David Gilmour’s Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face — Silicon Transistors and Knob Settings for the ‘Young Lust’ Solo

The Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face Gilmour used on The Wall — including the abrasive, singing sustain of the ‘Young Lust’ solo — was a silicon transistor model, not germanium. Specifically, the unit (serial #0042) was loaded with BC108 silicon transistors, which give a tighter, more aggressive fuzz than the warmer germanium ones he used on earlier records.

For that solo, Gilmour set the Fuzz knob to about 3 o’clock (nearly max) and the Volume knob to around 2 o’clock. The high fuzz setting, combined with his Hiwatt DR103 and a delay, produced the compressed, cutting sustain that makes the solo feel like it’s climbing out of the speakers. He kept the treble-bass EQ on the amp flat and relied on the Fuzz Face’s natural midrange punch.