Favourite Guitar Tone

[0.1 watts]

So in your experience, which song(s) has the best guitar tone you've ever heard?
I hate choosing just one, so I'll make this a top 3 thing.

A kind of magic - Queen. I recently discovered them, got a cd for xmas, they are one of my favourite bands)

A Day in the Life - Jeff Beck. Theres no guitarist in the world who can create the smooth and emotive dynamics he creates with his fingers. his style is completely unique.

Led Zeppelin II - Led Zeppelin. A whole album? Of course, I cant just choose one song, they are all classics!

[iamadoorknob]

Alone- Sanctus Real
Dumpweed- Blink 182
Staring at the Sun- Offspring

[Robot_Boy]

I really like Rusty Cooleys tone, and John Petrucci's too.

[shanzuguitars]

mmmm...
any of Mark Knopflers early stuff
anything by Jeff Beck...
Anything by Slash....
Love the guitar Tone on Lemon by U2 - great use of tremolo

[LightSeeker]

Sweet Child O' Mine

Petrucci

Building the churhch- Vai

[Robot_Boy]

^^that is a cool tone, i agree. the vai one, i mean

[SG_74]

Fav guitar tone? Mine. Seriously, I've found my ultimate tone.

I'm not being up myself, it doesn't mean I can actually play, just that I love my tone.

[JimiHendrixExp]

any hendrix album, that old vintage disortion raw and uncut sound does it for me all the time

any smashing pumpkins/billy corgan work as well.

[fretflyer]

I really like Rusty Cooleys tone, and John Petrucci's too.

definately^^

[StockLX]

i like mark knopfler's tone
Stevie Ray had amazing tone.
Im a overdriven tube amp single coil kinda guy.

[Puddlegum66]

I love Robert Smith's tone of the Cure from the Distintegration era.
Vai's tone is pretty awesome.

[JimiHendrixExp]

I love Robert Smith's tone of the Cure from the Distintegration era.


nice mention, very slept on.

[Stray Dog]

Fav guitar tone? Mine. Seriously, I've found my ultimate tone.

I'm not being up myself, it doesn't mean I can actually play, just that I love my tone.

The same goes for me.I love my tone!

Maybe cliche, but my favourite tones would be those of SRV and Santana.

Also Clapton's tone... I'm listening to the Live On Tour 2001 cd now and his strat tone is stunning.

[Eclectifish]

Hendrix (most of it) - Castles made of Sand is the best
Gilmour - He's always great, but Time is my favorite
Page - LZ II is the best, but Houses (especially The Ocean) is pretty cool too
Early Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top) - Probably Tres Hombres
Jeff Beck (He does a lot of different tones. People Get Ready from Flash is my favorite)
Eric Johnson - I like his tone but it's not really one I'd use
Brett Garsed - Definitely a tone I'd use
Brian May - Too distorted for my personal style, but a singularly unique and fantastic tone
Ritchie Blackmore
Robin Trower

And last but certainly not least...

Angus Young - This is THE tone as far as I'm concerned. Raw and powerful.

[Robot_Boy]

im with SG 74 aswell, i like my tone a lot. its part of what i play and the way i play it really, it just suits me

[phingerboard]

Johnny Winter's Memory Pain

[Eclectifish]

/\ I completely forgot about Johnny. He was my first guitar idol and has always had one of the greatest tones ever. His early sound might even eclipse Angus for me.

[Asperjames]

wes montgomery

[Reverend40oz]

Smashing Pumpkins - Soma or Rocket.
ZZ Top - Blue Jean Blues
SRV - Voodoo Chile
Rolling Stones - Far Away Eyes, Dead Flowers, Wild Horses, etc.
Counting Crows - Angels of the silences, Daylight fading, goodnight elizabeth, Mrs. Potter's Lullabye
Jimi Hendrix - Axis bold as love, Midnight Lightning
Eagles - Peaceful Easy Feeling
Black Crowes - Thorn in my pride

Man, the list can just go on and on.

[zappatude]

Peter Frampton - Frampton Comes Alive
Frank Zappa - Black Napkins
SRV - Tin Pan Alley

[Etingi]

Hendrix - Little Wing and Purple Haze
Gilmour - Time and Echoes
Tony Iommi - War Pigs
Slash - November Rain
Van Halen - Mean Street

[ShiggityShwa]

Brian May

Slash-particularly in the Use Your Illusion albums, he has great tone in songs like Don't Damn Me, Double Talkin' Jive, Locomotive...

Jimmy Page-tone in II and Physical Graffiti are his best IMO

[0.1 watts]

Damn, how could I forget Eric Johnson. He is my favourite, definetely.

Watch out for 'Manhattan', 'Pavillion' or 'Venus Isle'

[zero]

I could name a lot but since everybody is only listing 3 here we go:

Satriani since he switched to the JSX (pre jsx was horrible)
SRV
Billy Gibbons

[paul_jam]

i like the stach tone on "always with me, always with you"
mike mccready on the ten album
jerry cantrell
neil young on "like a hurricane"
matt bellamy on "plug in baby"

those will do for me :)

[Robot_Boy]

i like the stach tone on "always with me, always with you"


that is nice. its kind of mellow, but it has that bite to it

[DaisyRocker]

Slash - November Rain
Carlos Santana - anything on the PRS

[paul_jam]

yea, its the kind of tone that you could kick back and relax to, but at the sametime, its still kind of exciting to hear i guess

[paul_jam]

probably could have guessed daisy lol. but slash does have an awesome sound. though for someone reason, sweet child o mine doesn do anything for me. the rest of his stuff is great though. november rain is a favourite of mine for his tone

[LightSeeker]

Carlos Santana - anything on the PRS

Damn, how could I forget Eric Johnson.


I agree. They both have incredibly good tone... Santana with his smooth, heaven-soaring Prs (and a Mesa Boogie :)) and Johnson with his Strat (and probably a Marshall, I think)

[Bluesaholic]

SRV all of it.

Robin Trower Bridge of Sighs.

Walter Trout

[AMusicalViking]

All SRV

SRV and Jimmy Vaughan on "White Boots"

Metallica-The Unforgiven

[Crucifix]

Anything by Paul Gilbert/Racer X. I just love his tone, he has a very dry, crunchy tone.

[crowbarr]

That really earthy crunch that Billy Gibbons gets on tracks like Lagrange.

[phingerboard]

Ooops how did I forget this (as I put on my flameproof suit):

TOM SCHOLTZ!

[Slipstream]

1. Duane Allman - You Don't Love Me, Live at Filmore East
2. Eric Clapton - Groanin' the Blues, From the Cradle
3. BB King - Thrill is Gone, Live at Cook County Jail

[dexter30]

Best tone... hmmmmmm. I gues I will have to say Vai's Whispering a Prayer.

[JD]

Billy Gibbons
Carlos Santana
SRV

[VooDoo_Chile]

Anything by Paul Gilbert/Racer X. I just love his tone, he has a very dry, crunchy tone.

Yeah he has a really cool tone esp on the earlier Racer X albums, in their newer albums he has the sound of a single coil strat even though hes using a humbucker and an Ibanez.

[xtcgo]

Allan Holdsworth has the tone that I've been trying to get with my gear for a while. Can't find it

[spector551]

OMG, I can't believe I haven't seen Dimebag's name mentioned yet! What is this world coming too???


A very close second would be EVH.

[spector551]

Also, Pepper Keenan has a great tone.

[ValveTronix]

1919 Eternal - BLS

Vulgar Display of Power - Pantera

...And Justice for all - Metallica


I did it by CD o.o

[RockinIt]

One-Metallica
Apex-The Black Dahlia Murder
Bohemian Rhapsody-Queen

[aussie_skater]

Ac/dc

[KingAngus]

Id have to say

Highway to Hell
The Suffering

[Strat Kid]

Clapton's "Sunshine Of Your Love" tone.

[sumx4182]

Slash and Santana

[ModestCargo]

Hendrix (most of it) - Castles made of Sand is the best
Yeah, and pretty much any SRV. Also the Allman Bros.

[Gibson075]

Led Zeppelin How the West Was Won - Black Dog

[Mr. Boston]

Money, Comfortably Numb, Hey You, Shine On You Crazy Diamond.

[ModestCargo]

Money, Comfortably Numb, Hey You, Shine On You Crazy Diamond.
Yah no kidding.

[rotteneggz]

Sweet Child O Mine

[scott powell]

Ritchie Blackmore's tone on the album Perfect Strangers is the absolute TOPS in my book,it gets no better

Iron Maiden's tone on Flight of Icarus,Revelations,Two Minuets Till midnite,and Aces High is second place. that marshall JCM 800 sound is COOL

[KcMsterpce]

I love Blackmore's tone for LAZY on Machine Head. OOooh yeah, that's got BITE!

[FortePenance]

SRV's solo tone - so beautifully warm and smooth.

Meshuggah's rhythm tone - they sound like mothertruckin' explosions!

Frusciante's clean tone in the Chilis. Snow (Hey Oh) sounds wicked.

[baudday]

Allman brothers.

[Hybridpicker]

Ok, here's my Top Ten.

Avril Lavigne Skater Boy

Toad the wet Sprocket - Walk on the Ocean

Ritchie Sambora - Bad Medicine

Beastie Boys - Fight for your Right

Spin Doctors - Two Princes

Hootie and the Blowfish - Hold my hand

Creed - Arms wide Open

Gin Blossums - Found out about you

Coldplay - ya know, that song with guitar in it ( i think)

and of course Black Eye'd Peas - any song they have with guitar in it.

Vive ClearChannel!!

[Hybridpicker]

Oh yeah, and that idiot from the Offspring.

[strat]

Josh Homme has a pretty *****in tone, pretty much anything by Gilmour (On An Island has got some sweeet tone in it)

[csloce23]

Stevie Ray's tone is great. It's got that buttery reverbish sound to it.
And then Pete Townsend's tone on Live At Leeds, cause it's all ballsy and in your face.
Cream Era Clapton is another one of my faves, especially on "White Room" and "SWALBR".
David Gilmour is also great, if only for Dogs.
And last, Mike Mccready. I think it's just a Strat into a Marshall with distortion, but I could be wrong.

[Jarvig]

Gilmour.....always
Slash.......almost always
Van Halen
Eric Johnson
Brian May......mostly
Jeff Beck....not always though

[shredding]

Pretty much anything in "appetite for destruction" and "Train of thought". (not that i like the music on them.)

[Acoustic]

Gilmours tone is awsome, as well as SRV/John Mayers.

[RHJohnson]

Kinda funny, I dont think a single person said Hendrix.

[Stray Dog]

Mick Taylor - Can't You Hear Me Knocking, Wild Horses, Sway

[Peeb]

gibbons- anything
gilmour- especially the two cool solos on comfortably numb
SRV- pride & joy, among others

[John The Wolf]

Kinda funny, I dont think a single person said Hendrix.
somebody did on the first page I think
as far as tones
SRV: yeah it might not be original but the guy had a WARM tone expecially texas flood and counld's stand the weather
Blackmore: you haven't heard him until you heard "mistreated" i'm not sure wether it's a deep purple or a rainbow song but the tone is just MEAN
Clapton: especially during Cream but cocaine is pretty cool to
BTO's guitarist (don't know his name): taking care of buisness...damn right you are!
Santana: agree on the PRS thing
Gilmour can also be crazy when he wants

there's too many!

[corky7]

1. Gary Moore - The Loner
2. Alter Bridge - Down To My Last
and not to sound egotistical but
3. Chris Corcoran - Sky Blues - check this one out at www.myspace.com/blackenblues

[AMusicalViking]

Michael Amott's tone on "Slaves Of Yesterday" and "Mechanic God Creation"

The tone in "Lost To Apathy" by Dark Tranquillity

Mark Tremonti's tone in "Broken Wings"

the tone in "The Air That I Breathe" by All That Remains

a few of my favorites

[tdu]

It's a really tough call but I think my overall favourite tone would be Billy Duffy from the Cult on the Electric Album. That tone just sums up great hard rock for me.

It would be a tie actually with Mick Taylor's tone on various Stones bootlegs. he never really reached his playing peak with them till a few years touring with them. I have heard tones on live recordings of him playing slide that just send chills up my spine.

[spoonbadger]

hmmmmm,i kinda have a long list but ill condense it! :)
hendrix-all his more melodic stuff,hey joe,wind cries mary,and also little wing(pretty unique!)
skynyrd-sweet home alabama,gotta love that singlecoil-esque clear tone.
jeff buckley-hes got a really nice muddy/glassy(:rolleye:) single coil kinda tone.
radiohead- the bends album,big!
neil young-cowgirl in the sand type thing
david gilmour-EVERYTHING! and finally
RATM-for that overdrive.

[Acoustic]

Jerry Garcia - everything.

[Priesty]

Billy Gibbons - Brown Sugar
Warren Haynes - Sounds good all the time.
Mark Knopfler - he gets the best tones out of whatever he's using, the Pensa and Les Paul in particular...
Derek Trucks - that bloke's just a freak...:D

[FortePenance]

Jerry Garcia - everything.

Oh yeah, Alembics for the win!

Is it wrong that I was never that great of a Hendrix tone fan? >.>

[Acoustic]

Oh yeah, Alembics for the win!

Is it wrong that I was never that great of a Hendrix tone fan? >.>

Its not that I'm not a big fan, its that the tone he uses seems to be used to often. At the time I guess it was a lot more original sounding. But with all the wanabes now adays the heavy rock tone just seems over used and normal. I do like the tone on Little Wing though, very nice sounding.