to just a hint of crunch. I hit put the BYOC Large beaver behind it in flat mids mode, cranked up the gain, and WHAM there it was - pure harmonic bliss. Holy crap what a tone!! A bit of delay and my trusty CE-2 through my Trademark 60 on the left side in stereo and I felt like I was on the stage. I can't play worth a crap but I could just grab one note and hold it forever.

If you have a Muff and a Triwatt you've got to try this. I think you'll be pleasently surprised.

Of course you've probably all been doing this for years and I'm just the retarded guy that didn't get the message though

Sounds like you've found your holy grail. What's next?
I wonder if some of that Gilmour tone was done post production?

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Stephen
Web: www.trinityamps.com. Facebook: facebook.com/trinityamps. Twitter: @trinityamps

disconnector,

Nice post. Like you, I also absolutely love Gilmour's tones. I also built a BYOC Large Beaver and find it the be the best Muff I've ever heard. Granted, I never played an old one from the early or mid '70s, but any I've tried have simply sounded terrible. With just about any Strat into even a Fender amp, you're halfway there to Gilmour tone with the Beaver.

From a lot of what I've read, especially at gilmourish.com, Gilmour tends to employ both a good Muff and a very light OD. So it sounds like your usage of the SD-1 dialled way back is spot on.

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Go Buckeyes!

I haven't built a Triwatt (Yet ) but I'm wondering if either of you get a gilmourish tone with a Les Paul or other Humbucker equipped guitar.
Stew

Run Like Hell was recorded with a Les Paul with P-90s

To be honest, my humbucker equipped guitars sound great through my Triwatt (Ibanez RG and PRS) but they don't sound in the least like older Gilmour. Not bad, but a totally different vibe for me.

But ya know, he played a Filtertron equipped Duo Jet during his Royal Albert Hall video and his tone was pure Gilmour. Ya just gotta have his hands I guess

Check out the Shine On You Crazy Diamond clips in this thread - viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2043

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Great tones come in small glass jars!

I knew that compressed solo in "Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2" was a Les Paul w/ P-90s, probably a goldtop. I never read that about "Run Like Hell". Every time I saw Floyd play that song live, Gilmour used a Tele.

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Go Buckeyes!

I'm an idiot - yer right. Got my songs backward (or is that upside down?).

But regardless - it's amazing that Gilmour sounds like Gilmour no matter whether he plays through a Strat or a Gretch or a Les Paul - or a HiWatt or a Deluxe or a Twin. It's just the mans incredible hands.