“At home I have this thing that’s now 30 years old called a Zoom”: David Gilmour has one of the most revered guitar tones of all time – but he still uses a 30-year-old Zoom multi-FX for his home demos

In a recent interview with Guitar World, David Gilmour maintained that his signature Fender Stratocasters felt the same to him as his iconic Black Strat, which was sold at auction in 2019 for a cool $3,975,000.

Though there are a few he says he'd never auction off, not to mention his steadfast belief that vintage guitars are superior to newer ones, Gilmour isn't too precious about most of the guitars he's owned over the decades.

“The guitars [sold at the same auction in 2019] have served me very well,” he told Guitar World. “They’ve done their job, they’re the tools of my trade.”

In the same Guitar World interview, Gilmour revealed that, in a similar vein, he also doesn't feel the need to record home demos with the best setup money can buy.

Though he hasn't yet jumped on the digital amp bandwagon for his live shows, things are much simpler for him at home.

“I will be using physical heads and cabinets on the tour – but at home I have this thing that’s now 30 years old called a Zoom,” he explained to GW.

“It’s a tiny little gray box, and I use that most of the time when I’m working on the early version of songs. Because I know how to work it – it’s got lots of good sounds and I know how to adjust them.”

Thanks to insider info from Gilmour’s guitar tech Phil Taylor, we know that the model in question is the Zoom 9030 – a half-rack-sized multi-effects unit that features an analog preamp section and digital effects, and launched way back in 1991.

The Pink Floyd icon isn’t the only fan of the 9030, either – it featured heavily on Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral, while Prince and the Edge were also known to be fans.

Although his demo rig is consistent, Gilmour did explore plenty of gear during the recording of his new solo LP, Luck and Strange – and despite his long history with the Fender Strat, he found himself falling for the Gibson ES-335.

David Gilmour - The Making of Luck and Strange - YouTube

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“I've not got a huge history with Gibson guitars, but this one is one I've bought comparatively recently to have a different tone, a different thing,” Gilmour said of 335 in a recent video on his YouTube channel. “This is a very, very different sort of guitar to what I'm used to.”

To read Guitar World's full chat with Gilmour – which covers the changes to his creative process when making the album, his approach to guitar solos, and more – pick up a copy of the new issue of the mag at Magazines Direct.