Worst recorded guitar tone

[Spudman]

I was listening to the radio today (something I usually don't do) and when I turned it on I caught the end of "Lady" by Styx. The ad-lib solo at the end is probably the worst guitar tone I have heard on a major release.

The second worse tone (don't flame me) is Clapton's early tone when he was using Music Man amps. It was tinny and ice-picky. Good playing - crappy tone.

What others come to your mind?

[duhvoodooman]

I was listening to the radio today (something I usually don't do) and when I turned it on I caught the end of "Lady" by Styx. The ad-lib solo at the end is probably the worst guitar tone I have heard on a major release.

The second worse tone (don't flame me) is Clapton's early tone when he was using Music Man amps. It was tinny and ice-picky. Good playing - crappy tone.
Never cared for Styx at all, so no argument forthcoming there.

Just curious--what are a couple specific Clapton tunes where this tone is evident? I suspect you're referring to the post-Cream solo career era?

[Spudman]

Yes it it post Cream, post Derrick and the Dominoes. Solo Clapton. I wish I could remember the titles but right now I've got about a billion prog songs going on in my head.:o

[SuperSwede]

Here is another fine flame-ready comment. Keith Richards solo tone on "Sympathy for the devil". I know that some love that type of tones, but its too much of a broken radio speaker for me.

[abraxas]

Well, I have this theory... that there is not such a thing as "bad" guitar tone. There is only guitar tone that is irrelevant to the song and it's general atmosphere and style. Just IMHO and YMMV as always. ;)

[Justaguyin_nc]

tone... hmmm.. I wish I was good enough to judge... just can't do it..

Sympathy for the devil.. probably one of the greatest songs made.. a real classic with some raw Richards... (see I dunno sheeet)

Lady... classic love song by one heck of a good band.. (I know less by the moment)

Clapton early years.. I thought he was rough and exploding on the scene.. (man, I need to get my ears fixed)


Welp, I guess I am learning what tone really is by the pros around here.. thanks for pointing them out to me... I am sure it helps... :p :rolleyes:
couldn't just be subjective by the listener...;)
Please now, can you gentlemen direct me to your clips on the proper tone of these songs? thank you... heh

Pssst..I knew Spuds started this thread just so someone would do this... it makes for a better discussion on tones..

[Spudman]

It's just that the guitar at the end of Lady really surprised me because the band is usually so aware of production and the tone sucks on this one part. It sounds like a piezo equipped solid body through a cheap distortion box direct into the board. The rest of the song is so bombastic and to finish it with a mosquito guitar sound just makes me shake my head. No wonder the drummer quit.:rolleyes:

[Iago]

Those are some I heard recently:

All Blue Cheer first record. Same extremely rough and dirty fuzz over and over.

Almost all songs from The Gun's (british power-trio and and less-bluesy-little-Cream-clone, but they had a lot of nice horns and string arrangements on most of the songs) first LP, also called The Gun. Whenever you hear the lead guitar it's the same metallic and muddy fuzz over and over, save a couple songs.

Any recording that makes me think "was that a guitar or a keyboard?" Usually Prog stuff.

Most of british 80's guitar tones with that typical chorus effect UGH!

[duhvoodooman]

All Blue Cheer first record. Same extremely rough and dirty fuzz over and over.
Ah, yes--Blue Cheer! Talk about your exercises in wretched excess! I'm told Blue Cheer was the only band ever kicked off the stage at the Fillmore West for playing TOO LOUD!! :D

[guitartist]

I always liked Blue Cheer's version of Summertime Blues...for a long time it was the only thing I had ever heard by them. I bought a "best of" compilation and was very disappointed in it...wound up selling it about a month later (and I generally hang on to about 99% of the cds I buy).

Yeah, their tone wasn't too impressive, as I recall.

[Mark]

Ok kids yer taking old Blue Cheer outta context here......yes they were loud but in their time there was also a thing called "Orange Sunshine" which consisted of very pure high quality DLysergic acid Diethyelamine aka LSD it had a way...... shall we say of adjustin the EQ inside your brain if you will.:R :R

:eek: Disclaimer: I nor anyone at the Fret advocate the use of drugs, this post is merely a report of goins on in an era that took place a long time ago.:eek: :D

[R_of_G]

My vote for worst guitar tone goes to Albert King. While the legendary bluesman had licks to spare, his tone always strikes me as thin and reedy and not the equal of many other great bluesmen.

[jpfeifer]

O.K. I don't want to offend anyone, but anytime I hear Neil Young play distorted lead guitar it's the sound of fingernails on a chalk board to my ears. I can't stand it. He doesn't bend notes to pitch, uses weird vibrato and pretty much plays in the most irritating way possible. (sorry to any fans of Neil)

-- Jim

[Robert]

Oh R of G, I can't believe what you're saying! I have a Wed Night in San Francisco album from the 60s, and I think Albert King's tone there is great. Big, Super Reverb tone. Ahh well, we can't all have the same musical taste!

Worst tone, hmmm, I seem to recall some of the Motley Crue albums had some guitar tones that gave me baldness. Mick Mars!

[R_of_G]

[QUOTE=Robert]Oh R of G, I can't believe what you're saying! I have a Wed Night in San Francisco album from the 60s, and I think Albert King's tone there is great. Big, Super Reverb tone. Ahh well, we can't all have the same musical taste!

Believe it. As you likely have realized by now, my tastes are a bit outside the norm [to put it mildly]. There are a bunch of hugely respected players for whom I love their licks but can't stand the tone [Clapton, Knopfler, Richards to name just a few]. I suppose it's unfair to ask everyone to generate the kinds of tones guys like Bill Frisell and Marc Ribot get, but then again, if they can do it...

With my own playing, I put as much into getting a good tone as I do into what I am actually playing. To me, creating the perfect soundscape starts with tone. The simplest licks can become whole stories with the proper tone. To point out a couple more guys with great tone {in my opionion} aside from the two I always put at the top of the list.... Django Reinhardt, Duane Allman, Sonny Sharrock, Joe Pass, Charlie Hunter, George Harrison, Jonny Greenwood [Radiohead], Vernon Reid, David Gilmour. In fact, Gilmour is the perfect example. His greatest stuff works so well because of his expertise with tone control. The vast majority of what he plays is uncomplicated, but because of his tone it takes on a deeper meaning [at least to me].

[sunvalleylaw]

O.K. I don't want to offend anyone, but anytime I hear Neil Young play distorted lead guitar it's the sound of fingernails on a chalk board to my ears. I can't stand it. He doesn't bend notes to pitch, uses weird vibrato and pretty much plays in the most irritating way possible. (sorry to any fans of Neil)

-- Jim

None taken. His acoustic tone is I think superb. His electric tone is fun for the punk in me, and I think he often tends to be making a different point when he is playing electric. He said so directly in the 40th Ann. Rolling Stone interview about "Let's impeach the President" Plus sometimes I think he just likes to make some noise. Certainly not to everyone's taste.

[R_of_G]

None taken. His acoustic tone is I think superb. His electric tone is fun for the punk in me, and I think he often tends to be making a different point when he is playing electric. He said so directly in the 40th Ann. Rolling Stone interview about "Let's impeach the President" Plus sometimes I think he just likes to make some noise. Certainly not to everyone's taste.

Agree wholeheartedly with your take on the two Neil Young's. Acoustic and electric Neil are two totally different listening endeavors for me. I happen to love both incarnations of his playing, though I see where for others his electric tone can be a bit much. Tone control, particularly with such an overdriven tone, is paramount in presenting in Neil's style. I play a handful of electric Neil Young [mostly Cowgirl In the Sand or Cortez the Killer] and you learn real quickly that that tone can get away from you if you let it. It's a tremendous amount of fun to throw around that kind of tone once you gain the control.

+1 to SunnyValleyLaw for making me remember I can play those songs!

[duhvoodooman]

Oh R of G, I can't believe what you're saying! I have a Wed Night in San Francisco album from the 60s, and I think Albert King's tone there is great. Big, Super Reverb tone. Ahh well, we can't all have the same musical taste!
FWIW, I remember reading comments somewhere very recently about Albert King's tone having degraded very significantly near the end of his career. The source mentioned something about him using a LOT of phaser effect in his later years, and that it gave him a thinner, warbly tone unlike the bigger, clearer tone he had been famous for in the '60s. So maybe you guys are describing Albert's tone at two different points of his career.

[sunvalleylaw]

Agree wholeheartedly with your take on the two Neil Young's. Acoustic and electric Neil are two totally different listening endeavors for me. I happen to love both incarnations of his playing, though I see where for others his electric tone can be a bit much. Tone control, particularly with such an overdriven tone, is paramount in presenting in Neil's style. I play a handful of electric Neil Young [mostly Cowgirl In the Sand or Cortez the Killer] and you learn real quickly that that tone can get away from you if you let it. It's a tremendous amount of fun to throw around that kind of tone once you gain the control.

+1 to SunnyValleyLaw for making me remember I can play those songs!

Yeah, I kinda like that totally overdriven Fender tone. EDIT: HERE IS A LINK TO A GUITARPLAYER ARTICLE CIRCA 1992 THAT DISCUSSES HIS ELECTRIC TONE: http://www.thrasherswheat.org/friends/amps.htm
He has his own machine (Whizzer) for controlling it. But, it is its own thing. I am certainly not offended if someone doesn't like it. Esp. someone with beautiful tone like Jim!

The acoustic tone, esp the stuff he gets from his 1967 Martin D-45, is my benchmark for acoustic tone though.

[jpfeifer]

Thanks for the compliment Steve. I'm sure that my tone could use some work!

I guess tone is a subjective thing. There are so many ways to look at it. For me I really like a tone that sounds like someone singing or a violin kind of sound. Or for other some players, I just like the sound that they get from their guitar that is partly their tone and another part how they are attacking the notes. The people that I really admire (tone wise) are B.B. King, Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, Stevie Ray V., Santana, Eric Johnson, David Gilmour, Steve Lukather, George Benson ... these guys make their guitars sing almost like with a vocal quality. I'm sure that I've left out a few that I should have included in that list.

-- Jim

[tjcurtin1]

I was just listening to some Paul Simon and realizing what great guitar tone his guitarists exhibit - a variety of people, but always great tone. Just noticed that on the latest it's Bill Frisell on some cuts. Frisell amazes me on every count, including tone. Among his many CD's a favorite is 'The Intercontinentals'. Metheny has a great tone, I think, and I like Jim Hall, too. Gerry Beaudoin and Duke Robillard on a CD called 'Minor Swing' are faves, and from way back (for something completely different) I always loved Johnny Winter's sound! While I respect Clapton, I'm not a great fan, but listen to his tone on 'Here in the Dark' on Taj Mahal's 'Phantom Blues'.

Acoustic - Leo Kottke, Tony Rice, and for a sheer musical joyride check out Jerry Douglas and Russ Barenberg (with Edgar Meyer) on 'Skip, Hop and Wobble'.

Ted (TJC)

[Spudman]

Ahem, worst recorded guitar tone...not best.:)

I agree with you Robert. Mick Mars is a unique player and I appreciate some of what he did, but he certainly had some crappy recorded tones. Any songs in particular come to your mind?

[sunvalleylaw]

Thanks for the compliment Steve. I'm sure that my tone could use some work!

I guess tone is a subjective thing. There are so many ways to look at it. For me I really like a tone that sounds like someone singing or a violin kind of sound. Or for other some players, I just like the sound that they get from their guitar that is partly their tone and another part how they are attacking the notes. The people that I really admire (tone wise) are B.B. King, Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, Stevie Ray V., Santana, Eric Johnson, David Gilmour, Steve Lukather, George Benson ... these guys make their guitars sing almost like with a vocal quality. I'm sure that I've left out a few that I should have included in that list.

-- Jim

Jim, you are welcome for the compliment. I love listening to your stuff. I love Vince Guaraldi and love what you did with his piece especially. Re: the artists you listed, I like almost all those tones too, and the others I am just not familiar with. I listened to Benson a lot as a teen. Just for fun, I was going to post a link to a clip of Neil covering "Broadway" from the Freedom disc, but couldn't come up with a good clip. LOL!

[Tone2TheBone]

Worst electric guitar tone in the annals of "rock" guitar = C.C. DeVille of Poison

That boy needed a tube amp bad. (Damien I hope you're reading this)

[Spudman]

Worst electric guitar tone in the annals of "rock" guitar = C.C. DeVille of Poison

That boy needed a tube amp bad. (Damien I hope you're reading this)
I saw him on a late night talk show and he did have a Marshall half stack. Unfortunately he might be one of those guys that can even make one of those sound bad.

But his guitar sounded good on my TV.

Which Poison song comes to mind?

[tjcurtin1]

[QUOTE=Spudman]Ahem, worst recorded guitar tone...not best.:)

Ooops! Sorry for turning the topic on its head! My tendency to 'accentuate the positive'...

[marnold]

I think that this thread pretty much proves what many guitarists swear isn't true: tone is subjective. There is no "holy grail" of tone that will work for everyone or be beloved by everyone. I did relisten to some Albert King and "Sympathy for the Devil," so I can see why those comments were made. Still, neither one troubles me. As far as Neil Young goes, well, I never listened to him for his technical ability :)

Having said all of that, the one recorded tone that always did drive me up a wall is John (occasionally Cougar) Mellencamp's drummers snare drum. Used to drive me crazy whenever one of his songs would come on the radio in the 80s, which was frequently.

[Tone2TheBone]

I saw him on a late night talk show and he did have a Marshall half stack. Unfortunately he might be one of those guys that can even make one of those sound bad.

But his guitar sounded good on my TV.

Which Poison song comes to mind?


"Nothin' But A Good Time" Lame lame guitar sound. No balls no tone. Toneless.

[R_of_G]

I think that this thread pretty much proves what many guitarists swear isn't true: tone is subjective. There is no "holy grail" of tone that will work for everyone or be beloved by everyone.

Very true Marnold. I'd be hard pressed to make the argument that there is objective tone. No specific tone will ever sound precisely the same to any two people. We all hear things differently, and all of us have different expectations of music we listen to [consciously or otherwise]. What pleases one as a good trashy tone may sound like sandpaper to another. Besides, as 90% of tone is in a player's hands, there is no way any two individuals could ever achieve precisely the same tone anyway, so if it's necessarily subjective in this way in its creation, it's reasonable to expect it to remain subjective when we hear it.

[sunvalleylaw]

Very true Marnold. I'd be hard pressed to make the argument that there is objective tone. No specific tone will ever sound precisely the same to any two people. We all hear things differently, and all of us have different expectations of music we listen to [consciously or otherwise]. What pleases one as a good trashy tone may sound like sandpaper to another. Besides, as 90% of tone is in a player's hands, there is no way any two individuals could ever achieve precisely the same tone anyway, so if it's necessarily subjective in this way in its creation, it's reasonable to expect it to remain subjective when we hear it.

Beyond that, I like different tones at different times. Sometimes I like a melodious tone that emulates a singer's voice, like Jim was talking about. Other times I want to just plain thrash. I am like that with vocals too. George Benson, do wapping with his guitar in his smooth way is pretty nice sometimes. Sometimes I like Cobain's wounded animal wail though too.

But back to Spud's topic on bad tone, for me it is somewhere in the vicinity of what Tone was talking about. I don't have a specific song, just that general sound is not my deal.

[Spudman]

I wasn't really intending to get into "subjective opinion."

When I heard the Styx song it was obviously a bad recorded guitar sound. I'm not talking about tone - sound is what I'm talking about. The sound of that guitar solo is bad. Plain and simple.

What songs do you notice that have bad sounding guitars? To your ears. Just keep it simple and say which song's guitar makes you cringe. Technique aside.

[pes_laul]

(preparing to get flamed) probaly the whos who are you generation with stick kids who are you same old son etc

[Spudman]

(preparing to get flamed) probaly the whos who are you generation with stick kids who are you same old son etc

Some punctuation might help to make sense of this...otherwise we can't flame you.;)

[zeusse]

There must be a ton of artists in all categories that have had a bummer tone at one point or another and even if the tone sucks it doesn't mean the song sucks. I think depending on the band and the situation it adds a little character to the song....thus You Really Got Me by the Kinks is one that comes to mind great song, bad tone...but what year was that recorded? and what equipment did they use? and who was the sound engineer? regardless great song in my opinion, if you grew up in that era it was killer....so as I listen to todays artists it just comes down to one big tone experiment but isn't that what all guitar players have always done?