Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi

Arguably the most famous guitar solo tone ever recorded. Gilmour's tone on the second solo of Comfortably Numb is built on a Big Muff Pi fuzz into a cranked Hiwatt, with delay adding depth and sustain. The Hiwatt provides clean headroom while the Big Muff does the heavy lifting for gain and sustain. The result is a singing, vocal-like lead tone that sustains endlessly.

The blistering solo on Time features one of the most aggressive tones in Gilmour's catalog. A Stratocaster through a Big Muff Pi into a cranked Hiwatt DR103 creates a thick, sustaining fuzz tone with singing upper harmonics. The Binson Echorec delay adds rhythmic repeats that fill the sonic space. Gilmour's precise bending and vibrato bring the notes to life over the massive sustain.

The hypnotic riff of Do I Wanna Know? is built on a dark, fuzzy tone with heavy reverb. Turner's Jazzmaster-style guitar through a Vox AC30 with fuzz creates a thick, murky groove that sits low in the mix. The riff uses a slow, deliberate picking style with the notes slightly muted for a percussive, almost drum-like quality.

Plug In Baby features Matt Bellamy's signature combination of heavy fuzz and a DigiTech Whammy for the iconic riff. The Manson guitar runs through a fuzz pedal into a cranked Marshall for a thick, aggressive distortion, while the Whammy adds an octave-up effect that gives the riff its distinctive screaming, synth-like quality. The riff itself is a rapid-fire chromatic run that is instantly recognizable.