Your Holy Tone?

[Jazz Rock]

What is the tone you have been trying to copy, that inspired you to play or to play some?

The ultimate tone for me, when I am playing my own stuff is billy Gibbons tone on Waiting for the bus live at Rockpalast.

I wouldn't pretend I nailed it but i found something close enough with The Epi LP Classic, bridge '59 with the tone on 4, the FOD with all knobs at around 2 o'clock and a bit of extra mids from the EQ of the LC15R.

 

[Axl H]

Re: Your Holy Tone?

Viv Campbell - Rainbow In The Dark
John Sykes on the 1987 album, Blue murder albums and his Bad Boy Live album.

Those two tones are my favorites, and I would love to have any of them.

 

[MikeS]

Re: Your Holy Tone?

George Lynch's tone on Love Power from the Mama Head. There's good tone on the whole Sacred Groove CD, but that song in particular just sounds so great.

 

[Sirion]

Re: Your Holy Tone?

Anywhere between the holy LA trinity (George Lynch, Warren deMartini, Jake E. Lee) would be fine by me. Spice in with a little Ronnie leTekrø, and I'm in heaven

 

[sosomething]

Re: Your Holy Tone?

Can't pick one.

Jake E. Lee in Badlands had probably my favorite 80's hot rod Marshall-style tone.

I'm a big fan of the early Thin Lizzy guitar sounds.

Dave and Marty's guitars on Megadeth's Countdown to Extinction were about perfect.

Brian May. <-- 'nuff said.

Billy Gibbons' sounds on the Rhythmeen album are some of the most offensively dirty, gravel-gargling tones ever put to tape and I love them.

Bill Steer's tone in Carcass was pretty great. Different for the time and style. Extremely thick, and more or less the yardstick by which most modern metal tones are measured (in my mind). That torch seems to be carried by Pro-Pain now, albeit in a NYHC-kind-of-way and without nearly as much attitude or flair.

Opeth's rhythm tones are OK (they suite the band and songs) but Micheal Akerfeldt's lead tones have been to die for pretty much since Blackwater Park and are only getting better with every record.

David Gilmour's tone on the Pulse concert recording is godlike. While the songs suffer a bit from Water's absence, Gilmour's playing and tone is enough to make up for it most of the time.

I literally could go on and on..

 

[tone4days]

Re: Your Holy Tone?

too many to name including knopfler, betts/allman, blackmore, dimeola, holdsworth, santana ...

but i still really smile broadly whenever i hear gary richrath's LP into marshalls for 'roll with the changes' ...

 

[Artie]

Re: Your Holy Tone?

It would be hard to pick just one, but if I had to, I'd say somewhere between George Benson and Robben Ford.

 

[Axl H]

Re: Your Holy Tone?

Anywhere between the holy LA trinity (George Lynch, Warren deMartini, Jake E. Lee) would be fine by me. Spice in with a little Ronnie leTekrø, and I'm in heaven

Oh no, you must listen to Kurt Cobain now, you dirty poser! Hotrodded Marshalls you say? Thats not good.

 

[Sirion]

Re: Your Holy Tone?

Haha! Axl, there are some things you shouldn't ask of a man. Because, who knows, one day I just might do it!

I would like to clarify one thing, with Jake E. Lee's tone, I am talking about his Ozzy tone. Badlands is great, and what most people think of when talking about his tone, but it was way to dry for me. Bark at the Moon was a bit too wet, but I think he hit the perfect balance on The Ultimate Sin.

 

[sosomething]

Re: Your Holy Tone?

Moist?

 

[Axl H]

Re: Your Holy Tone?

Haha! Axl, there are some things you shouldn't ask of a man. Because, who knows, one day I just might do it!

:bigeyes:

 

[Simon_F]

Re: Your Holy Tone?

Scott Gorham's and Brian Robertson's Thin Lizzy tone, and Paul Kossoff's Free tone (especially live).

I was watching the Free Forever DVD the other night - the range and sheer tastiness of tone Koss squeezed from a simple Les Paul / Marshall rig is awe inspiring. :notworthy

 

[JeffB]

Re: Your Holy Tone?

There's been tons of tones that have really floated my boat and at various times have tried to achieve.

The tone that made me want to learn how to play guitar was Michael Schenker on Live at Budokan.

And some of my other absolute faves
Mathias Jabs' early 80s tone (actually it's still **** good)
Gary Moore's tone on The Loner
Brian and Scott's tone on Live And Dangerous
Jakes tones on the first two Badlands albums (Voodoo Hwy in particular)
John Sykes on the "1987" album
Adrian Smith's tone on the Hammersmith part of Live After Death and Beast over Hammersmith
Frank Hannon's tone on RePlugged: Live
Randy's Sandoval V and Les Paul tones on Tribute

and then some of the classics thrown in..

Jeff Beck's tones with The Yardbirds (Beck's Bolero!)
Jimmy Page's tone on Zep I
Lynyrd Skynyrds tones form the first 2 albums
Clapton's tone with The Cream

And there's tons more I like. From Buddy Guy and Freddie King to VH 1984 and MOP era Metallica.

But I've kinda stopped chasing all those other guy's tones and instead have been searching for my own interpretation of that classic late 70s/Early 80's cranked Marshall MF/JMP/800 sound I love so much. I've even come pretty close on a few occasions. Its' thick...but not muddy, growly lower mids with some crunch and highs that cut, but are not piercing or too "round". Basically the sound of a Les Paul w/ a hot SH5/Super Distortion-esque bridge pup, and a singing fat neck tone ala Gary Moore but with a bit more clarity like John Sykes.

Tough to find :laugh2: (impossible, probably) but I'm hoping to be even closer by the time my new guitar arrives and I sort out the pup sitch

 

[Sirion]

Re: Your Holy Tone?

:bigeyes:

I'm joking man, you know I wouldn't do that in a none-tounge-in-cheek manner! That would be like playing with fate. Something like this may happen:

:wizard:

 

[JeffB]

Re: Your Holy Tone?

but i still really smile broadly whenever i hear gary richrath's LP into marshalls for 'roll with the changes' ...

Forgot to throw that one on my list! Gary's tone kicked serious @$$ . Ridin' the Storm out..the Live version. Les Pauls and Marshall's and a little analog chorus :bigthumb:

 

[Axl H]

Re: Your Holy Tone?

I'm joking man, you know I wouldn't do that in a none-tounge-in-cheek manner! That would be like playing with fate. Something like this may happen:

:wizard:

Hehe good......!

 

[alex1fly]

Re: Your Holy Tone?

David Gilmour is a god. +thousands on his Pulse tone. That video made me start playing guitar. That, and the daily listens to Dark Side for months on end when I was 13-14.

The lead player from Funeral For A Friend has the best, clearest high gain tone I've ever heard. Both tones unobtainable but incredibly inspiring.

 

[metlking]

Re: Your Holy Tone?

I thought about starting a thread just like this "Who's tone are you chasin'?"

My cover band recently started doing "Firewoman" by The Cult.....in the beginning of the song as the drums are building and the guitar volume goes up and Billy Duffy hits the G chord for the second time, right before the slide into the song......thats the tone I often seek. I can always tell good tone on an open G chord!

Not so much the effects, just the hotrodded Marshall growl, which is what I beleive it is.....

 

[Simon_F]

Re: Your Holy Tone?

Forgot to throw that one on my list! Gary's tone kicked serious @$$ . Ridin' the Storm out..the Live version. Les Pauls and Marshall's and a little analog chorus :bigthumb:

Thanks guys for this timely reminder that I need to buy You Get What You Play For on CD! I loved that album. Don't know what became of my vinyl copy.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Your Holy Tone?

Keri Kelli (of Alice Cooper) has the sound I want nailed, in particular on his Les Paul Standard. Very "alife", lots of things happening after you strike, like all Alice Cooper guitar sounds kind of hollow.

Ritchie Blackmore, Rainbow ca. 1975-1977. Of course I like his "Made in Japan" sound but that is not reproducible.

Michael Schenker, in particular medium age work (later 80ties, 90ties).

Rudolph Schenker and Mathias Jabs for "working" guitar sounds. Rudolph's sound is, when heard alone, too bright, and Jab's sound is too soft for my taste. However, in a two-guitar, no keyboards band you have to have one guitarist have something else than the standard saturated hard rock sound, otherwise you create porridge. The Scorpions guitarists got this nailed.

Dave Gilmour and Brian May go without saying.

Moody/Marsden, again for a "working" sound, for a band-supporting sound.

Jon Lord. Well, not guitar but sure it's a Holy Tone