Scarborough Fair – Three different lead guitars for Mark Knopfler sounds

Just like in my previous Youtube video, I am again playing different Knopfler-related guitars in my latest video. The tune is the traditional English ballad Scarborough Fair, made famous by Simon & Garfunkel. 

There are four sections, each arranged differently and featuring a different guitar sound.

Fender Stratocaster

In the first and last section you can see my red ‘Part-o-caster’. While I am playing the bridge & middle pickup in the first section, I switched to the middle pickup in the last one.  I used this guitar on many previous videos, however it has a different body now (an old Japanese one). It is painted with hot rod red nitro laquer. The neck is a Fender neck, and it has a steel vintage-style tremolo. There are two MK61 pickups (bridge & middle), and one VFS-1 pickup in the neck position. 09 nickel strings

Red Schecter ‘Alchemy’ replica

I built this one completely myself. It was featured in a few previous videos where you could see the unpainted mahogani body, which now has a Schecter-style metallic red nitro finish. It features a brass tremolo, and the Alchemy pickguard with Seymour Duncan SSL1’s. I used it for both lead ‘voices’ (both middle & neck pickup position), and also for another rhythm track. 09 Dean Markley nickel plated strings

Ibanez Les Paul copy

This is a cheap Japanese copy from about 1974. It is not really close to a Gibson Les Paul, e.g. it has a  bolt-on neck, and a thin bent (!) maple top instead of a ‘solid’ top carved out of a thick maple board. Nevertheless, it usually sounds really nice and warm with the MK58 pickup in the neck position. This guitar has 010 – 042 strings.

 

Amps and effects

All amps and effects (reverb, delay, compression, EQ) were software (from my Soundcraft digital mixer) with the exception of a Morley volume pedal (in the first section with the Fender Stratocaster, and with the Les Paul), and the Hotcake overdrive pedal  with the Les Paul.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *