Editing David Gilmour (section)

== Artistry ==
Gilmour credits guitarists such as [[Pete Seeger]],<ref name="bonner">{{cite web|url=http://www.uncut.co.uk/blog/the-view-from-here/interview-david-gilmour-99501/4|title=An interview with David Gilmour – Page 4 of 8 – Uncut|first=Michael|last=Bonner|date=6 March 2017|work=Uncut|access-date=7 May 2018|archive-date=7 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507153709/http://www.uncut.co.uk/blog/the-view-from-here/interview-david-gilmour-99501/4|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Lead Belly]],<ref name="bonner"/> [[Jeff Beck]],<ref name="bonner"/> [[Eric Clapton]],<ref name="bonner"/> [[Jimi Hendrix]],<ref name="bonner"/> [[Joni Mitchell]],<ref name="christie's q&a">{{cite web | url= http://davidgilmour.com/guitars/Christies_Guitar_Auction_Q%26As.pdf | title= Christie's Guitar Auction – David Answers Your Questions | work= davidgilmour.com | access-date= 21 September 2019 | archive-date= 29 July 2020 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200729060618/https://www.davidgilmour.com/guitars/Christies_Guitar_Auction_Q%26As.pdf | url-status= live }}</ref> [[John Fahey (musician)|John Fahey]],<ref name="christie's q&a"/> [[Roy Buchanan]],<ref name="christie's q&a"/> and [[Hank Marvin]] of [[the Shadows]]<ref name=":0" /> as influences. Gilmour said, "I copied – don't be afraid to copy – and eventually something that I suppose that I would call my own appeared."<ref name="christie's q&a"/>

[[File:David_Gilmour_Rattle_That_Rock_World_Tour_-_Buenos_Aires_(23226730013).jpg|thumb|Gilmour performing in [[Buenos Aires]], [[Argentina]], during the [[Rattle That Lock Tour]], 19 December 2015. Gilmour is playing the "Workmate", a well-worn Fender Esquire, with an added neck pick-up.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Sarah |last2=Dhaliwal |first2=Ranjit |title=David Gilmour: behind the scenes with a guitar legend – in pictures |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/ng-interactive/2015/oct/01/david-gilmour-behind-the-scenes-with-a-guitar-legend-in-pictures |access-date=6 January 2019 |website=The Guardian |date=October 2015 |archive-date=6 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106104518/https://www.theguardian.com/music/ng-interactive/2015/oct/01/david-gilmour-behind-the-scenes-with-a-guitar-legend-in-pictures |url-status=live }}</ref>]] Gilmour's [[lead guitarist|lead guitar]] style is characterised by [[blues]]-influenced phrasing, expressive note bends, and sustain. ''[[The Times]]'' wrote in 2025, "In an era of showboating, Gilmour sounded like no one else: his playing was all about tone, texture and a kind of languid grandeur."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Potton |first=Alex O’Connell {{!}} James Jackson {{!}} Ed |date=2025-01-19 |title=The 21 greatest guitarists in rock history — ranked by our experts |url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/music/article/best-rock-guitarists-music-history-hendrix-beck-prince-kqsld9md6 |access-date=2025-03-12 |website=www.thetimes.com |language=en}}</ref> In 2006, Gilmour said, "[My] fingers make a distinctive sound... [they] aren't very fast, but I think I am instantly recognisable."<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/classic-guitar-interview-david-gilmour-2006-537288|title=Classic guitar interview: David Gilmour, 2006|website=Musicradar.com|date=30 March 2012|access-date=12 July 2016|archive-date=17 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817093356/https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/classic-guitar-interview-david-gilmour-2006-537288|url-status=live}}</ref> The Pink Floyd technician Phil Taylor said, "It really is just his fingers, his [[vibrato]], his choice of notes and how he sets his effects ... In reality, no matter how well you duplicate the equipment, you will never be able to duplicate the personality."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pinkfloydfan.net/t11634-phil-taylor-welcome-machines-guitar.html|title=Welcome to the Machines|author=Tolinski, Brad|date=September 1994|work=Guitar World|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617034157/http://www.pinkfloydfan.net/t11634-phil-taylor-welcome-machines-guitar.html|archive-date=17 June 2012|url-status=usurped|access-date=29 July 2011}}</ref>

The author Mike Cormack wrote that Gilmour's playing from ''The Dark Side of the Moon'' onwards "defines the sound of Pink Floyd".{{sfn|Cormack|2024|p=115}} He cited Gilmour's third solo in "[[Dogs (Pink Floyd song)|Dogs]]" as "perhaps the finest in his entire career, a masterpiece of phrasing, spacing, tone and articulation",{{sfn|Cormack|2024|p=142}} and said the second solo in "Comfortably Numb" was "an utter master at work, leaving space, repeating and building on licks to give a sense of structure, not overplaying, building to a shrieking climax, and then fading out while leaving the listener wanting more".{{sfn|Cormack|2024|p=175}}

Gilmour also plays bass, keyboards, [[banjo]], [[lap steel]], mandolin, harmonica, drums, and saxophone.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.davidgilmourtour.com/band.html|work=David Gilmour Tour Band.com|title=David Gilmour|access-date=12 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629004944/http://www.davidgilmourtour.com/band.html|archive-date=29 June 2016}}</ref> Gilmour said he played bass on some Pink Floyd tracks, such as the [[fretless bass]] on "[[Hey You (Pink Floyd song)|Hey You]]", as he could do it more quickly than Waters; he said that Waters would thank him for "winning him bass-playing polls".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Resnicoff |first=Matt |date=August 1992 |title=Careful With That Axe — David Gilmour Chops Through Pink Floyd's Past To Build A New Future |journal=[[Musician (magazine)|Musician]]}}</ref>

=== Guitars ===
For Gilmour's 21st birthday, in March 1967, his parents gave him his first [[Fender (company)|Fender]] guitar, a white [[Fender Telecaster|Telecaster]] with a white [[pickguard]] and a rosewood [[fingerboard|fretboard]]. He used this guitar when he joined Pink Floyd in 1968, with one of Barrett's Telecasters as a spare.<ref>{{cite book |last=Taylor |first=Phil |title=Pink Floyd The Black Strat: A history of David Gilmour's black Fender Stratocaster |date=2008 |publisher=Hal Leonard Books |isbn=978-1-4234-4559-3 |edition=2nd |location=New York |pages=8–9}}</ref>

==== The Black Strat ====
{{Main|The Black Strat}}
[[File:Pink Floyd Their Mortal Remains - 2017-10-13 - Andy Mabbett - 43.jpg|thumb|upright|Gilmour's "[[The Black Strat|Black Strat]]" on display at the ''[[Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains]]'' exhibition.<ref name="TMR">''[[Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains]]'' exhibition label</ref>]]

Gilmour used the Black Strat, a [[Fender Stratocaster]], in most Pink Floyd concerts and for every Pink Floyd studio album recorded between 1970 and 1983. Gilmour bought it at [[Manny's Music]] in New York City in 1970, after Pink Floyd's US tour was cancelled due to the theft of their equipment in New Orleans.<ref>{{cite book |last=Taylor |first=Phil |title=Pink Floyd The Black Strat: A history of David Gilmour's black Fender Stratocaster |date=2008 |publisher=Hal Leonard Books |isbn=978-1-4234-4559-3 |edition=2nd |location=New York |page=7}}</ref> It originally had a rosewood fretboard and a white pickguard and underwent a number of modifications, finishing with a black pickguard and maple neck.<ref>{{cite book |last=Taylor |first=Phil |title=Pink Floyd The Black Strat: A history of David Gilmour's black Fender Stratocaster |date=2008 |publisher=Hal Leonard Books |isbn=978-1-4234-4559-3 |edition=2nd |location=New York}}</ref> It was auctioned for charity in 2019 for $3.9 million,<ref name="Rolling Stone 850597">{{cite magazine |last=Grow |first=Kory |date=20 June 2019 |title=David Gilmour's Guitars Sell for Millions at Charity Auction |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/david-gilmour-guitars-christies-charity-auction-850597/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |access-date=17 February 2020 |archive-date=19 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200219015517/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/david-gilmour-guitars-christies-charity-auction-850597/ |url-status=live }}</ref> making it one of the most expensive guitars ever sold at auction.

==== Fender Black Strat Signature Stratocaster ====
In November 2006, [[Fender Custom Shop]] announced two reproductions of Gilmour's Black Strat for release on 22 September 2008. Phil Taylor, Gilmour's guitar technician, supervised this release and has written a book on the history of this guitar.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Black Strat |url=http://www.theblackstrat.com/The_Black_Strat-home...html |access-date=30 October 2015 |work=Theblackstrat.com |archive-date=25 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151025134320/http://www.theblackstrat.com/The_Black_Strat-home...html |url-status=live }}</ref> The release date was chosen to coincide with the release of Gilmour's ''[[Live in Gdańsk]]'' album.<ref>{{citation |title=David Gilmour |url=http://www.edroman.com/guitars/fender/fender_artist/david_gilmour.html |access-date=29 October 2015 |archive-date=2 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202114508/http://www.edroman.com/guitars/fender/fender_artist/david_gilmour.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Both guitars are based on extensive measurements of the original instrument, each featuring varying degrees of wear. The most expensive is the David Gilmour Relic Stratocaster which features the closest copy of wear on the original guitar. A pristine copy of the guitar is also made, the David Gilmour NOS Stratocaster.<ref>{{citation |title=Fender David Gilmour Signature Series Stratocaster |date=2 February 2009 |url=http://www.guitarworld.com/fender_david_gilmour_signature_series_stratocaster |work=[[Guitar World]] |access-date=29 October 2015 |archive-date=3 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003015127/http://www.guitarworld.com/fender_david_gilmour_signature_series_stratocaster |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== The 0001 Strat ====
The 0001 Strat is a Fender Stratocaster with a white body, maple neck, three-way pick up selector and a gold anodised pickguard and gold-plated hardware.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hunter |first=Dave |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2SJDBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA97 |title=Star Guitars: 101 Guitars That Rocked the World |year=2014|isbn=978-0-7603-3821-6|page=97|publisher=Voyageur Press }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Dennis Lynch |date=19 April 2014 |title=The Fender Stratocaster Celebrates Its 60th Anniversary |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/fender-stratocaster-celebrates-its-60th-anniversary-1573851 |access-date=4 October 2015 |work=International Business Times |archive-date=4 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004142508/http://www.ibtimes.com/fender-stratocaster-celebrates-its-60th-anniversary-1573851 |url-status=live }}</ref> Seymour Duncan said it was a "partscaster", as he assembled it from two different guitars.<ref name = "Guitar Mysteries: The History of #0001 Stratocaster">{{cite web |url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/guitar_mysteries_the_history_of_0001_stratocaster-126787 |title=Guitar Mysteries: The History of #0001 Stratocaster |website=ultimate-guitar.com |date=10 February 2022 |access-date=15 February 2023 |archive-date=7 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307070435/https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/guitar_mysteries_the_history_of_0001_stratocaster-126787 |url-status=live }}</ref> The model was used as a spare and for slide guitar in subsequent years. In 2019, the 0001 Strat was sold at auction for $1,815,000, setting a new world auction record for a Stratocaster.<ref>{{citation |title=David Gilmour's Guitars Shatter Records at Auction |date=20 June 2019 |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/news/david-gilmours-guitars-shatter-records-at-auction |publisher=Guitar World |access-date=20 June 2019 |archive-date=20 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620203749/https://www.guitarworld.com/news/david-gilmours-guitars-shatter-records-at-auction |url-status=live }}</ref> Gilmour also owns an early 1954 Stratocaster, believed to predate Fender's commercial release of the model.<ref name="Christies">{{citation |title=David Gilmour's legendary 'Black Strat' comes to auction |date=29 January 2019 |url=https://www.christies.com/features/David-Gilmour-legendary-Black-Strat-comes-to-auction-9637-3.aspx |publisher=Christie's |access-date=29 January 2019}}</ref>

==== Other electric guitars ====
Along with the Fender models, Gilmour has also used a [[Gibson Les Paul]] goldtop model with P-90 pick-ups during recording sessions for ''The Wall'' and ''A Momentary Lapse of Reason''.{{sfn|Fitch|2005|pp=428, 431}} Gilmour also plays a [[Gretsch 6128|Gretsch Duo-Jet]], a [[Gretsch White Falcon]], and a "White Penguin". He played a Bill Lewis 24-fret guitar during the ''[[Meddle]]'' and ''Dark Side of the Moon'' recording sessions, and a [[Steinberger]] GL model which was his main guitar during ''A Momentary Lapse of Reason'' recording sessions.{{sfn|Fitch|2005|pp=420: Bill Lewis 24-fret guitar, 431: [[Steinberger]] GL model}}

==== Acoustic ====
Gilmour has used acoustic guitars including a [[Gibson Chet Atkins SST|Gibson Chet Atkins]] classical model, and a [[Gibson J-200]] Celebrity,{{sfn|Fitch|2005|p=434}} acquired from [[John Illsley]] of [[Dire Straits]].<ref name="Christies" /> Gilmour used several [[Ovation Guitar Company|Ovation]] models including a Custom Legend 1619-4, and a Custom Legend 1613-4 nylon string guitar, both during the ''Wall'' recording sessions.{{sfn|Fitch|Mahon|2006|p=268}} [[C. F. Martin & Company|Martin]] models used include a D-35, purchased in New York in 1971,<ref name="Christies" /> and a D12-28 12-string.{{sfn|Fitch|Mahon|2006|p=268}}

==== Steel guitar ====
[[File:David Gilmour- Lap sleel guitar (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Gilmour playing [[lap steel guitar]], 1977]]

Gilmour used a pair of Jedson [[steel guitar]]s and a Fender 1000 pedal steel frequently in the early 1970s. Originally purchased from a pawn shop while Gilmour was in [[Seattle]] in 1970, the Jedson was used during recording of "[[One of These Days (instrumental)|One of These Days]]" from ''Meddle'' and "[[Breathe (Pink Floyd song)|Breathe]]" and "[[The Great Gig in the Sky]]" from ''Dark Side of the Moon''.{{sfn|Fitch|2005|p=424}} Gilmour also owns a [[Fender Deluxe Reverb|Fender Deluxe]] [[lap steel guitar|lap steel]], which he used during ''The Division Bell'' tour in 1994.{{sfn|Fitch|2005|p=434}} Gilmour also owns a Champ lap steel model. Along with the Fender steel models Gilmour has also used: a Gibson EH150, and two Jedson models: one red (1977-tuned D-G-D-G-B-E for "[[Shine On You Crazy Diamond]], Parts 6–9", 1987–2006: Tuned E-B-E-G-B-E for "[[High Hopes (Pink Floyd song)|High Hopes]]") and one blonde. He also uses a ZB steel model.{{sfn|Fitch|Mahon|2006|p=268}} Gilmour played pedal steel guitar on the album ''Blue Pine Trees'' by [[Unicorn (English band)|Unicorn]].

==== Signature pick-ups ====
In 2004 [[EMG, Inc.]] released the DG20 Signature [[guitar pick-up]] kit for the Fender Stratocaster. The set included three active pick-ups, an EXG Guitar Expander for increased treble and bass frequencies, and a SPC presence control to enhance earthiness and mid-range. The system came pre-wired on a custom 11-hole white pearl pickguard with white knobs.<ref>{{cite web |title=EMG DG20 David Gilmour Pickups |url=https://www.guitarinteractivemagazine.com/issues/issue-36/reviews/emg-dg20-david-gilmour-pickups |website=Guitar Interactive |access-date=27 May 2019 |archive-date=27 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527092941/https://www.guitarinteractivemagazine.com/issues/issue-36/reviews/emg-dg20-david-gilmour-pickups |url-status=live }}</ref>