Who is the best guitarist with the worst tone?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Aaron Cheney
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Aaron Cheney

Aaron Cheney

Favorite Chord: C 6/9
Steve Vai, I say. Liveing proof that the more crap you dump in your signal chain, the smaller it sounds (even if it's a $3000 Eventide!)
Though his technique is flawless, it just sounds like he's strangling his guitar. (A la Homer and Bart.)
Aaron
http://www.aaroncheney.com
 
I've enjoyed very little of what Eric Clapton has done this past decade.
 
I've always found vai to be a pretty annoying player, bad tone or otherwise.

I really can't think of any 'best' guitarist with the worst tone.

Is this a trick question?
 
Yeah, maybe "famous" guitarist would easier to answer.....but Vai certainly comes to mind right away.......

but if "famous" is ok with you, Aaron, I could say George Thoroughgood (awful tuning probs on some of his live albums, too)....gibs
 
Insert random hair band guitarist here.

Oh yeah, did anyone see VH1s best hair bands of all time? Twisted sister was number 2. That sucks, just cause the singer hosted the show. WHat a crock. Anyway, I think the guitar tone from many hair bands leaves something to be desired, but those guys can play.
MIKE
 
Yeah, a lot of the hair bands had really crappy tone, coupled with great chops.

I would have to say for me it would be Stanley Jordan. His guitar just always sounds weak. It's mind blowing watching him play, and I have nothing but respect for him, but his tone just stinks.

Another would be old Santana. He had some of the sweetest licks ever,but his tone was ssooo cheesy. I have to give him credit though, he's come around full circle. I can't say there's any tone out there that I prefer over the sound of his last album.
 
Vai's tone is annoying mostly. I thought some of the hair bands had cool tone...Ratt, the first Warrant CD (thought I heard those were studio guitarists doing the solos), Dokken, TNT (Ronnie Le Tekro had a great, natural tone) um...that's all I can think of hehe.

oh yeah, John Sikes in Whitesnake and especially Blue Murder got killer tone.
 
I just remembered...

THe last time Pat Metheny came to town I saw him in the Opera House, and it was probably the least enjoyable show I have been to. It was so, so, SO loud, and his tone was awful. I could hardly stand to listen.

Aaron
http://www.aaroncheney.com
 
i always thought satriana's tone was pretty cheesy... less would definitely be more in his case.
 
I'm gonna get all sorts of crap for this.. I usually do.. but here it goes:

Randy Rhodes had horrid tone.

Cy
 
Steve Howe.

Love his playing but alot of his electric tone (even now) is very thin sounding. Saw a streaming video concert of Yes on the House of Blues website; good example of what I'm saying.

Kurt Penner
 
Richie Sambora...oh forgot what the question was. He's just famous & has no defining style.
 
Cyrokk,your on the money man. I completely forgot about Randy, but yeah,that cheesy"wah stuck on one setting"sound sucked.

I guess I'm just destined to make my new friend Scriabin hate me, but I have to disagree about Satriani. I don't particularly care for his real old stuff,or his new stuff for that matter, but his tone on his selftitled album was killer.It was very basic and full. Very tasteful.
 
I never liked Mark Knoflers' tone much but he has a lot of guitarists that idolize him so he must have something going for him....certainly not his singing voice.

Neil Young has some solos that really make me cringe but I like his songwriting so I cut him some slack.

Anyone in the 80's who used the "whammy bar dive bomb" effect. After we nuke Bin Laden lets go ahead and just destroy all 80's rock CDs. :)
 
I don't like EV post-Van Halen tone. It's not bad tone mind you, it just doesn't rock like it used to. Too processed!

The same thing happened with Metallica after Justice for All.

Clapton too After Derek & Dominos

Once a player is so wealthy that they can afford all the guitar equipment they want, they get a little crazy. What ever happened to a decent guitar straight into a Marshall/Mesa or whatever. All that other crap just kills tone.

P
 
I agree about Clapton. After Derek and the Dominoes his tone totally sucked! However, he did have some good sounds on From the Cradle.
 
I guess we should all be thankful we are poor, unknown guitar players. Otherwise we would be able to afford any kind of gear we wanted and our tone would suck.
I have to agree with Randy Rhoads and recent VH. Man, I don't know about Mark Knopfler though. I always thought he just had this really unique style and tone. He's certainly not the greatest singer, but his voice and playing have a unique charisma.

Aaron
http://www.aaroncheney.com
 
no problem, unkle slam, the satriana ive ever heard this that overprocessed wah wah hell of his earlier stuff...ive heard very little of his new and if he has got back to the basic as you said well then ill give him another listen... that running with an alien or whatever that cd was i thought was terrible.
 
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