Can Dave Simpson Become Mark Knopfler Using Affordable Pedals?

[@doubletwist62]

Absolutely love that you started with The Princess Bride.

[@r.l.jeffries1091]

Haha I wasn't sure, so searched the page for "Princess Bride" and found this comment. Glad I wasn't wrong.

[@ChunkTheShredder]

Inconceivable!

[@Maturin500]

@Double Twist Well spotted, you hippopotamic landmass!

[@r.l.jeffries1091]

@@Maturin500 Would you like a peanut??

[@lukasgiese2331]

For those that have not seen it, I highly recommend looking up Mark Knopfler Guitar Stories on here. It gives a lovely bit of insight into him, his journey and why he chose that guitar in that moment of his career.

[@leegosling]

Dave could sound like Mark Knopfler with half an MTV sticker, a cadburys crème egg and an old polystyrene chip tray.

[@Mark_Ocain]

..with some remaining skerricks of gravy on the tray too for added tone 😂

[@pjhunton]

Aye, hes the guitar equivalent of McGuyver

[@jeperstone]

🤣🤣🤣 And that's why he's flogging cheap pedals on KZbin whilst Mark fills stadiums. Dave's 'fans' consist entirely of people who cannot play the guitar and cannot tell the difference between a good one and a bad one

[@PutItAway101]

@@jeperstone I guess I must have missed YOUR triumphant stadium tour...

[@christianhildalgo]

​@@jeperstoneClaiming others don't know anything about guitar whilst missing out on the key difference between being a great guitar player and a great songwriter is certainly ironic. The fact they fill stadiums doesn't mean they play hard songs or are impossible to replicate. It means they can write beautiful songs. And the same thing goes for Knopfler. He has amazing songs, but frankly not the hardest sound to reproduce.

[@GeordieGuitarGuy]

I'm biased as a Geordie, but for me he's the greatest all round player on the planet (or maybe was in his heyday). Can play umpteen styles all perfectly. Such as scholar when he talks about the instrument too.

[@bradrock7731]

Are you referring to Mark or Dave?

[@GeordieGuitarGuy]

@@bradrock7731 Mark Knopfler my friend. How many lead Guitarists from 80s rock bands have played with Chet Atkins. I love him!

[@bradrock7731]

Just kidding. That is one of our favorites also. But lately the top of the pile has been 'Sailing to Philadelphia' LOUD@@GeordieGuitarGuy

[@maaikeroeleveld2415]

Dutch guitar lady here. I agree, Mark does play any style you can think of and he does it flawlessly. Also, apart from being an amazing guitar player, he is a great songwriter and storyteller. You’re right, when you hear Mark talk about the guitar or about music in general,he seems very philosophical about it.

[@vintagestrings6]

That's so wild both of my favorite guitar players got together to make it an album Chet and Mark. Mark Knopfler can write a song about anything totally amazing.

[@intensedad2827]

Dude dave shows it so well, tone is in the fingers. He plays affordable gear all the time and sounds pretty good. Awesome playing!

[@jackharriet4814]

Dave Simpson is a great addition to Anderton's KZbin team. And it's good to see Cici getting some gigs with Andertons as well.

[@cchavez248]

Yeahhh! Our Dave is in da house!!!! I just love this series! Now that we all know a bit of Dave's ear for pedals, we need a TPS meets Dave Simpson!!!!

[@Jnday]

I think what this series is proving is that Dave Simpson can become any damn guitar player he chooses! Talk about versatile! Top job, loving these videos

[@mairenared]

An odd choice of tune to start the show as Mark plays "Romeo and Juliet" on a National resonator guitar in open G capoed at the third fret. As Dave mentions during the show, apart from the cocked wah pedal in "Money For Nothing", the most important pedal Mark uses is a volume pedal. He originally used a Schaller pedal but eventually that wore out through constant use so I'm not sure what he uses these days. I've seen him live dozens of times from 1978 (Dingwalls) to pre-pandemia and can't recall seeing him use anything else. His tone is in his fingers (literally) 😉

[@Mark_Ocain]

Dave can really make a Squier sing...a cheap axe in the right hands with a tastefully set-up signal chain will always sound awesome.

[@redduketeleman]

Squiers are excellent as confirmed here. Have a listen to the amazing Jack Pearson if you get a chance.

[@awilliamson3140]

I think I might have used the "singlecut guitar" for the BIA tone, Can't say I've ever seen Mark play it on a Strat. That would also have an effect on which pedals sounded best for that song.

[@KeithTaylorPhoto]

Mark Knopfler is one of my all time favorite players and Dave Simpson is probably who inspires me most as a guitarist of all the newer guitarist on the scene, and possibly as much as all the others like Knopfler. I love that Simpson is such a down to earth dude that just happens to have guitar God level talent. Thanks for doing this series with him, Anderton’s.

[@riphopfer5816]

Mark IS synonymous with the Crowther’s Hot Cake overdrive. I own one, and it’s STUNNING. Very versatile.

[@ToDeEm]

The only pedal I'd really associate with MK is his volume pedal, which I think is Ernie Ball

[@paulh1355]

Think he also used a Morley one

[@lapelcelery42]

Yes, he used a Morley first and moved to an Ernie Ball. But he has his modern pedals fitted with old electronics because the new ones don't have the same curve to the swell.

[@seanandben]

Mark's most used pedal would be his volume pedal, which comes at the very start of his signal path. The "money for nothing" sound is very much dependent on the way Mark adds a bit of percussion with his right hand both hitting and muting the strings aside from the cocked wah.

[@lapelcelery42]

The gentleman who engineered the Money for Nothing session has stated on record that there was no Wah on the album version (apparently they struggled to get the right tone until at some point one of the mics fell over into the magic position), and to my ears that sounds correct. The lead guitar on the album is double tracked the whole way which gives it a quasi quack, but it doesn't sound as obvious as a Wah to me if you listen to the isolated guitar track. The tone changed a lot when Mark started using one live, which he notably didn't do when they first toured the song.

[@telekon809]

Wow thanks captain for having the very cool 😎 Dave Simpson back on your show , he’s just so good , nice tones and knopfler sounds well done both of you , looking forward to you having Dave back again soon. Cheers all 👍🏻🎸🎸👏

[@hildolfrdraugadrottin7279]

Mark Knopfler is one of my favorite guitarist and Dave pretty much nailed it imo.

[@tomaszbaran]

I'd rather think, Brothers in Arms was done on a Les Paul, middle position. It's a more mid-heavier, honkier sound, with some great smooth overdrive, little reverb if at all

[@scottmacphee35]

These are just about the best content you have put out. Dave is a beast!

[@georgefromgreece4119]

Dave's just so great. Love the Captain too. Top choice of him to embrace Dave.

[@richardmccutcheon9319]

AT LAST.. Thank you Lee for finally commenting on Mark Knopfler, In previous vids you refrained from making any comment, esp the vid with Pete where by you seemed to dismiss him compleatley . Glad to know you like him, i may just buy from andertons again now.

[@OLDGUYSK8R]

Dave Simpson is everyone and himself. Love his playing.

[@ivorharden]

I remember driving on 11/11 at 11am and Radio 1 played Brothers in Arms after the 2 minutes silence. They just gradually faded it in. It was emotional to say the least. Telegraph Road is a great song aswell.

[@fongy200]

Telegraph Road and Tunnel of love. I saw Dire Straits at Wembley in the 80's, Knopfler was using a Schecter Strat for Tunnel of love. It was the best live performance I have ever witnessed.

[@mrblues1981]

i feel the same about brother in arms ,just wanna cry everytime i hear the song or play the solo , what a amazing master piece

[@TheJelmerd]

Knopflers strat was bought in a different colour, but he had it painted red. The colour is not fiesta red. It is a special colour called hot rod red. The reason Mark wanted his guitar red, was because Hank Marvin was an inspiration to him.

[@heymrguitarman7637]

Sounds like (both low and high budget) with Dave would be an outstanding series. Seeing him go through the shop choosing unconventional stuff to get conventional tones would be a lot of fun

[@cwwisk]

The really big giveaway was the title... maybe another good Dave series would be "Guess the artist" where it is basically the same thing, but the audience isn't told who Dave is trying to replicate until the following episode and incorporate a poll with the video? Could be fun interactive viewing.

[@ericwarrington6650]

Once again Dave jumping down the rabbit holes of legends...brave guy w skills to back it up..🤘😜🎸🎶☮️🎵❤️

[@davidbetts1180]

Oooo can't wait for this, agree with opening statement about Brothers in Arms 😥 we need a Captain meets.

That would be AMAZING!

[@Fresh4220]

Mark Knopflers Pedal is the Ernie Ball Volume Pedal! This is the one he is associated with, because he uses this for his iconic volume swells. There are some rumors that his tech bought in the 80s all of the remaining original Allen Bradley Potis from the factory before Ernie Ball changed the supplier for the poti.

[@roaddog7542]

Simple. When they have Dave I watch. 🎸

[@jimmyjimmy951]

Adding my praise to the comments with regards Dave and this Anderton’s content. What a great series this is.. 👍🇦🇺

[@garyallington201]

That was some "Good Gravy" Dave. Loving this series.

[@Richtone85]

Can Dave please start doing sounds like episodes?? He really is great at capturing the vibe of other guitar players. Bea seems to struggle as he is always doing original bands and songwriting. Dave might also do that, I am not sure, but he has a better knack for doing covers.

[@LikeigiveAFaboutU]

Sonic Youth Pavement Jimmy Page Ronnie Wood George Thorogood Those are my picks. Anyone else got 5 suggestions? Comment ⏬⏬

[@castrucciocastracani0]

@@LikeigiveAFaboutU Albert Hammond Jr Noel Gallagher Johnny Greenwood J Mascis Eddie Hazel

[@ThePoohat]

the sounds like series is a joke

[@brockmiller574]

@@LikeigiveAFaboutU that's a tough one. Good list by the way. Hmmm. 1. Billy Gibbons 2. Keith Richards 3. Daniel Ash 4. Brian Setzer 5. Andy Summers

[@roryturner9773]

@@LikeigiveAFaboutU pixies

[@brianwagoner8899]

The Princess Bride is my favorite movie ever. Thank you for that bit of Storybook Love.

[@irrsinnrainer]

I'm not a guitar player but I absolutely love this series.

[@scotcruickshank7445]

There’s definitely a lot of headband missing from this video, but Dave is the man!!!!

[@riphopfer5816]

Also, don’t forget that the TC Hypergravity is TonePrint enabled, so you can program it to sound many different ways. I own one and there is a TonePrint that is pretty close to the orange squeezer sound.

[@IrLosin]

The first time a heavy riff moved me, was when I heard the riff after the intro to Money for Nothing played on a record player in my friends basement. It started my love for the electric guitar and heavy music. Funny as it is, as Money for nothing is not a heavy song.

[@ghostwinterz]

Would absolutely love to see “Can Dave Simpson become Hank Marvin using affordable pedals”. He’s up there as one of the originals, absolute classic tones and variation in multiple songs, would be excellent to see what pedals could be used to achieve Hanks iconic sound. 🔥 50’s classic vibe fiesta red would be ideal as well.

[@adaptableadventurerider]

I'd love to see a shads one to :)

[@huginstarkstrom]

they hypergravity is a multiband compressor - with so many options available via toneprint. I have mine set up in a way that the threshold is lower for bass notes. This really makes it stick out in the mix. Love it. The forcefield (also Tc Electornics) is also nice for funky sounds - at around 30 Euros.

[@mikevanleeuwen2858]

great Lee and Dave. Lee, I played a Brunetti singleman 30 amp last week and I 'm blown away . What a perfect clean punchy amp. Lots of headroom. Great reverb. Great build quality and sound. Great pedal platfoem too. Looks cool and portable. For me : a "better " (more headroom) Fender deluxe reverb amp. I don ́ understand that these amps are not realy famous. Good value for money also. Maby worth trying? I think you and Pete will like them a lot. Thnx , Mike

[@cirjames2540]

Philip Sayce would be a fun one to do with affordable pedals. Great series as always!

[@GuessMyNameOnceMore]

to me it is just a SRV type of tone.

[@fromTheBatCave]

From looking at videos, what I see is: Brothers in Arms: Stratocaster (Les Paul live at Wembley) Money for Nothing: Les Paul Romeo & Juliette: Resonator Walk of Life: Telecaster So far away: Stratocaster Sultan of Swing: Stratocaster Why worry?: Stratocaster Private investigations: Spanish acoustic Carousel Waltz: Stratocaster Tunnel of Love: Stratocaster Solid Rock: Telecaster The man's too strong: Resonator

[@peanutismint]

Mark is one of the greats, both in guitar playing and song writing. I'd bet some of the other more modern 'greats' of today have been more than a little inspired by him.

[@terryjohinke8065]

After learning and playing for 14 yaers I gave my picks to a music teacher friend in an under preveledged scool and started to play Fender guitars and Japanese copies ( circa 1980 ) as I loved Ry Coooder's and Mark's finger picking. His piece " Going Home " will be played at my funeral. Mark is a "lefty" but playing with Chet makes him a great. He should've been a CGP but Chet's sister put that on hold. Greatest musician , on guitar, alive today. So many styles he plays so well. Many moving pieces Lee as you've mentioned ( but I don't think the 58 Les Paul is HIS sound). Cheers from downunder.

[@chasebaker2495]

This channel is better than television ever was 🎸

[@angrypickle]

I just saw a youtube video of Knopfler talking about guitars, and he uses a pedal for volume at one point to make the guitar sound more like a string instrument like a violin. Quite amazing.

[@stoicsceptic8420]

Romeo and Juliet is not played on standard tuning . The guitar is tuned to a full B flat chord , which is why most attempts at replication are not quite right as they are usually using standard tuning and struggling a bit.

[@gusdogbrownlab435]

Excellent...get him to be Peter Green as well

[@rossenmladenov5366]

Great video. Wish Dave would’ve used the LP for BiA, but brilliant anyway.

[@Sammonkeyfist]

I own a sweet cream and it’s s an amazing pedal bit have to agree the Blues driver definitely had that one. Got my vote. Great video guys.

[@itzibitzi7611]

Sweet cream is amazing, please try Sweet cream into Nobleman (also Tone City), fattens the sound to ultra creamy:-)

[@riphopfer5816]

Mark Knopfler uses ONE overdrive pedal after his compressor, primarily: Crowther’s Hot Cake. I’ve a clone, and I can’t describe how much I love it, in front of a Vox AC30TB or a Fender tweed.

[@jibicusmaximus4827]

brothers in arms.... same that song is so emotional, when i learnt it i kept crying lol

[@kevinmorris7722]

Dave is a fantastic musician. Seemed like he was just winging it for the last sultan lead. And from memory he got the feel pretty well. That was fantastic. It took me 3 days to learn that, not on the spot. Go Dave.

[@Matt_Lanzer_13]

The only complaint I have is Dave was playing the third note of brothers in arms a half step too high😂 he was jumping up a full step when the original was only a half step up. other than that, great sound, great playing, and always love Dave being around!

[@riptide6161]

They all sound great to be honest, but I like the Blues Driver and the Vintage Tube Overdrive the best. Sweat Cream gets a double thumbs up but it's a little too dark for my tastes. I didn't expect the Fender Squire to sound that nice. Surprisingly good tone for a "cheap guitar". Well done guys! I'm also including all the manufacturers in that "well done" comment. Good stuff.

[@AnkurWow]

Dave Simpson = Automatic LIKE

[@N04H_Hunter]

If you want the eras of which guitars were used in dire straits/Mark Knopfler music. It’s this. 1977-1986 - Stratocaster (Fender/Schecter) 1985-1986 - Les Paul (Gibson) 1988-1996 - Pensa MK I (Pensa Suhr) 1996-present - Les Paul (again) I know he uses more guitars but to me, these were the main guitars he used in these eras. The classic clean Stratocaster sounds are mainly the Dire Straits and Comminque albums (1978-1978) The overdriven Stratocaster sounds are the Making Movies and Love Over Gold albums (1980-1982) and to some extent the Extradanceplay EP they did in 1983. And the distortion and overdrive sounds were the Brothers in Arms and On Every Street albums (1985-1991) I would recommend having a single coil guitar and a humbucker guitar if you want to play like mark knopfler, but a HSS guitar will work as well. Also you have to play with your fingers, mainly your thumb index and middle fingers. And only use a pick on expresso love and twisting by the pool😂

[@timjones9727]

This. Chuck in a Danelectro for “Corned Beef City”. He seems to have used his ‘58 & ‘59 Les Paul more and more as his stock guitar. But his signature Strat turns up. That, surprisingly some would say, has Texas Special pickups rather than anything vintage.

[@stimpsonjcat67]

"My love is like...a story book story." I'll be studying your playing of it. A personal favourite of mine as well.

[@mikaso]

Those four first notes of Brothers in arms are so iconic... And even more so are those that Knopfler plays himself.

[@upliftmofoify]

It's five notes

[@lapelcelery42]

@@upliftmofoifyNo, it's four.

[@SacredKofficial]

Eh, first note is a slide so is it technically 5 dude? ​@@lapelcelery42

[@lapelcelery42]

@@SacredKofficial No, it's only played once and it only sounds one note.

[@SacredKofficial]

@lapelcelery42 well if you watch mark live he slides into the first note. So it is 5 notes. Currently watching his 07 sets, definitely slides in.

[@Lez325]

Gibson Les Paul for Brothers in Arms - definitely NOT a Strat :( Nice playing Dave- you are a legend fella :)

[@SRone45]

I call the Blues Driver the "make everything sound better pedal".

[@Paul-D]

it really is, and despite the fact there might be over a million of them - still underrated!

[@FxnWaySheGoes]

Mark is my all time fav. Glad to see more mark content on the channel, not enough people appreciate his genius today

[@gerosinsuan]

Nicely done Dave and Cap

[@lcpholman]

Hmm - Mark Kopfler playing ultra clean with beautiful sustain - I think the sustaining aspects of compression were pretty central to his tone

[@BigSifu67]

Dave Simpson can make anything sound good. I only subscribed to this channel when you got Dave on it.👍

[@SteveClarkeSongs]

Why not just get an MXR Dyna Comp compressor? Those are relatively cheap at £79 and very musical sounding

[@kylebowers6093]

This one is going to be a tall order, Knopfler has one of the most unique styles out there with his claw hammer finger picking.

[@richgleadall3884]

brothers in arms had alot of keyboard swells through out the song so tough song to do with just a guitar. well done dave my man well done.

[@cosmicrevival7105]

I wish Fender would offer that Fiesta Red for the American Original Series. Great video, guys!

[@michaellubatti2202]

Any time I see Dave’s name in a title I hit the like button before the ad is even over. Just cus you know you’re in for some quality stuff

[@seanhayes2998]

I have found a touch of phase after the wah helped to get the “mic pointing at the floor” accident which reputedly happened during the recording, which they were never able to recapture.

[@doubletwist62]

Blues Driver for the win once again. Is there a more widely flexible and usable overdrive pedal?

[@itzibitzi7611]

I love my Nobles ODR;-)

[@timjones9727]

The Blues Driver is the best OD I’ve ever had. That’s including a Crowther Hotcake and a Love Pedal OD11

[@vladv5126]

The Boss HM-2 probably 😂

[@itzibitzi7611]

@@vladv5126 yes! Chainsaw and more chainsaw 😂😂

[@vladv5126]

@@itzibitzi7611 you like the chainsaw? I'm more partial to the chainsaw sound myself

[@iwct]

Great as always. Could I suggest Robin Trower? He’s still going strong - and is well known for his pedal use.

[@newsles2]

Yay, a mention for the Hot Cake! 😁😉 Anderton's should let Dave demo one for his channel if they stock them! Great playing and tones there of course.

[@axelnetzband1977]

I'm mainly been a calm & relaxed guy but by looking this (great) video I got the feeling that Dave has the skill to make me nervous

[@Hello_there_obi]

They never used a cocked wah in money for nothing. That's just how mark tried to re-create the tone. it has to be the biggest misconception in the guitar world that has spoiled the most covers of money for nothing. The wah scoops way too much tone out of the sound and it kills the impact and punch of the studio recording. Watch marks live performances - they suffer the same problem. Try this: Use a gritty distortion sound on a moderate amount of gain, but instead of a cocked wah, turn down the tone on your guitar's bridge pickup (select the bridge pickup), and boost the amp's mids. That's the key. The weird phasing sound was due to a mic slipping out of placement and it just faced the floor. You can recreate this effect with a tiny bit of very rapid delay on one repeat and a tiny bit of chorus. Throw out the wah. Trust me! Another note: for sultans, he used the middle pickup in the recording. Only in his live performances did he switch to middle and bridge. Again, a common misconception that stops people from getting the sound.

[@ajf5150]

This was an absolutely fantastic video to watch - highly entertaining and informative while fun throughout. Excellent presentation - especially with the additional inset overlay view of exactly which pedal - and levels as The Captain changed them in real time - fantastic job as always from the Anderton’s media team, Dave and The Captain. Thanks so much!

[@Paul-D]

Love it, was suprised to see the strat on brothers in arms - but hey it worked!

[@4vinylsound]

That opening guitar riff is from the princess bride.

[@XENONEZZ2]

What a great way to spend 30 minutes of my life...Dave Simpson = essential viewing...!!..🎸🎸👌🎸🎸

[@khillsy4489]

Dave is overcoming his shyness, fabulous 👌 👏 👍

[@registervg]

Good choice of artist and thank you andertons - from a long term follower since the days of that squeaky chair video with Lee and Rob showing off affordable guitars : ) . I do however wonder if Brothers in arms uses a Les Paul that gives it that thick sound. Cheers, Vidya

[@goldie9301]

yes, that is what he uses live

[@justjono9638]

Interestingly his early Strats were actually Modified Schecters, I think that is pretty Awesome while he had some really bad ass Luthiers upgrade and modify these guitars it does show that you don't always need the most expensive guitar to get great sound demonstrated by the use of a Squire on this video.

[@riphopfer5816]

No, his early guitars were Strats. He didn’t start playing Schecters until the mid-80s, I think. The ‘tiger stripe’ guitar from ‘Alchemy’ was a Schecter.

[@markstanbrook5578]

By the third album he had moved over to Schecter. For most people, other than the album version of Sultans of Swing, they've never heard him play a strat.

[@riphopfer5816]

Part of the issue with ‘Brothers In Arms’ is that Mark plays his Les Paul for that one. Out of that lot, I think the Blues Driver is not responsive enough to volume changes. I agreed the Sweet Cream was the best of those lot.

[@4wardfr3ak23]

My favourite guitarist! It’s great that you made this vid!

[@edbutler2012]

Once again, brilliant Dave

[@chazzer9t967]

Do this series with Dave and no budget! Get as close to the sound as possible with whatever gear you need!

[@SpecialReserve]

Funny I thought of suggesting Dave plays like Mark Knopfler, this morning. Spooky and thank you.

[@DjDMA]

I don't get why you're trying to get the Strat tone by playing Romeo & Juliet, when that song is recorded and always played by Mark on a Dobro guitar (a *much* different sound than a Strat, we're talking about two different types of guitar here). You could've play Sultans Of Swing for that tone (or many other songs instead of R&J lol). Also, Brothers In Arms is a Les Paul.

[@lupo10]

I know Daves a Cod Head but he’s not like anyone from Hull I’ve ever met. So cool 👏 Good video both. You should spoil him to say thank you, John Mayor but only using over the top expensive gear 😂

[@Mr-Safology]

Mark Knopfler is my favourite guitar hero 👍🏼 it's all in the fingers, let's see what Dave has to offer 🍿 Knopfler hated that fame, but wanted his guitar to speak for itself. Bit like Dave Simpson.

[@pabloguitar6360]

Dave Simpson mad scientist of guitar.

[@philsharp8198]

lee, please get dave to come back and do his peter green set up, and his rendition of oh well pt1 , hes amazingly brilliant, throw in the need your love so bad and green manalishi, i would love to see how he gets the tones so accurate, thanks,

[@zebulon39u]

And if there's time Dave could explore Man of the World. That song is fascinating in the way it changes between guitar textures.

[@philsharp8198]

@@zebulon39u if you watched Dave's last upload, the East coast goldtop one, I'm sure he mentions doing a Peter green session at andertons, can't wait ! Looking forward to it,

[@jdpower6360]

Wonderful playing. I can hear the Dire Straits tone. That said, the amp should be the Soldano.

[@CatharticGuitar]

This is very helpful for learning how to understand and use pedals in general as well.

[@riphopfer5816]

Knopfler used a Les Paul on ‘Brothers In Arms’.

[@patriksvanangen4445]

I would say that if Mark was to be connected to any particular kind of pedal it would have to be the Ernie Ball Volume pedal. Sure, he used Morley's for a few years in the early days but he has been using EB's for a long time.