The Guitarist Corner: Favorite & Least Favorite Tones

Join Pete Pardo, Butch Jones, Guitar Hack, Jim Bacchi, and Chris Canzoneri as they discuss their favorite & least favorite guitar tones among their favorite players and albums.
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[@miteyoak]

Iommi’s tone on Master of Reality grabbed me by the soul when I was 11 years old. It never let go!

[@thomasmalatesta7331]

I was 13 when I first heard that album - I was into top 40 pop music until I heard the first track " Sweet Leaf " - Hard rocker to this day.

[@arakh992]

Favorite Tone: just three words: Pete Townshend, Gibson SG, Hiwatt AMP

[@patrickcrowther9195]

Great shout. I love how he used to play these ringing chords that would hang floating in the air. It's hard to describe, I hope you understand what I'm getting at.

[@michaelthompson3286]

That's at least four words 😬

[@robk4338]

I'd say Andrew Latimer on almost all Camel-records. And Ian Bairnson with Kate Bush and Alan Parsons project. Always liked their guritartones.

[@sspbrazil]

Good choices, Andrew Latimer’s tone is amazing.

[@alexjohnston8889]

Totally agree his solo on camel's Stationary traveler is outstanding.

[@ralphmuller6040]

Ian Bairnson. After he passed I compiled a video of his solos with AAP in honour of his memory. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p2rQfZyaaZhrnrcsi=mHel6j3aev5xVzLc

[@MrJericholic]

Glad Butch picked Stryper. Michael Sweet and Oz Fox are not only a great duo but their tone is amazing!

[@butchjones3497]

Absolutely!!!!

[@manuelper]

Brian May has, for me, the best and most easily distinguishable tone.

[@jerryattwooll4864]

You'd already posted your comment before mine, so I didn't just want to copy what you'd said, but you're so right. He is completely unique, especially when he plays the heavy material.

[@63mckenzie]

Still get goose bumps when I hear Brighton Rock.

[@thomasmalatesta7331]

@@63mckenzie I saw Queen in concert twice in the 70's - Brighton Rock played lived with the echoplex delays- Incredible !!

[@63mckenzie]

@@thomasmalatesta7331 Ah, those were the days!

[@wolf1977]

@@thomasmalatesta7331 How about on the live version of "Son And Daughter", did they do that one? I've read that one of the original reasons May first tried out the echoplex was to replicate that song's orchestral passages live. May "noodling" with delay to replicate multiple guitars: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqSbaHqrpLSpj9E Interesting factoid: Pete Cornish is the one whose job it was to sort out a ground loop issue with Brian May's guitar rig related to his echoplex - he used two (if you think it's hard enough to synchronize your live playing with one echoplex then try two)! Cornish ended up isolating May's amps from the echoplex boxes

[@jerryattwooll4864]

Ronnie Montrose on the first Montrose album, especially Rock Candy. That who album influenced Van Halen and almost all the US hard rock that followed Pete Townshend phemonenal tone on Who's Next and Won't Get Fooled Again in particular. Leslie West renouned for having great tone, very influential, his guitar always sounds huge. Billy Gibbons especially on the 70s ZZ Top albums Have to agree about Jimmy Page especially on Physical Graffiti as mentioned.

[@lahloonatic]

Butch nailed it on all his calls. Especially with Howe; his tone sounds like the guitar was thrown out in the driveway and he drove on it a few times.

[@glebvic]

And Butch mentioning Drama as the one album where Howe pulled it together too. On the money

[@espojespo5]

Can't get enough of sea of tranquility. Love this channel!

[@huddll4077]

Brian May….Keep yourself alive…Brighton Rock…March of the black Queen…Ogre Battle…simply amazing!

[@NoineNoineNoine]

I love opinions! in my humble opinion the guitar tones from Soundgarden and Smashing Pumpkins first few albums are magnificent! especially Lowder than Love and Gish.

[@taylorpechter5422]

I feel one record people overlook when it comes to Neal Schon was the first Hardline album. The tone on that album is massive. Even though they were very processed, the two Bad English albums also had a solid tone.

[@themusicbehindthegirl2335]

Have you heard Schon's playing on the '88 debut album by Witness (?) featuring two tracks that he also co-wrote, my favourite being 'Back To You' and then the more raucous 'Borrowed Time.' There's also a ripper solo by Night Ranger's Brad Gillis on the track 'Show Me What You Got' from the same album. Quite a glossy production, but it still tickles the balls

[@Elsior]

Great tones: Colosseum/Downhill & shadows/Clem Clempson Black Sabbath/The Warning/Tony Iommi Camel/Mirage LP/Andrew Latimer Lake/Red lake (solo)/Alex Conti Sea Level/Sea Level LP/Jimmy Nalls

[@bradparker1591]

Mick Taylor on "Can't You Hear Me Knocking". Also Peter Green on "Albatross".

[@robertgentilejr.5700]

Ronnie Wood is my personal favorite when it comes down to the tone. His tone on songs like "Miss Judy's Farm" just hits my soul.

[@jerryattwooll4864]

One of the filthiest guitar tones I've heard and a bump and grind riff that matches the context of the lyrics.

[@docdeens4030]

Always a killer tone with Woody. Even more consistent than Keith Richards in my opinion

[@billymac72]

Ooh, good one. The tone on those Faces albums is just so old school - clear, overdriven, balanced and thick.

[@docdeens4030]

Wes Montgomery, Jerry Garcia, Eddie Van Halen are favorites. Also always loved Robbie Blunts tones on the Plant solo albums. Peter Banks had a better tone to me than Howe.

[@bryanmcfadden4071]

I like this

[@kevinturchin]

Robin Trower. For one of later albums check out The Playful Heart. Sounds amazing.

[@wolf1977]

Great 2010 Trower album! The vocals are just OK but the playing's great (as usual). Actually you could pretty much say that about any record he's ever released, the playing & tone are always top-notch. He's got it totally dialed in. Some of my fave Trower tones: Over You, Daydream, Madhouse, Victims Of The Fury, Caledonia (wish the production were better), In City Dreams (ditto), I'm Out To Get You (maybe my fave tone of all). Of course Bridge Of Sighs. One of the best

[@MrSkippydrums]

Brian May is my favourite. His sound consists out of many different tones and to me he is the most unique. Great video guys!

[@brianmay1983]

Totally agree!

[@pjones8404]

I always like to post before I hear their picks. Favorites - Just five of many: Peter Frampton Al Di Meola/ Ted Nugent Ian Crichton (Saga) Ritchie Blackmore - That sound is untouchable!! Vicious and destructive!!! Neil Geraldo/Buck Dharma Least favorite - also five of many Zak Wylde Janick Gers Eric Clapton - post Cream Craig Goldie Phil Collen

[@i3ar310]

James Murphy’s tone on Testament’s Low and Live at the Fillmore is transcendent.

[@zacharyseibert6788]

James Murphy has always had killer tone. All of his shit rules!

[@gordy3714]

A dirge. 👍

[@dvaoa]

Good call.

[@gorkaanduezamanrique2449]

Love Jake E Lee's guitars with Ozzy.

[@PetesCDVinylWorld]

Very underrated tone

[@ramonace4770]

Thanks Pete! Thought nobody would mention Gary Moore and Neal Schon!

[@747jono]

What a fantastic show thank you so much.

[@arunsabherwal6256]

This is one of the best shows …very entertaining full of controversies but well managed and thoroughly enjoyable.🎸

[@antoniogonzalez4204]

The glaring omissions were Dan Huff era Giant, Elliot Easton's many sounds on the Cars music, the Adrian Belew era of King Crimson..some of the greatest clean tones ever. Trevor Rabin's amazing non traditional tones. Not much strat love...all the SRV recordings, Mark Knopfler's tones on the first three Dire Straights releases were seminal, Niles Rodgers rhythm sounds have never been matched for what he does. How can anyone forget Robin Trower? BRIDGE OF SIGHS!!!!!! David Gilmour's decades of great tones are matched only by Jeff Becks decades of mind blowing progress and innovation. Phenomenal player awful tone...first Greg Howe album on Shrapnel records more chops than a pig farm but super distorted and edgy. Surprised no one mentioned Zakk Wlyde's tone on No More Tears.

[@wolf1977]

I like Rabin's work with Yes a lot. He uses a pitch transposer set a fifth above the original pitch to get that Owner sound. I have a guitar multi-effect unit called theTC Electronics G-Major that nails that particular sound/tone

[@paulh6673]

Steve Jones, Billy Gibbons, Alex Lifeson, Brian May, Peter Green, David Gilmour, Wino (esp in The Obsessed), Andy Gill (Gang of Four), and above all any AC/DC from 76-80.

[@docbobster]

5 rock tones I love (out of so many): Brian May, Jeff Beck, Trey Anastasio, Martin Barre, Robert Fripp. Howe's best rock tone was probably Relayer; maybe it was the tele he used to record it.

[@sidefish8362]

Definitely.. his sound and playing on Relayer is wild.

[@recyclerhopkins]

Chris, glad you mentioned Emily Remler, such a talented guitarist who left us way too early at the young age of 32. So much potential, no telling what she could have developed into.

[@chriscanzoneri5384]

Gone way too early.

[@ScottyKirk1]

Dave Gilmour first solo record 1978. Mihalis and Raise My Rent. Sahweeeetness tone.

[@mikek8553]

Yeah thats a great album, sounds like Animals.

[@sdrandazzo]

Hi Pete, Butch, Guitar Hack, Jim and Chris. Looking forward to this episode. imho some of my favorite guitar tones and guitarists are Allan Holdsworth - Metal Fatigue - Metal Fatigue, Andy Latimer - Ice song, Steve Hackett - Spectral Mornings - Spectral Mornings, Martin Barre - Minstrel in the Gallery - Minstrel in the Gallery, Steve Rothery - Marillion - Chelsea Monday, and San Francisco Bay Area legend - Ronnie Montrose - Gamma 1 - Razor King. Hearing your least favorite guitar tones will also be a blast.

[@liamheuser6197]

I’m not a smashing pumpkins fan at all but I love Billy Corgans guitar tone on Siamese Dream. 👍🏼

[@mike04574]

Agree

[@KickflipGnasty]

His tone is amazing. As a guitarist, I’ve always dug it. Butch lost a little credibility with that one. For me. Sorry Butch :/

[@RickNBacker]

FAVES: Bill Nelson - Be Bop Deluxe Roine Stolt - Flower Kings, Transatlantic Scott Hill/Brad Balch - Fu Manchu (fuzz!) Ty Tabor - Kings X, Jelly Jam Michael Romeo - Symphony X

[@jayfabe620]

Fu Manchu is the measuring stick for fuzz guitar.

[@butchjones3497]

Bill Nelson!!!!!

[@chrisray9015]

My favourite tones pretty much correlate to my favourite players: Pete Townshend - live around 1969-71, just savage Robert Fripp (which I'm surprised to see no one has really mentioned him) - especially 1972-74, a very distinctive sustain Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead) - I love his attack and sound Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (The Mars Volta) - especially live 2004-5, great tone and use of effects pedals Jonsi (Sigur Ros) - the sound he gets from using a cello bow is huge and long, it's a sound unlike any other out there Least favourite tones would be: Steve Howe - as many have mentioned, a very thin limp sound, although he sounds pretty good on Yessongs Most 80's hair metal - too over produced, no grit

[@eldorado852]

Jerry Cantrell. What a sound.

[@steveseim]

This is out in left field, but I *love* the tone David Lindley had on the albums he did with Jackson Browne and Warren Zevon.

[@1Vettefan]

Great topic! My favorites include the following: 1. Kane Roberts ("Alice Cooper Raise Your Fist & Yell era and also first solo album"). 2. George Lynch (Dokken and Lynch Mob) 3. Eddie Van Halen 4. Akira Takasaki (Loudness) 5. Aldo Nova 6. Vinnie Vincent (Vinnie Vincent Invasion) 7. Billy Duffy (The Cult) 8. Jake E Lee (Ozzy Osborne, Badlands, Red Dragon Cartel) 9. Randy Rhoads (Diary of a Madman). 10. Steve Stevens

[@butchjones3497]

YES on Kane Roberts!!! I talk about him and that record, all the time!!!

[@1Vettefan]

@@butchjones3497 My favorite Alice Record of all time!

[@butchjones3497]

@@1Vettefan Mine Too, Buddy!!

[@1Vettefan]

@@butchjones3497 Love your facebook page Butch! I'm a member under my real name over there: Rodney Gilbert.

[@butchjones3497]

@@1Vettefan Thanks a lot! Enjoy yourself in there

[@sspbrazil]

My favorite tones come from Peter Green, Steve Hackett, John McGeoch (Magazine, Siousxie and The Banshees and PiL), Joey Santiago of Pixies and J. Mascis solo and Dinosaur Jr.

[@maddysmith8846]

Yes, for some odd reason, John McGeoch gets no love on SoT, love his records with Siouxsie! Agree with Steve Hackett.

[@sspbrazil]

@@maddysmith8846 I think it’s because the bands he played in don’t fit the criteria of this channel, but he had created some of the most iconic riffs and styles in post punk. R.I.P. John. I also think Joey Santiago is an underrated player.

[@dnjn67]

Santana’s Yamaha SG2000 through a Mesa Boogie MK1 on the live side of Moonflower is my absolute favourite tone.

[@wolf1977]

I have an early 80's Yamaha SG700S that has similar vibes & sounds, but would LOVE to get my hands on an SG2000! I'm sure I'd sound like Carlos immediately 😊

[@dnjn67]

@@wolf1977 I’m sure you would lol. I have a SG1000 which I love but it doesn’t have the through neck like the 2000 which gives it the sustain.

[@wolf1977]

@@dnjn67 Yeah that's what I've read about the 1000. My 700S also does have it though & I'm also not getting quite the same sustain as Santana (or maybe it's just my fingers - Nah!). I think another factor might be the ebony fretboard (vs Rosewood like on mine, I always prefer Ebony)...Also read that the 1000 is heavy, mine has some weight to it but not crazy heavy

[@ron6927]

I love Billy Corgan's tone, never thought of him as grunge though. BB King, SRV, Laurie Wisefield, and Brian Robertson all spring to mind too.

[@billymac72]

Siamese Dream sounds ten times better than the vast majority of 80s metal/rock albums. The guitar is thick, no nonsense and up front. I can’t stand guitars laden with effects.

[@RodrigoAlves-bc8qq]

@@billymac72 Have you seen the awful 80's (hairy) metal bands he picked? No wonder he dislikes what he dislikes. He has the most 1984's suburban frat boy taste for guitar tone.

[@bryanmcfadden4071]

If you actually haven't ventured beyond the radio songs, you haven't listened to it, it's aged well

[@jayfabe620]

Siamese Dream sounds like it was made yesterday. Amazing guitars and drums. Bass is perfectly balanced.

[@ron6927]

@@jayfabe620 absolutely. For an album that's what, near 30 years old it holds up remarkably well. The drumming on those early Pumpkins albums is amazing.

[@MartyMurray]

I have to put in a word for Ovation guitars. I know on the old records they could sound very tinny and whatever, but that was how they were recorded. I played an Ovation electric-acoustic 12-string for years. I think it was a '74. Eventually it got stolen, but I worked on my live sound with that thing a lot, and what I did was run it through a stereo chorus pedal, and added some reverb, and I used to mix the bass way up and keep the treble turned down a bit, and it sounded really good. I'm now using a couple of Fender Villager 12-strings, two different models, that have a very different sound, but I still run them through a Marshall stereo Chorus pedal and a Boss Fender '63 Reverb pedal, with the latter turned down pretty low, just for that bit of slap and presence, and I keep the bass turned up full blast and the treble down a bit, and the mid is more or less in the middle or maybe around 1 0'clock. It sounds nice to me, and people are always remarking on my guitar tone.

[@franciskocher200]

Amazing show.Thanks guys...

[@747jono]

Wow I know absolutely nothing about guitars etc but you guys taught me a lot thanks

[@BlueDragonBot]

Not a lot of people mention Andy Timmons. The man has amazing tone, especially with the title track of “Theme from a Perfect World” with his band, Andy Timmons Band. And it’s just him as well. I was watching a Steve Vai concert on KZbin one day and Andy was in the audience. Steve goes into the audience and hands Andy the guitar and it sounds completely different, just like the tone from the song I mentioned. The guy is a fucking wizard.

[@ralphmuller6040]

Robben Ford's finger tone on the opening part of 'Song for Annie' is completely awesome.

[@747jono]

The look on Pete's face everytime Motley Crues name mentioned

[@ykmgeedee]

Faves: Joey Santiago of the Pixies, Hendrix, Alex Lifeson especially Exit: Stage Left- dude is amazing! Late 70's-ish AC/DC, Warren Haynes, Page, Hey Hey My My (Out of the Black) Neil Young, Where Eagles Dare Iron Maiden, 100% agree with Jim on Jailbreak Thin Lizzy.

[@wolf1977]

I left Hendrix off my list due to a lot of his most-identifiable tone (I think) coming from post-recording engineering & production, especially on Electric Ladyland & Axis. He's (obviously) a pioneer of the use of feedback, univibe, wah, fuzz, octavia and pretty much anything else you could name related to the electric guitar

[@EvilVonRetee]

Great show guys! One tone that came to my mind immediately is Spirit and Randy California on album Clear and the song Dark Eyed Woman. Love that guitar sound!

[@michaelmiglino6512]

Steve Vai’s tone on “ Eat’em and Smile I thought was great. Mathias Jabbs, EVH, Marty Friedman, Chris Poland, Adrian Smith, Dave Murray, and of Course Wolf Hoffman I feel all played with great tone.

[@wolf1977]

I like the DLR/Vai sound on Skyscraper a lot (especially on the title track & Damn Good)

[@michaelmiglino6512]

@@wolf1977 I agree their was some good sounding tracks on that album, but Eat’em and Smile was a much stronger album. Steve Vai and Billy Sheehan had no limits. On Skyscraper they were limited to a much more commercialized approach. You can barely even hear Billy Sheehan on Skyscraper.

[@wolf1977]

@@michaelmiglino6512 OK but I'm not liking Skyscraper for Billy Sheehan, this thread's about guitar tone & I like Vai's tone on that album. I don't know that Sheehan is not audible on Skyscraper (for instance he stands out on "Stand Up"). For me I never noticed any missing bass on that record, but even if there were that would be a separate issue. Same for the more commercial nature of that record (which I can agree with), that doesn't impact me liking Vai's guitar tone even though I tend to generally gravitate towards less-commercial music

[@michaelmiglino6512]

@@wolf1977 Vai’s tone especially on “Big Trouble and Ladies Night in Buffalo “ I always admired.

[@quinnmitchel4075]

Favorites: Ty Tabor - Lost In Germany Pink Floyd - Shine On You Crazy Diamond Brian May - One Vision Least Favorites: Have no idea

[@mtbalpinecounty]

Fact..

[@goldndk]

Ty Tabor is amazing on everthing

[@quinnmitchel4075]

@@goldndk Yes 🤘

[@erikberg5363]

Super cool topic for a show! Albums that have some of my favourite tones: Black Sabbath - Sabotage Jethro Tull - Heavy Horses Nektar - Remember the Future Robin Trower - Bridge of Sighs Mahogany Rush - IV Pink Floyd - Animals Megadeth - Rust in Peace Morbid Angel - Domination Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss There are lots of others but those are a few off the top of my head.

[@wolf1977]

Easily Eric Johnson as fave pure tone, especially his "violin" overdriven tone (as opposed to his clean tone which is also good but not epic). Robin Trower of course, great sound (and technique). Adrian Belew for his "noises". Bill Nelson has a great tone (in Be Bop). Steve Vai. Mark Knopfler in Dire Straits. McLaughlin's more recent work using synth guitar sounds really cool. Jimmy Page with Zep, able to coax all kinds of guitar sounds out of his instruments. Steve Morse especially in the Dregs, just remarkable. Guthrie Govan's solo stuff. Jerry Garcia's clean tone & esp his wah sound. Gary Moore's blues tone (esp with Peter Green's old Les Paul). Talking Heads, who made the sounds depends on the album & song but these guys consistently got great guitar tone down on tape. Same for Steely Dan. Some of Satriani's tracks like "Surfing" & Satch Boogie", lots of technique happening here. Carlos Santana, a god of tone. Peter Frampton - he actually formed a company to make guitar pedals called "Framptone" & this is why. Really good control over his sound too. Tom Scholtz of course, totally unique sound (he also marketed his own line of pedals based on his guitar sound). Roine Stolt in Flower Kings (and some of Transatlantic), just wonderful. Al Di Meola - check out "Cruisin" or "Race With Devil..." Gilmour can be hit-or-miss, I love his tone on stuff like The Division Bell but hate his sound on let's say early Floyd. Same with Ronnie Montrose, don't like his sound on earlier stuff like the Gamma records but on his solo albums it's great. Brian May gets really cool tones, a one-man orchestra. Tommy Bolin esp on James Gang's Bang (really nice slide sound too). Nils Lofgren, his unique guitar tone really complements his vocals very well. Holdsworth, really unique-sounding. Steve Stevens/Billy Idol's Rebel Yell. 2nd best: EVH, can't say much more than "tone for days". Saving the best for last: Jeff Beck, no one gets as many tones & sounds out of just a guitar (with a whammy bar) & an amp. Incredible nuance too. Least faves: Most 80's hair metal bands, pretty much all of Grunge & Punk. Most new wave bands too & much of metal (at least from what I've heard - not my thing). Many may disagree but I don't really like Clapton's tones that much, it just sounds "average" to me. Zappa could sound awesome esp when using the wah like on Inca Roads but a lot of his solos have a "convoluted" sound to me. I love The Kinks but Dave Davies' guitar tone could be a lot better. A lot of Joe Walsh's tone is so-so (could also partly be the poor production) - his talk box sound of course is stellar. One of my all-time fave players Ritchie Blackmore, he gets some good tone on Stormbringer & his guitar vibrato is always great but too often the tone is just average. Brian Setzer plays the hell out of his guitar but the tone is just (on purpose) "thin"...

[@747jono]

All picks by all of you guys had total legitimatcy fantastic

[@shyshift]

I love Steve Howe and his tone especially on the new Yessong The Ice Bridge. My guess is that is his Les Paul.

[@randyhenderson6166]

GREAT call on Firepower, Jim!!

[@TheMrSarcastic]

Butch nailed it with Icon, and to a lesser extent with Stryper. The tone of that Icon album just stood out from most of what was going on at the time. It seems that folk prefer the follow up Night of the Crime, but to me the label tried to steer the band towards a more radio friendly sound and the tone was somewhat lost in the production. It’s there but it’s no longer at the forefront like that first album.

[@butchjones3497]

Both tones on those first two albums is stellar...but yup THAT DEBUT!!! Phew!!!

[@maddysmith8846]

I’ve always loved Carlos Santana’s tone. I’d also go with David Gilmour and Andy Latimer among others. Mark Knofler too on many Dire Straits tracks and Private Dancer with Tina Turner. And a lot of The Edge’s work.

[@darrendohertymusic]

David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) - Marooned Alex Lifeson (Rush) - Red Sector A (Rush In Rio) Massimo Fiocco (One Minute Silence) - 210 Dog Years Andy Cairns (Therapy?) - Straight Life Adam Jones (Tool) - Disposition / Reflection / Triad

[@sloppycabi]

Great tones: (guitarist - album) Ed Van Halen - Van Halen 1 Criss Oliva - Sirens/Power of the Night (pulling a Pardo mulligan) Mick Ronson - ZS and the Spiders from Mars Jake E. Lee - Bark at the Moon Martin Barre - Ministrel in the Gallery

[@RickNBacker]

Chuck, you love Be Bop Deluxe, how did Bill Nelson not even get an honorable mention for you???

[@wolf1977]

Yeah agree, Nelson should've been on the (short) list, for me anyway

[@butchjones3497]

Did you mean me? Butch? Lol. Love Nelson as a player, but Top 5 Tone? Not even close

[@wolf1977]

Bill Nelson's tone: Gibson ES-345 (mostly) + 100w Carlsbro amp + Pete Cornish custom effects board (EHX & MXR peals, univibes, wahs, delays etc) = Magic! This was during the "classic" BBD period, nowadays I believe he prefers digital multi-effects...Oh, forgot about Nelson's fingers, ears & brain

[@RickNBacker]

@@butchjones3497 -oops yeah, I meant you.

[@OutOnTheTiles]

All Jimmy Page’s tones….on all Zeppelin albums. Love that t-shirt Pete! 👍✌️❤️🇨🇦

[@patrickcrowther9195]

I'm no guitar nut and my favourite guitar sounds tend to be those without loads of effects. B.B. King Pete Townshend Paul Kossoff Joni Mitchell My hated tones would basically be any guitarist that uses too many effects at once so that the natural sound of the guitar is completely buried and it comes out all sludgy.

[@747jono]

God I love this channel so many awesome topics thank you

[@JayTor2112]

Agree on Schon, especially on the H.S.A.S album, that tone is gigantic. Surprised Ty Tabor didn't make anyone's list, at least his early tone.

[@nicklebac6753]

John Sykes on blue murder, evh on fair warning, entombed left hand path, George lynch on back for the attack, Vito bratta on pride, criss oliva on hall of the mountain king, Tom scholz from Boston

[@wolf1977]

I know this discussion is meant to be primarily about electric guitar tone & I don't think anyone's mentioned any great players with acoustic tone yet. So here goes, my top 10 (with some HM's): Michael Hedges - acoustic guitar & harp guitar. Live On The Double Planet. Originator of modern acoustic tapping & certainly the one to make it popular Don Ross - "dark horse" pick, what a player! "Lucy Watusi" & "August On The Island". Nice cover of Hedges' "Because It's There", Can sound like Kottke (but on only half the strings) Jorma/Hot Tuna - 1st album & Quah! "Genesis" & "I Am The Light of The World" are still 2 of my all-time fave acoustic numbers ever Tommy Emmanuel - crazy-talented Aussie. Not totally sure if it's the tone though or just the insane playing Adrian Legg - somewhat inconsistent tone album-to-album but check out Guitar Bones. He's Emmanuel-level Leo Kottke - best 12-string fingerpicker ever! John Fahey - almost in Kottke's class Mike Dawes - modern-day tapping wiz, check out below links esp Van Halen's "Jump" (ridiculously good) Paco De Lucia - undisputed fingerstyle master (sorry John McLaughlin). Might as well throw in McLaughlin De Lucia Di Meola as well (esp live), just immense playing & sound Special Mention: Steve Vai on DLR's "Damn Good". I like a lot of Rodrigo Y Gabriela's stuff esp live. Surprise pick: Steve Stevens (yes that Steve Stevens) on Flamenco.A.Go.Go. Mike Dawes links. If these don't want to make you play, or totally give up the guitar, then you're dead: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXzFo6yZoqp6oLc kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZPMm4SOnLOAZsk

[@alessandrodeviterbo6717]

Great show ( as always) but where are Brian May and Pete Townshed?

[@dawnthechaldean5377]

Interesting show, guys! Least favorite: Dimebag Darrell --- Favorites: Larry Carlton, Jake E. Lee, Steve Lukather, David Gilmour, Dave Mustaine and the list goes on. I would have to think long and hard to make a comprehensive list. Very hard to pick favorites if you like multiple genres. Sometimes you just like the tone achieved on one particular song if the guitarist changes tone frequently. Great to hear you guys sharing your opinions.

[@DaleM66]

Everyone mentioned Van Halen but didn't go with the tone he chased, Ronnie Montrose. Gamma 2 is my favorite, but he always had great tone.

[@krisjb1]

Bands that still believe in analog live equipment, heads w/tubes etc are my favorite. AC/DC bringing a huge sound… it still matters. I realize you can put an effect or Di or Kemper in your back pocket and show up. Still I want to feel it and have it sound rich.

[@PetesCDVinylWorld]

I think Butch is right on the money with Randy Rhoades and Steve Howe. I will disagree with Kirk Hammett a little because I think Kill em all has a pretty good lead tone. My fav time of all time is EVH on the Balance tour. On the album it was good,but the tour it was amazing

[@mikek8553]

To each their own I guess, but really gotta disagree with the Steve Howe bashing. Also yes back in the 70s Steve used Marshall. Still in the middle of watching this so don't know if anyone is gonna mention him, but Dave Chandler from Saint Vitus I think is very original with great muddy tone really fitting for their music. I had to chime in though to stand up for Steve. I'm a guitar player too so I am digging this segment. Later.

[@BSPVMD]

@ Butch Jones -- one of my favorites that I think would fit right in nicely with your list would be TT Quick on Metal of Honor. Maybe not quite as overlooked as Icon. I just love how sharp and cutting both the rhythm and leads are on that record, yet still with a real tight bottom end.

[@Jamesharris-lo9nn]

Honorable mentions... #1 Neal Schon #2 Alex Lifeson #3 Stevie Ray Vaughn #4 Eric Johnson #5 Pete Townshend 😁🎸🤘

[@AXXXDEAN]

Some of my fave tones David Gilmore...Stevie Ray Vaughn..George Lynch..Billy Gibbons..Dave Murray..Bruce Kulick..Warren Demartini Some of my Negatives..Neil Young..Kurt Cobain...Jimmy Hendrix ( genius but too squeaky for me )... Zakk Wylde ( amazing but too many pinch harmonics for me ) ..Ron Wood (weak especially his slide guitar work)

[@Eelgram]

Amen on Steve Howe's tone, Butch and Pete! Always thought his sound was too thin, even for his minimal-distortion preference. And why one of music's most versatile virtuosos continues to use Line-6 combo amps is beyond me!

[@wolf1977]

Line 6 modeling amps I think have come a long way, but yeah I agree that professionals have much better choices for guitar sound/tone

[@wolf1977]

That's not to crap on Line 6 modelling too much, they definitely have their place. Seems to me more of either a starter-type amp, or maybe for someone looking for lots of different sounds in one package w/o spending a ton (and not that picky about exactly replicating the original tones). Many pros opt for classic standalone effect boxes that each do one thing really well. Not lucky enough to own either (my pockets are not deep enough), but many pro-level players seem to gravitate towards Fractals' Axe FX and/or the Kemper Profiler. And for harmonizers it's usually Eventide (Vai, EVH, Tony Visconti, Zappa, many others). Just for reference even the older models like the 80's H3000 go for $2k+ used, and the 1974(!) H910 can fetch similar money if you can find one - insane. I have a Digitech Studio 5000 (made by the great IVL Canada) that can do 5-part harmony (take that Brian May) with zero lag time, I'd say almost Eventide-level but considerably cheaper. Maybe in the $300-$400 range used

[@geruto17760]

Joe Satriani. Surfing with the Alien was a complete game changer.

[@cameramanzoomit]

Thanks Jim for mentioning The Posies "Frosting On The Beater". Tremendous album!

[@Jamesharris-lo9nn]

I agree with Butch on the Speak Of The Devil album. That tone that Brad Gillis dials up is super nasty! 😁🎸🤘

[@bwroberts11]

Great topic!

[@killerdude35]

Favorite guitar tone albums... 1. Boston - Boston 2. Whitesnake - Whitesnake 3. Piece of Mind - Iron Maiden 4. Clayman - In Flames 5. Speak of the Devil - Ozzy Honorable mentions Living The Dream - Slash No Sleep Til Hammersmith - Motorhead

[@wolf1977]

Yeah Boston is tough to beat, it was so different-sounding when it first came out. Kinda like Eric Johnson's Cliffs Of Dover or Jeff Beck's Scatterbrain/Star Cycle

[@Jamesharris-lo9nn]

My personal favorites... #1 Edward Van Halen #2 Randy Rhoads #3 Brian May 😁🎸🤘

[@ButchArgus]

Best tones: Iommi Lynch (but mainly the 80s Dokken albums - he’s not as monstrous since) Brian May Boston especially the debut Victor Griffin -

[@stevemcnary7963]

My favorites are (In no particular order) 1. Michael Schenker 2. Robin Trower 3. Tony Iommi 4. Glenn Tipton 5. Eddie Van Halen 6. Buck Dharma 7. Gary Moore 8. Uli Jon Roth 9. Alex Lifeson 10. John Sykes(Drink Up!)

[@ericporter344]

Andy Larimer - Camel....great lead tone...Ice / For Today Tom Scoltz Eddie VH Gilmour - Animals Frank Gambale Steve Hackett Dislikes Steve Howe Alan Morse

[@Drinckx2]

Always entertaining and educational. I’m glad that Gary Moore got an inclusion with Pete’s list and Steve Lukather got an honourable mention. Agree about Holdsworth - all his playing is great but his overdriven 70’s tone was always better than what came after (although his clean chord voicing is great). I love Ronnie Montrose’s tone on his Gamma/solo records. Everything about Jeff Beck, including the tone, is great to my ears; when I saw him live, it was one of the best guitar sounds I’d ever heard. Lesley West generally had that fat, Les Paul through a Marshall sound sorted. As for not so good and as much as I love his playing, Steve Vai often has a rather indifferent tone to my ears.

[@wolf1977]

Beck is the tone master

[@216Numbskull]

Seeing we're on the same page in guitarists and their tone, I have to add Stevie Ray Vaughan's guitar tone & sound to IMO anyways.

[@Drinckx2]

@@216Numbskull Yes, love the sound although I think just the quality of his playing is what draws me to SRV. I first heard him not on record but live. I was at the Reading Rock Festival in 1983, mainly there for the headliners and only knew of a few of the acts lower down the bill (it was Thin Lizzy’s fairwell tour and one of their last ever UK gigs). So I was wandering through the campsite and I suddenly heard this wailing guitar from the stage. My first thought was that they’d managed to reanimate Jimi Hendrix. So I headed to the stage to catch the rest of SRV’s set and it was, of course, amazing. If I’d heard him before the gig, I’d have made sure I was near the stage from the start. I bought his albums thereafter and have always loved the playing, voice and showmanship live - he was such a great artist and another that died too young.

[@wolf1977]

@@Drinckx2 Agree that it's more about SRV's playing than tone. He does one number though that to me sounds totally different tonally from most of his other songs: "Riviera Paradise" (off In Step). Great tone on that one, very jazzy

[@Drinckx2]

@@wolf1977Thanks! I'll check through my collection to see if I've got it and if not, have a listen online.

[@fourseasons4105]

Favorite tones: 1. John Petrucci 2. Devin Townsend 3. Marten Hagstrom 4. Eddie Van Halen 5. Allan Holdsworth Least favorite: 1. Jimmy Page 2. Robby Krieger 3. Tony Iommi (some of the later albums have better tones though) 4. Buck Dharma (specifically the first couple of BOC albums) 5. Eric Clapton

[@IcedEarthMinion]

Favorite rhythm tone: Jon Schaffer. Totally original tone and playing style. Sounds killer on an acoustic as well.

[@Eelgram]

Good call on Icon (esp. Dan Wexler), Loudness and Stryper, Butch! I’ll add Wolf Hoffman’s tone on the “Metal Heart” album to that list.

[@danielrobinson5035]

For me , Michael Schenker hands down.

[@tookmyjob]

The two favorite are Focus 3-Focus (Jan Akkerman) and Turn It Over-The Tony Williams Lifetime (John McLaughlin).

[@warlock7760]

5. Rory Gallagher 4. Jeff Beck 3. Mark Knopfler 2. Eric Johnson 1. Stevie Ray Vaughan Honorable mentions: David Gilmour, Brian May, Eric Clapton, Gary Moore

[@iluvj50]

I love tones that are musical, unique and personal. To that end, I submit the following, limited to Rock guitarists. Apologies to those I overlooked: Jimi Hendrix Brian May Pete Townshend Tony Iommi Malcolm Young Tom Scholz Dimebag Darrell Jerry Cantrell

[@sindrimareydalfridriksson500]

Wes Montgomery - Boss Guitar, Deep Purple - Machine Head Allan Holdsworth - Metal Fatigue Jim Hall/Paul Desmond - Easy Living Gary Moore - Still Got The Blues Pat Metheny/Charlie Haden - Beyond The Missouri Sky Jeff Beck - Wired to name a few.. A lot of rock players have bad eq's on their distortion equipment, and a lot of jazz players tend to discard their treble altogether.

[@wolf1977]

Jazz players favor the darker guitar sound no doubt (some would call it "woody"). Roll off the treble on your humbucker guitar, use the neck pickup & you've got jazz. BTW Eric Johnson basically does that with his overdrive "violin" sound (except he uses the bridge pickup I think), removing much of the higher tones to add to the "glissando" effect & suppressing the pick sound...For rock players, some of the bad sound may also come from too much use of compression (especially the digital kind) that can cause the sound to lose its "air" & sound flat. No amount of EQ can restore that

[@sindrimareydalfridriksson500]

@@wolf1977 Yes, they do. But a lot of the younger players from the early 80's and especially the 90's took their cue from Wes and Jim and tried to approach that "warmth" by removing all the treble..completely. That is not the sound you hear from Wes, Jim, Kenny Burrell etc..yet the old guys still have a mellow and open sound. I think it has a lot to do with a lot of jazz being taught formally in the 80's/90's and it has affected other instrumentalists and their aesthetics as well. I agree with your observation that a lot of rock players use way too much compression.

[@wolf1977]

@@sindrimareydalfridriksson500 Yes not only too much compression, but using the digital version...Removing all treble from guitar is obviously a bad idea, it makes the instrument sound lifeless. There's not enough dynamic range in the resulting sound and you lose all of the detail & nuance. I'm not a jazz guy so I don't speak first-hand here, but not totally following your point about the (more recent) training. Are you thinking that formal teaching of jazz since the 80's is negatively impacting the playing & tone of newer jazz players? I know that Wes Montgomery was self-taught but Jim Hall was classically trained & so was Kenny Burrell... Another thought - Adjusting the tone control on the guitar, versus on the amp, produces different results. Maybe some more recent jazz players are trying to get that darker tone by doing one versus the other & perhaps differently from what the older players you mentioned were doing. It's also mostly about effects nowadays, which were pretty much non-existent back in the 60's and earlier, and using them can also impact tone in ways different from what the older players were doing

[@sindrimareydalfridriksson500]

@@wolf1977 Yes, I agree with you about the compression/treble thing. Regarding the jazz thing: Yes, a lot of the 80's and 90's players are trained at American or European conservatories/schools..and these programmes have been heavily criticized by the older generation, as well as the latest schools who recognized that a lot of the aural tradition of singing solos, learning to internalize the chords and intervals aurally/bodily and learning to swing with the rhythm section disappeared from the conservatories and they seemed to focus more on "learning arrangements", becoming good sight readers and playing "correctly" within a genre. This became sort of a "selfie"-version of jazz. 'Wearing the suit and playing Autumn Leaves in 12 different keys is more important than actually sounding good', just to exaggerate my point. This also seems to have had an effect on their choice of sound and maybe even the record companies started to request this flat/no treble sound after a while, I'm not sure. Anyhow, the 2000's guys have sort gone back in time and rediscovered treble and "dirtier" techniques that a lot of rock players use, which I think is a good thing. (Yes, a lot of the masters were trained formally as well, but schools/programmes/attitudes have changed over time, for better and worse). The 80's/90's players I'm talking about seem to drop the treble completely on the tone control. Not sure how their amp setup looks like. Anyway..some of it is ok, but a lot of it barely sounds like a guitar. And I'm not sure if jazz is better for it..

[@wolf1977]

@@sindrimareydalfridriksson500 Interesting, I'm learning a lot here...How would you view someone like Pat Metheny? I'm assuming you don't like his stuff where he's playing his Roland GR-300 since you specifically mentioned where a player's guitar "barely sounds like a guitar". On the other hand he's also someone who's been using rock techniques forever

[@bcatterson]

UFO Strangers in the Night

[@sjwill1956]

Not a player nor know anything about guitars or equipment .. I just know what I like ... lots of favs mentioned.... a couple missing .. Robin Trower ( although I see others noted in the comments) ... Jeff Beck and Alvin Lee (RIP)

[@corleth84]

Best for me is Kossoff, hands down - tone with soul, 'tons of soul', tons of sobs!...

[@ScottyKirk1]

Not enough people know Kossoff! The song 'Tuesday Morning' is like a blues version of Pink Floyd's 'Echoes'. Blows my mind everytime.

[@dewapd1169]

Top 5 for me 5 Steve Rothery 4 Ritchie Korzen 3 Rory Gallagher 2 Richie Sambora 1 Gary Moore **Honerable mentions: Andy Timmons George Lynch Doug Aldrich Larry Carlton Skunk Baxter

[@Danimal77]

Hack, I'm with you on Jimmy Page. Even though his live playing took a major nosedive after '73 due to heroin abuse, Jimmy's tone was out of this world.

[@mike04574]

Is that his full real name, guitar hack

[@paulmahoney5937]

Mick Mars, Tony Iommi, CC Deville, James Hetfield, Mercyful Fate, Randy Rhodes, Dave Murray, Jeff Hanneman, Alex Lifeson, Ron Asheton.

[@metaloutlaw62]

I love the guitar tone on Skid Row's Slave to the Grind.

[@frankcook3612]

One of these guys made a good point though when he said guitar tones can be good or bad depending on the context.An example that comes to mind is Mark Farners raw sound sounds great on those early Grand Funk albums but would sound terrible on a Journey album….and you could say the exact same thing in reverse if you are talking about Neal Schons tone.

[@MetalMan73100]

Too lazy to make a full list, but here are my two picks for good and bad tone on, as it happens, two solo albums. Worst tone ever from a great shredder is found on the only Steve Morse Band album I own, Coast To Coast from 1992. Just abominable. At the other end of the spectrum is John Norum´s first solo album, Total Control from 1987. Rhythm tone has a phenomenal bottom end, while the leads just soar. Perfect balance from a perfect player.