Dire Straits' career-defining album Brothers in Arms ushered in the addition of the 1983 Les Paul ’59 Reissue to Knopfler's electric guitar roster, which defined the tone of both the title track and Money for Nothing.
“The Strat is almost like a ballet dancer, whereas the Les Paul has a lot of emotional weight to it and seemed to be the absolute answer for Brothers In Arms,” John Ilsey, Dire Straits' bassist, points out in the new issue with Guitarist. “So it didn’t need 15 notes in a bar. It just needed two or three.”
During that recording period, Knopfler's approach to solos was shifting, which perfectly paved the way for his adoption of the Les Paul. Ron Eve, Knopfler’s guitar tech at the time, credits his own influence – and coaxing – with convincing the guitar great to finally give the Gibson a try.
“As he got into more complex arrangements, he knew the guitar sound needed to fit what he was playing,” he reflects. “And Mark always loved that Les Paul tone, it just wasn’t really his style.
“It was up to him, of course,” Eve clarifies. “But I confess I pushed him more towards the Les Paul sound. I felt a resistance early on. But I persevered. He’d be on the neck setting with the tone rolled off, if I recall. Winding up the sustain. I can see him now, holding those notes.
“I don’t think he could have played those parts on any other guitar, quite frankly. A Strat couldn’t have done it at all. Not with all the pedals in the world.”
Eve was quick to notice the Gibson’s impact on the album’s overall tone, and Knopfler was equally observant of the influence it had on his playing style.
“You start to realize how much real estate there is in a bar – where you can put the notes or, if you have a band of that quality, where you can lean on the timing,” Knopfler says. “But there wasn’t really time to think about it. You’re just moving on. The band had developed.
“It was a lot louder and more powerful, with keyboards becoming more important. That then makes you think in a different way – more inversions, perhaps. But I didn’t force it. I didn’t stop picking on country tunes. I was still doing rootsy things.”
In celebration of Brothers in Arms' 40th anniversary, Knopfler recently reflected on the guitars and riffs that made the album, and the pressure of learning to play in time.
For more from Mark Knopfler, plus exclusive interviews with Don Felder and Nicolas Meiser, pick up issue 529 of Guitarist from Magazines Direct.
