Gilmour's 'Momentary Lapse' Pedalboard Signal Chain — TC Chorus/Flanger, Boss CE-2, and the SPX90 Reverse Reverb Trick

For the 1987–88 A Momentary Lapse of Reason tour, David Gilmour’s tech Phil Taylor assembled a custom pedalboard that became the blueprint for Gilmour’s late‑80s sound. The signal chain started with a Boss CS‑2 compressor, then a Boss GE‑7 EQ, followed by the TC Electronic Stereo Chorus/Flanger set to a slow flange for On the Turning Away leads. After that came the Boss CE‑2 chorus (used for clean arpeggios in Terminal Frost), then a Boss DM‑2 delay, and finally the Yamaha SPX90 multi‑effects unit.

The SPX90 was the secret weapon. Gilmour ran it in the effects loop of his Boogie or Hiwatt amps and kept a custom preset labeled “Reverse Reverb”—technically a reverse gate program (preset #27) that mixed a reversed reverb tail with the dry signal. On Learning to Fly, he’d stomp the preset on for the solo and the “wave‑crash” section, creating that swelling, backwards‑sounding wash that gave the song its ethereal lift. He’d also use a MXR Dyna Comp at the front for extra sustain, but the SPX90’s reverse trick was the most memorable effect on that tour.