The Worst Guitar Tone You've Ever Heard

[Patrick from Davis]

Yes that first Ozzy album didn't sound like they had the dough that the second one did.  Live, Crazy Train sounds good, studio, egad.  Operation Ivy still has my pick for craptastic tone.  Egad.  I do like Husker Du's sound on New Day Rising, but later he added a lot of chorus to make it, uh, bigger.  Sorry Bob.  However his sound on Egoveride is really over the top, but since he played everything on that album, the drumming is only slightly better than Meg Whites.  That Iron Butterfly tone Trevor, you should be ashamed you knew it existed.  17 plus minutes of that emetic response inducing tone should be classified in the National Archives of every County as a War Crime/Cruel and Unusual Punishment.  Ugh.
Patrick

 

[Wizard of Wailing]

    While the Iron Butterfly tone is awful, it somehow fits that song perfectly. The song is so hokey that I can't imagine it with a different sounding guitar.  That tone seems right for a song that's self-indulgent, ridiculous, and kind of enjoyable if you're in the right mood for it.  It's sounds like a song someone would write today if they were trying to write a psychedelic, hippie parody. 

 

[mayfly]

"Take my hand... Cross this laaaaaaaaaand"

:headbang1:

 

[Cagey]

    While the Iron Butterfly tone is awful, it somehow fits that song perfectly. The song is so hokey that I can't imagine it with a different sounding guitar.  That tone seems right for a song that's self-indulgent, ridiculous, and kind of enjoyable if you're in the right mood for it.  It's sounds like a song someone would write today if they were trying to write a psychedelic, hippie parody.

Hehe! Yeah, true story.

I grew up during that era, and knew some guys who did that tune. They universally hated it. Particularly the bass players. Wore 'em right out with mindless repetition for the 17 hours the song lasted.

 

[jmcecil]

From a modern standpoint, I find Malmsteen to be unlistenable.  It's like they stuck a $20 mic at the bottom of a metal trash can and roll off any accidental mids and lows that might accidently escape.  But, most modern metal is so devoid of tone that I don't quite understand the fuss about their endless tone discussions, unless the discussion starts with "How the hell can I remove more tone from my tone!!!"

 

[Cagey]

...most modern metal is so devoid of tone that I don't quite understand the fuss about their endless tone discussions, unless the discussion starts with "How the hell can I remove more tone from my tone!!!"

Whew! So, it's not just me!

 

[stratamania]

From a modern standpoint, I find Malmsteen to be unlistenable.  It's like they stuck a $20 mic at the bottom of a metal trash can and roll off any accidental mids and lows that might accidently escape.  But, most modern metal is so devoid of tone that I don't quite understand the fuss about their endless tone discussions, unless the discussion starts with "How the hell can I remove more tone from my tone!!!"

Are you talking about all of Malmsteens output or a specific part of it ?

I would not classify Malmsteen as Modern Metal either. It's completely different to down tuned and Djent styles for example.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

MOST of the tones from local live bands I hear are detestable to my ears.  If I had to guess why I'd say it's from being self absorbed and not listening. It's usually too much gain and too much bass.  It might sound good in a living room, but horrible on a stage with a band. More and more, the heavy detuned music I pay attention to, it's overdriven and it's loud, but the extra gain muddies up a band's sound and you don't need much bass with a kickdrum and bass guitar on the stage.  And no, less bass won't make your Les Paul Marshall rig sound like a Tele. 

 

[jmcecil]

Are you talking about all of Malmsteens output or a specific part of it ?
I would not classify Malmsteen as Modern Metal either. It's completely different to down tuned and Djent styles for example.

I agree Malmsteen is not "modern metal". Especially when you consider all the 7/8/9 string drop tunings in play now.  But the abject hatred of all content below 2khz is there... 

Just to be sure this doesn't turn into a "is too" "is not" thing.  I am not talking about playing at all.  I simply don't like what the majority of metal guitar sounds like. Never have.  Even though I like a lot of the players. 

 

[mayfly]

ok - let's turn this thread around.  Here's an example of some of the best guitar tone I've ever heard:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqZceAQSJvc

 

[stratamania]

Are you talking about all of Malmsteens output or a specific part of it ?
I would not classify Malmsteen as Modern Metal either. It's completely different to down tuned and Djent styles for example.

I agree Malmsteen is not "modern metal". Especially when you consider all the 7/8/9 string drop tunings in play now.  But the abject hatred of all content below 2khz is there... 

Just to be sure this doesn't turn into a "is too" "is not" thing.  I am not talking about playing at all.  I simply don't like what the majority of metal guitar sounds like. Never have.  Even though I like a lot of the players.

Your not going to get "is too" "is not" thing from me.

But the whole problem with a thread like this is that one mans meat is another's poison. It's a pointless debate. 

The second issue is when someone's personal opinion which is purely subjective and personal to them starts to be stated almost as fact that others share.

If I post x is the best tone I've ever heard there will be at least someone who for them it's not their cup of tea.

Tone, timbre and texture. If you love violins and orchestras, great. If you don't great. To each his own.

I just don't think entire genres and artists outputs can be or should be covered by blanket statements.

 

[jmcecil]

I just don't think entire genres and artists outputs can be or should be covered by blanket statements.

Agreed this is all opinion...

 

[bagman67]

I just don't think entire genres and artists outputs can be or should be covered by blanket statements.

Agreed this is all opinion...

At the same time, I think it's fair to say that the conventions of a given genre may dictate a type of sound that, to the uninitiate, might be rather (or extremely) unpleasant.

 

[stubhead]

Weirdly or not:

the conventions of a given genre may dictate a type of sound that, to the uninitiate, might be rather (or extremely) unpleasant.

"The conventions" by definition imply derivation. My brain wasn't on from the first 1965, 67-ish Clapton/Beck/Hendrix explosion, but it arose to catch the tailwinds of individual tone: Three notes, and you could quite easily pick out Garcia, Allman, Santana, Hendrix, the early twanks & reamers of Clapton-in-Stratland etc. And the first records that really gave me the Bad Dark Willies, the intimation that maybe things weren't going to just keep getting better indefinitely? That would be the first Boston record - dick in a box! Tone-in-a-box, dick'n yer EAR? Kodak engineer Tom Scholtz had the "formula" for great(ish) tone - at which point, it's far more "-ish" than "great." :sad1: And the first-edition Jefferson Starship, where Craig Chaquico had some great tones - but they were other people's great tones!

By 1977-78, it was really spooky - OREO Speedcookie, Bachman-Turner Overweight, Styx, Journey, Foreigner, and soon enough, amps were coming supplied with the "great tones" as though they were Crayola wax crayons for your ear. Knopfler, "Discipline"-era King Crimson & Andy Summers managed to land some of the last great clean-ish original sounds that weren't just weird for weird sake's; undt good dirt = Van Halen. I'm not sure the overdrive wars of Dimebag, Zakk & the Shrapnel/Shreddy clan/family/cult really counted as chasing "my own" sound, as much as chasing "the" sound? Yes, one COULD plug three Big Muffs into each other and obtain something "never before heard..." And there was a good REASON for that!  :toothy12:

At a rather identifiable era, making OTHER PEOPLE'S SOUNDS became the ideal for electric guitars, whereas the earlier guys hearken back to the jazz concept of your OWN tone - and yes, both early Miles Davis and John Coltrane caught a lot of flak for playing jazz horns withOUT a Big Fat Happy vibrato! OF COURSE there are many great tones and they are all subject to figure/ground interaction with the rest of the music - but I don't think it coincidental that in the same "best-form-of-flattery" somatic-apocalypso the notion arose that the tone should be matched to the song, rather than "Holy Crap! Listen to what song the guitar tone MADE me play!" I shudder to stink what "Exile on Main Street" would sound like were the exact same songs recorded - using "good" tones!

Even SRV I would describe as basically refining the "Little Wing" Hendrix tone, though Stevie was able to find it repeatedly, whereas young Jimi was all OVER the place - and in fact I preferred his great clean(-ish) tones of the "Cry of Love" album, "Watchtower", "Wind Cries Mary" to his youthful howls of "Phoxy Pfurple" - as did he!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTWrmkqTOfk

(sorry about the Mp3, your ears deserve better - for that matter, some kids can't even HEAR Mp3-ishness, and they think "acoustic" guitars are SUPPOSED to sound like Takamines & Ovations! Don't get me started....)

P.S. - NONE of this is my personal opinion, it's TRUTH! Send money or I feed the baby.  :hello2:
To the alligators.... :cool01:

P.S.S. - I think you got me started. Send alligators. :icon_tongue:

 

[Death by Uberschall]

There's one key element in the equation that gets way over looked, the producer/studio engineer/soundman.

I agree the Randy Rhodes' recorded tone was terrible at times, but it's been well documented that's what the producer wanted it to sound like. Randy basically played stock Les Pauls into Marshall 100w amps into Marshall cabs with EV speakers. Nothing wrong with that combo, all good parts. His effects chain was the "flavor of the day".

There are way too many "tinny", horrendously scooped metal tones out there. Dime Bag comes to mind, but it did work for what they were after and I liked it. I don't think Pantera would have sounded like Pantera or been as successful if Dime played through Yngwie's Marshalls.

Yngwie's tone is simple, low output Strat pups into an original Grey DOD OD250 into dimed Marshall 100w amps with Greenback/V30 cabs.

I'd have to break down "the best tone ever" into categories.
But several that immediately come to mind,

David Gilmour (anything he's recorded)
[youtube]vi7cuAjArRs[/youtube]

Eric Johnson (anything he's recorded)
[youtube]pmEuC2cfPPE[/youtube]

SRV (anything he's recorded)
[youtube]OEJh2FFUUoU[/youtube]

Early EVH (VH & VHII)
[youtube]OCwigPhpiXs[/youtube]

George Lynch
[youtube]L7Yno5p2D30[/youtube]

John Norum from Don Dokken's solo album "Up From the Ashes"
[youtube]NOp1UayDY0w[/youtube]

But here's the worst bass tone ever for a major act with major backing, Ross Valery's tone on Journey's Escape, sounds like a badly tuned piano played through a Bass Balls pedal at times.  :doh:
[youtube]1k8craCGpgs[/youtube]

 

[stubhead]

I was living in Austin at the time that both SRV and Eric Johnson blew big, and it was quite a lovey squirmfest for a while there. And Billy Gibbons, and Johnny Winter etc.... you could go out to some rathole with the distinct urges only to shoot pool & imbibe, and there'd be some genius just tearing it up for the tip jar. But, Steve Morse taught me more about playing rock guitar than anyone - and he and Johnson were friends, and they both (simultaneously?) hit upon the genius idea of running two different amps at once, Marshalls for midrange overdrive with a Twin Reverb or the like filling out clean highs and clean lows. Overdriven highs sound raspy, overdriven lows sound muddy, so this was "THE ANSWER."  I guess you can still call it one tone, even though it's additive from more amps - Bonamassa and Santana worked up to FOUR amps eventually.

And though Allman and Santana were the first guys to make me say "I want THAT" (hint - juice the power tubes + hifi, clean speakers, JBL, Altec-Lansing etc) there were a few outliers. Ritchie Blackmore, "Lazy":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqM5L5JQseI

- My oh my, what he DID to a Strat->Marshall (2:16) to make it sound so friggin' EVIL! It was a touch and go thing for him, too - lightly scalloped maple board maybe? Huge Marshalls, clean-ish preamp, and goose the power amp? Cocaine? TALENT? :dontknow: It's there live in 1972 and 1993, and gone in 1973. :icon_scratch:
Everybody knows that playing notes just slightly sharp (3 cents) can make them sound brighter, playing slightly behind the beat (5-6ms) can make notes sound bassier... but the EVIL button?; possibly, maybe, he was just, like, really good at his job.

 

[Cagey]

Just a magical combination - Ian Gillian's voice, Lord's keyboard, Blackmore's guitar, Glover's bass and Paice's drums. Plus, an innate ability to simply have fun as a group. One of the original "jam" bands. You could just imagine them getting together and wailing away all day.

 

[stratamania]

Deep Purple, my favourite band. Fully agree on the great tones Blackmore has got over the years. There's been some debate as to whether the studio version of Lazy, was his 335 but either the way the playing and tone is there.

 

[Neo Fender]

Forgive the sacred cow tipping but I won’t just point to one song, I’ll throw a blanket over one high profile guitarist because it sound like he plays with a blanket over his amp: Eric Johnson.  Yes, he’s talented, yes he can play but I’ve yet to get his dark, muffled tone.  Nothing else against the guy.

 

[bagman67]

Tip away.  Same phenomenon has bugged me on more than one occasion.  His super-overdriven "violin" tone really does chap my hide when I can't hear any of the treble in it, and lose a lot of the pick attack.  I appreciate that he's backing away from some of the more egregious trebly excesses of other players, but sometimes he sounds like the speaker cones are soggy.