Hall Of Shame

[nztim]

Are there any guitarists who's tone prevents you from enjoying their music?

I was thinking about this while checking out Johhny Winter after seeing a Rig Rundown on his gear. He uses some kind of Steinberger monstrosity into a Boss Chorus pedal into a Musicman amp with the bass all the way off and the treble all the way up. Now, I definitely enjoy the kind of music Winter makes, but his tone is horrendous. It's overly gainy, shrill, and the random use of chorus just sounds so out of place.

Not to mention no mids either, its a bitting tone aye..

[Scooter13]

Not so much guitarist's tone (I can usually get past bad tone if the playing is good) but so many metal band's first albums sound weak...and make it harder to listen to, just due to cheap production. Iron Maiden, Kill em All, pre-Cowboys from Hell Pantera, Killing is My Business. Granted some people like that raw sound, but when you hear the songs live there's so much more meat and "oomph" that isn't there in those earlier records.

Just saying, it's not always the guitarist's fault.

Then there's guitar tone that is awful on it's own, but is brilliant in the mix of the song.

[Slowy]

This:

Thanks for that Ben.

The guitar is one of the most versatile and expressive instruments ever made but in the jazz genre, I never hear those qualities; quite the opposite in fact. I know the limitation lies with me but I much prefer clarinet, violin or saxophone as jazz instruments.

Music engages my emotions but Jazz I feel, predominantly engages the intellect. I don't have an intellectual relationship with music, (with the possible exception of Baroque) so that probably explains why it does little for me.

Cool tracks though and Madeleine Peyroux could sing at my supper anytime.

[Slowy]

Then there's guitar tone that is awful on it's own, but is brilliant in the mix of the song.

Jimmy Page!

[Danger Mouse]

Then there's guitar tone that is awful on it's own, but is brilliant in the mix of the song.

The converse of this is real problem with a lot of guitarists in the metal scene. It's not helped by the multitude of youtube demos and manufacturers pandering to this market. There are a couple of modern high gain amplifiers I can think of that sound incredible on youtube, incredible in the demo clips on the website, incredible in the guitar shop, incredible in the bedroom... but disappear into a wall of mush when in a live situation.

[Slowy]

Ryan brought up this point in a conversation last week. When you're looking for an amp sound, what are you actually chasing; the live sound or the recorded sound? And which recording?

I used to own a Martin D28 that was numerically two away from the one used by Paul Simon to record an album. (Lets not go into the Geekery that statement implies. )
Anyway, I spent ages trying to replicate his sounds, totally overlooking the influence of Mr. Neumann, Mr. Neve, Mr. Meek and the dozen other tone altering factors before my crappy stereo stepped in to screw it all up.

[TmcB]

Anyone with that endless sustain super distortion with delay tone, usually used to solo for 4mins straight.

I realise this offends everyone who owns a pointy guitar on here but I am not care.

[willow13]

pre-Cowboys from Hell Pantera

wow...having only recently heard much pantera I thought the pre cowboys album was miles better than cowboys...dimes guitar tone on power metal was so much better than anything he did after that

[Tonemaker]

Was vulgar display of power before or after... I saw them with Dime in Austin Texas... I think it was cowboys from hell tour.... It was insanely loud that you couldn't make out hardly anything, probably loudest show ever, and it was in a small venue

[badmotor]

After.

[twistedthoughts]

I saw them with Dime in Austin Texas...

Must...contain...jealousy...

Although a lot of people were raving about it at the time, I always thought that Mike McCready and Stone Gossards tone on the Pearl Jam 2000 bootlegs was generic and boring. I'm sure they were playing vintage this and boutique that but it was just yawn-inducing for me.

I don't like Slash's tone (or his directionless soloing) on his first solo album.

Josh Hommes tone in QOTSA isn't my cup of tea.

[aliasceiza]

I'm not a fan of Slash's tone either, love guns'n'roses, just not his tone...don't like Queen's of the stoneage tone either, really puts me off the band, conversely, there is a lot of tones I like, but don't like the bands, like pretty much all of Ozzy's guitar players, through all the stages, have some cool tones, but I just don't dig his overall vibe for some reason, and of course, the obvious, EVH has some cool tones, but personally, I'm not a big fan of his tunes!

Pantera, pre far beyond driven to me, is cool, prefferrably loud!

[Capt. Black]

Almost everything I've heard of Mark Knopflers tone makes me want to tear other people's hair out.

Sorry, make that EVERYTHING I've heard from him.

[badmotor]

Luckily production or 'tone' as you folks keep calling it doesn't always stop you liking something.

Example for me... guitars, drums, everything on this I think sounds hideous. Yet I love it. Does that make sense? Who cares.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XI1DD_vJuY[/youtube]

[slash-ed]

That's because that's the best song ever.