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Guitars
Knopfler’s main guitars at the time were two Fender Stratocasters (# 68354, 1961, rosewood fingerboard, and #80470, 1961-62, maple fingerboard). It is hard to say which one he favoured at exactly which time. Fact is that his main guitar on previous tour (late 1978) was the rosewood Strat #68354 (which had just been painted red around this time), whereas on the Communiqué tour after the recording of the album he was seen almost only with the maple-board Strat #80470. There is a clear sound difference between a rosewood Strat and a maple-neck (or -board) Strat but it can be really tough to tell which is which in a complete mix. I would vote for the maple-board Strat as the guitar used mostly on Communiqué.
see also:
Early Dire Straits: Which of the two red Fenders was used in which concert?
Amps
In the Dire Straits book by Michael Oldfield book we find a hint that the band “were borrowing Robert’s [Robert Palmer] amps because all the studio ones were useless”. It makes sense that the band took their instruments over to Nassau, Bahamas, but not their own amps [live Knopfler played the Music Man 212 HD-130 before and after recording Communiqé]. Unfortunately we don’t know wat kind of amps they borrowed from Robert Palmer, if I had to guess I would clearly say Fenders.
Track 1 – Once upon a time in the west
| Musician | Guitar | Pick-up | Tuning | Effects | Amp | |
Guitar one – lead – center | Mark Knopfler [100%], MK fingerstyle | Fender Stratocaster [~100%], probably 1961 Stratocaster #68354 [+30% ]or 1961/62 Stratocaster #80470 [+70%] | bridge + middle or middle + neck | standard | compression/limiter, reverb | no info available |
Guitar two – rhythm- left channel | Mark Knopfler [100%], MK fingerstyle | Fender Stratocaster [~100%], probably 1961 Stratocaster #68354 or 1961/62 Stratocaster #80470 | bridge + middle or middle + neck | standard | compression/limiter, reverb | no info available |
Guitar one – rhythm – right channel | David Knopfler [100%], strummed | probably David’s black Fender Stratocaster | standard | Phaser, reverb | no info available |
Track 2 – News
| Musician | Guitar | Pick-up | Tuning | Effects | Amp | |
Guitar one – lead- center | Mark Knopfler [100%], MK fingerstyle | Fender Stratocaster [~100%], probably 1961 Stratocaster #68354 [+30% ]or 1961/62 Stratocaster #80470 [+70%] | bridge + middle or middle + neck | standard | compression/limiter, volume pedal, reverb | no info available |
Guitar two – picking – left channel | Mark Knopfler [100%], MK fingerstyle | Fender Stratocaster [~100%], probably 1961 Stratocaster #68354 or 1961/62 Stratocaster #80470 | bridge + middle or middle + neck | standard | compression/limiter, reverb | no info availableno |
Guitar three – strummed chords – right channel | David Knopfler [100%], strummed | probably David’s black Fender Stratocaster | – | standard | no info available |
Related blog posts:
Chord changes in News on live version of the Making Movies tour
Track 3 – Where do you think you’re going
| Musician | Guitar | Pick-up | Tuning | Effects | Amp | |
Guitar one – lead – center/leftPan position about 11:00 | Mark Knopfler [100%], MK fingerstyle | Fender Stratocaster [~100%], probably 1961 Stratocaster #68354 [+30% ]or 1961/62 Stratocaster #80470 [+70%] | bridge + middle or middle + neck | standard | compression/limiter, reverb | no info available |
Guitar two – lead 2 – centercomes in at 2:42 | ark Knopfler [100%], MK fingerstyle | Fender Stratocaster [~100%], probably 1961 Stratocaster #68354 [+30% ]or 1961/62 Stratocaster #80470 [+70%], | bridge + middle or middle + neck | standard | compression/limiter, reverb | no info available |
Guitar three – strummed chords – center | Mark Knopfler [100%], strummed (pick ?) | Acoustic guitar (Ovation ?) [Ingo: Not sure when he got his Ovations, but possibly later (early ’79)] | – | standard | compression/limiter, reverb | no info available |
Guitar four- strummed chords – right channel | David Knopfler [100%], strummed | standard |
Related blog posts:
Dire Straits – Where do you think you’re going – spontaneous cover on acoustic guitar
Track 4 – Communiqué
| Musician | Guitar | Pick-up | Tuning | Effects | Amp | |
Guitar one – lead – center | Mark Knopfler [100%], MK fingerstyle | Fender Stratocaster [~100%], probably 1961 Stratocaster #68354 or 1961/62 Stratocaster #80470 | bridge + middle | standard | compression/limiter, reverb | no info available |
Guitar two – riff – right channel | Mark Knopfler [100%], MK fingerstyle | Fender Stratocaster [~100%], probably 1961 Stratocaster #68354 or 1961/62 Stratocaster #80470 | bridge + middle | standard | compression/limiter, reverb | no info available |
Guitar three – strummed chords – left channel | David Knopfler [100%], strummed | probably David’s black Fender Stratocaster or Telecaster | bridge ? | no info available |
Track 5 – Lady writer
| Musician | Guitar | Pick-up | Tuning | Effects | Amp | |
Guitar one – lead – center | Mark Knopfler [100%], MK fingerstyle | Fender Stratocaster [~100%], probably 1961 Stratocaster #68354 [+30% ]or 1961/62 Stratocaster #80470 [+70%] | bridge + middle | standard | compression/limiter, reverb | no info available |
Guitar two – rhythm – right channel | Mark Knopfler [100%], MK fingerstyle | Fender Stratocaster [~100%], probably 1961 Stratocaster #68354 or 1961/62 Stratocaster #80470 | bridge + middle | standard | compression/limiter, reverb | no info available |
Guitar three – rhythm – left channel | David Knopfler [100%], strummed | probably David’s black Fender Stratocaster | standard | … | no info available |
Related blog posts:
Video Clip of Dire Straits – Lady Writer – Pinkpop Festival 1979
Track 6 – Angel of mercy
| Musician | Guitar | Pick-up | Tuning | Effects | Amp | |
Guitar one – lead – center | Mark Knopfler [100%], MK fingerstyle | Fender Stratocaster [~100%], probably 1961 Stratocaster #68354 [+30% ]or 1961/62 Stratocaster #80470 [+70%] | Middle | standard | compression/limiter, reverb | no info available |
Guitar two – rhythm – lead 2nd solo (2:20 – 3:06) left channel | Mark Knopfler [100%], MK fingerstyle | Fender Stratocaster (with chorus) or 12-string electric ? (possibly Burns Baldwin) | Middle ? | standard | compression/limiter, reverb, chorus | no info available |
Guitar three – rhythm – right channel | David Knopfler [100%], strummed | probably David’s black Fender Stratocaster | … | standard | … | no info available |
Related blog posts:
Angel of Mercy live in early 1979 – Mark Knopfler on slide guitar
Track 7 – Portobello Belle
| Musician | Guitar | Pick-up | Tuning | Effects | Amp | |
Guitar one – riff – center | Mark Knopfler [100%], MK fingerstyle | National steel guitar [~100%],1928 Tricone or 1937 Style-O | – | Open G – capo’ed at 5th | – | – |
Related blog posts:
Mark Knopfler’s Rickenbacker of Portobello Belle live in 1981
Dire Straits – Portobello Belle – The Point, Dublin, 1991
Mark Knopfler – Portobelle Belle – the only existing live video (Belfast 1996)
Track 8 – Single handed sailor
| Musician | Guitar | Pick-up | Tuning | Effects | Amp | |
Guitar one – lead – center | Mark Knopfler [100%], MK fingerstyle | Fender Stratocaster [~100%], probably 1961 Stratocaster #68354 [+70% ]or 1961/62 Stratocaster #80470 [+30%] | Neck (Di-Marzio FS-1) | standard | compression/limiter, volume pedal, reverb | no info available |
Guitar two – rhythm – left channel | Mark Knopfler [100%], MK fingerstyle | Fender Stratocaster [~100%], probably 1961 Stratocaster #68354 or 1961/62 Stratocaster #80470 | bridge + middle or middle + neck | standard | compression/limiter, reverb | no info available |
Guitar three – rhythm – right channel | Mark Knopfler [50%], David Knopfler[50%] [Ingo: I’d vote for David here] | Fender Stratocaster [~100%], probably 1961 Stratocaster #68354 [+30% ]or 1961/62 Stratocaster #80470 [+70%] or David’s black Fender Stratocaster | … | standard | … | no info available |
Guitar four- strummed chords – right channel0:20 – 0:56 and 1:54 – 2:11 | David Knopfler [100%], strummed, accents on the snare drum | probably David’s black Fender Stratocaster | standard | no info available |
Track 9 – Follow me home
| Musician | Guitar | Pick-up | Tuning | Effects | Amp | |
Guitar one – lead – center | Mark Knopfler [100%], MK fingerstyle | Fender Stratocaster [~100%], probably 1961 Stratocaster #68354 [+30% ]or 1961/62 Stratocaster #80470 [+70%] | bridge + middle or middle + neck | standard | compression/limiter, volume pedal, reverb | no info available |
Guitar two – rhythm- left channel | Mark Knopfler [100%], MK fingerstyle | Fender Stratocaster [~100%], probably 1961 Stratocaster #68354 or 1961/62 Stratocaster #80470 | bridge + middle or middle + neck | standard | compression/limiter, reverb | no info available |
Guitar three – rhythm – right channel | David Knopfler [70%] | probably David’s black Fender Stratocaster | … | standard | … | … |
Related blog posts:
Dire Straits at the Paradiso, Amsterdam, October 23, 1978
Links
13 thoughts on “Gear on album Communiqué”
For me wdytyg in absolutely neck & middle with a twin.
Indo do you think that mark uses the bright switch on this album?
To me the first three songs sound very much like middle & neck PUs, however, the live videos we have of them mostly show bridge & middle or neck alone (OUATITW, middle solo on News)
Bright switch: probably yes. On Fender or the Music man HD130-212 amps the bright switch becomes less effective the more you turn up the channel volume (with volume on 10 it has no effect at all anymore), this makes it harder to tell from listening.
That’s right for the bright switch I agree. For me the tone of news is bridge&middle and the solo middle & neck. The same on once upon a time in the west. Only wdytyg neck & middle. I got the same tones with these positions.
I got the same tone of news and once upon a time with a vintage deluxe rev on middle bridge potision.
Hi there.
I’m pretty sure that David is playing his telecaster (bridge/neck pos) on ‘Once Upon a Time In The West’.
If i guess the Amp, I’ll go with the Peavey, only because the phaser. 🙂
Best Wishes!
due to the big input of phaser, I find hard to determine for sure the guitar and PU, but maybe you are right.
the song where I hear the telecaster with birdge PU is the rhythm on the communique song
BTW it was not David’s telecaster, but Mark’s one 🙂 the 68 sunburst one, later used on Why aye man or recently live on Father and son for example
Nice to hear about the Dav.. err Mark´s 68 Sunburst Tele.
Recently e saw that David uses a copy of that Tele made by Fame Guitars.
Hi there.
I don’t know if my friend Brunno Nunes told to you guys about the Once Upon A Time In The West Official Clip.
So here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PScwwic57E
I’m right about the Tele 🙂
cheers!
That is only a playback mimic filmed in summer or fall 1979. It has nothing to do with the studio recording of late 1978. They just filmed it on stage with the gear they were using at that time in 1979. They apparently also made a second promo clip for Lady Writer that day.
Of course it is still possible that it WAS the Tele for rhythm on OUATITW
Yep…
I know that is a mimic.
The album was recorded on studio, and, like the previous album, the clip was recorded on stage.
The Lady Writer clip was recorded at the same place, same clothes…