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.
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11 thoughts on “Scarborough Fair – Three different lead guitars for Mark Knopfler sounds”
The way this is framed makes the trade-offs easier to see. It is easier to add than to remove, and planning around that helps.
That Schecter Alchemy replica sounds fantastic, especially with the SSL-1s capturing that classic Dire Straits vibe. It’s really cool to hear how distinct each guitar’s voice is across the different sections of Scarborough Fair. Great tone breakdown!
The tone comparison between these three guitars on Scarborough Fair is fantastic. That homemade Schecter replica sounds incredible, but the warmth on that old Ibanez neck pickup was a really pleasant surprise!
Great tone comparison! That Schecter Alchemy replica sounds spot-on, and it’s fascinating to hear how well each guitar captures Knopfler’s touch on a traditional tune like Scarborough Fair.
That Schecter Alchemy replica sounds absolutely incredible on this arrangement! It’s always fascinating to hear how distinct each guitar’s voice is while still nailing that signature Knopfler tone.
Fascinating breakdown of the tone comparison! That Alchemy replica sounds incredible, but it’s surprising how much character that old Ibanez Les Paul copy brings to the table too.
Noticing you dialed in all the compression, delay, and EQ straight from software on your Soundcraft mixer proves that anyone starting this Knopfler tone journey today doesn’t need rare physical hardware. If you frequently export and back up your custom mixer scenes, checking downloaded files through the [[LINK]] provides a fast check to ensure your digital presets haven’t become corrupted over time.
The fact that a cheap 1974 Ibanez copy with a bolt-on neck and thin bent maple top produces such a warm, rich tone just shows that musical magic doesn’t follow strict min-max formulas the way studying Stardew Valley Crop Calculator tips helps optimize your farm’s harvest schedule.
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Using the same tune across several guitar sounds makes the comparison easier to follow. A small table with section timestamps, guitar and pickup selection would be useful alongside the video, especially for listeners returning to one particular passage.
The way you meticulously combine those MK61 pickups on the Part-o-caster with the Schecter’s SSL1s reminds me of consulting the Hero Siege Database Wiki to min-max gear stats for a specialized RPG build. It really shows how swapping even small individual hardware pieces completely alters the final output.