Mark Knopfler has been celebrated for his guitar tone since Dire Straits dropped their self-titled debut album in 1977.
From the moment guitarists heard the album hit “Sultans of Swing,” it was evident that Knopfler was a player to listen to and learn from. Beyond his evident talents as a guitarist — which would grow over the years as he moved from using a pick to playing exclusively with his fingers — Knopfler has displayed a keen sense for getting just the right tone from a Fender Stratocaster or any other guitar he’s strapped on.
Once “Sultans of Swing” reached the top 10 in the U.S. and U.K., Knopfler continued to refine his sound leading up to the group’s fifth studio album, 1985’s Brothers in Arms.
The record — which features the guitarist's 1937 National Style O resonator guitar on its cover — was an indisputable smash. It would spend nine weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 chart, becoming the first album to be certified 10-times Platinum in the U.K. and selling more than 30 million copies worldwide over the years. For that matter it was was the first album in history to sell more than one million copies in the then-new CD format.
Among the album’s key tracks, nothing stood out quite like “Money for Nothing,” the second single released from Brothers in Arms. Once again, Knopfler’s guitar was front and center, as he defines the song's bluesy rhythm with a now instantly recognizable intro riff.
In creating its snarling, midrange tone, Knopfler was attempting to cop a Billy Gibbons vibe, using his fingers to play a Gibson Les Paul Junior through a Laney amp.
But as producer Neil Dorfsman points out, the sound of Knopfler’s guitar was entirely accidental, a tone they discovered by sheer chance while the guitarist was warming up for the session.
And it all came down to mic placement.
“One mic was pointing down at the floor, another was not quite on the speaker, another was somewhere else, and it wasn't how I would want to set things up," Dorfsman reveals. The set up was "probably left from the night before when I'd prepped things for the next day and hadn't finished...
“Whether it was the phase of mics or the out-of-phaseness, what we heard was exactly what ended up on the record. There was no additional processing on that tune during the mix.”
Dorfsman's recollection was shared on Dire Straits’ TikTok account, where it was included as a caption in a short video to celebrate the release of the 40th anniversary edition of Brothers in Arms.
@direstraits The intro guitar sound on 'Money For Nothing' was somewhat of an accident, producer Neil Dorfsman reflects: 'One mic was pointing down at the floor, another was not quite on the speaker, another was somewhere else, and it wasn't how I would want to set things up...- probably left from the night before when I'd prepped things for the next day and hadn't finished...whether it was the phase of mics or the out-of-phaseness, what we heard was exactly what ended up on the record. There was no additional processing on that tune during the mix.' Get your copy of the Brothers In Arms 40th anniversary Deluxe Edition now. Link in bio. #direstraits #brothersinarms #moneyfornothing
♬ original sound - Dire Straits
Reportedly, Dorfsman and Knopfler later attempted to re-create the sound using the same gear and mics but were unsuccessful. Put it down to the magic of the moment, captured for eternity on tape. Either way, it just goes to show what can happen sometimes when you stop thinking and just let the magic happen.
Of course a key part of that tone is Knopfler's decision to use his fingers instead of a pick. As the guitarist revealed in a 1979 interview with Guitar Player, he began changing from pick to fingers in the mid-1970s while performing with his pre–Dire Straits group, Cafe Racers.
"I used to use a pick until a few years ago, when I started getting more and more involved with playing without one," he told us. "Then, a sort of synthesis happened between fingerpicking and getting plectrum-type effects by just using my fingers.
“Eventually, I found myself doing things with just my thumb and two fingers that I couldn't do with a pick. But I still use a plectrum now and again for strumming or for playing on acoustic tracks."
In related news, Knopfler has revealed the source of his inspiration for ditching his youthful aspirations of playing like Jimi Hendrix picks and developing his own more folk-blues influenced style. Surprisingly it's not a famous guitarist but an unknown player from his own neck of the woods.
