bands with the best guitar tone

wreckitrandy
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wreckitrandy 4/30/2015 8:14pm
4/30/2015 8:14pm
Less is more. Especially if the less is more talented. I love a three piece band. Most of the bands I've ever been in had at least two guitars. In a band like that, dynamics are super critical in a live situation. It's a matter of respect and listening. A great sound man can be a big help but, if the players are seasoned the sound man's gig should be uneventful. Set it and go. But a three piece,,,, you can't hide. You better be on your game. These guys bring the heat. I love everything about this record. Not one weak tune. Vocals and musicianship, guitar and bass sounds that compliment one another, arrangements that are unpredictable,,, still sounds good to me after all these years. https://youtu.be/RQA1_zrjzrg?feature=player_detailpage
davis224
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davis224 5/3/2015 6:40am
5/3/2015 6:40am
wreckitrandy wrote:
You ever notice how some guitar sounds on very famous recordings, seem rather thin? For example, some of Page's tones sound a bit shrill if you...
You ever notice how some guitar sounds on very famous recordings, seem rather thin? For example, some of Page's tones sound a bit shrill if you listen closely. When I used to cover those tunes, I could never get happy with my approximation. The same thing with George Harrison. To me, his sound was thin. It was like the sound made it harder to play. I could never put it into words. Still can't. On the other hand, a band like Kansas, with everything in the world going on in the mix, I always just loved the sound of Leftoverture. Boston, same thing. Bad Company. Exceptional sounding recordings on every level with guitar tones that were vocal but never got in the way of the vocals. It's hard to describe.

Not trying to side track the OP but, what defines 'good' tone to you? The OP mentioned a blend of clean and crunch. Also 'fat'. I've been guilty of too much crunch, distortion in years gone by. I find myself leaning more towards an overdriven but cleaner sound now.
Good tone to me can be broad, there's a good saturated distortion tone, a nice smooth clean tone, just lately I've been listening to a lot of Alabama Shakes, and the one thing I always notice is the guitar tone. It's not clean, but it's not dirty, not too sharp/crisp sounding, but not too muddy. Just a nice, warm, thick tone. The kind that can sway between clean and slightly crunchy depending on how you're actually playing the guitar with your hands.
davis224
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davis224 5/3/2015 6:45am
5/3/2015 6:45am
Cygnus wrote:
I almost always answer this question with 3 guys. Brian May, Randy Rhodes and Dimebag Darrel.
I wouldn't call any of their tones my favorites, but Brian May has one of the most unique tones I've ever heard. As soon as he starts playing, you know exactly who it is. I honestly can't say I like RR's tone at all. Monster player, but the tone is just too scooped 80s for me. Dimebag, I honestly haven't listened to much of his stuff besides what gets played on radio, but his clean tone on Planet Caravan really hits the spot for me

The Shop

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FolkLoar
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FolkLoar 5/3/2015 7:23am
5/3/2015 7:23am
Cygnus wrote:
I almost always answer this question with 3 guys. Brian May, Randy Rhodes and Dimebag Darrel.
davis224 wrote:
I wouldn't call any of their tones my favorites, but Brian May has one of the most unique tones I've ever heard. As soon as he...
I wouldn't call any of their tones my favorites, but Brian May has one of the most unique tones I've ever heard. As soon as he starts playing, you know exactly who it is. I honestly can't say I like RR's tone at all. Monster player, but the tone is just too scooped 80s for me. Dimebag, I honestly haven't listened to much of his stuff besides what gets played on radio, but his clean tone on Planet Caravan really hits the spot for me
May is pretty open about the fact that he got his tone from the great Irish bluesman Rory Gallagher. Single coil pickups Vox amp and a Rangemaster treble booster..

Gives me wood.. Cool
borg
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Long Beach, CA US
borg 5/3/2015 6:22pm
5/3/2015 6:22pm
TailSoHard
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Beer City, MI US
TailSoHard 5/4/2015 6:53am
5/4/2015 6:53am
Lately the band Rival Sons has been my go-to "guitar band". That Leslie speaker always gets me lol

Skip to 2:10 for the good stuff

Whoops_Blitzer 5/11/2015 9:51pm
5/11/2015 9:51pm
Someday, someday....I'll know what a crunchy guitar is.

Obviously tone is just about the last thing I think about while listening to music. Clean? Dirty? Muddy? Crispity-crunchity? Gimme a break.

Well...I guess this is pretty nice.
https://youtu.be/Haff7420bbo

Pit Row

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