World’s BEST lead tone?

[hemmelight]

I've always loved this clip from Petrucci's rock discipline video for the tone and playing.
Back when he still had that awesome fusiony flavour to his sound.

 

[Coalface1971]

Amazing tone can be got in many ways and nothing is right or wrong but the one thing it always has is an amazing player at the top of their game.
I’m not saying gear doesn’t matter but it only has the potential for great tone. A bad player can make even the best rig sound like a PV bandit. I come across players all the time that just don’t seem to actually listen to themselves.

Please man, will you stop being honest about my playing (maybe I should stick to my PV Rage 108)? I've spent zillions on gear making myself sound good, and you crush my self-esteem like this? Jeez.....

 

[duzie]

 

[la szum]

I love that I can always count on you to deliver @duzie .

 

[TSJMajesty]

I love that I can always count on you to deliver @duzie .

The 64-thousand-dollar question is, do you 2 dig Michael Schenker as much as I dig John Petrucci?

 

[dk_ace]

I don’t know that I’ve ever heard a lead “tone” that was great and unique, certainly never think of one as the “best.”

When someone says the best lead tone, what I really start picturing/hearing are what I think of as the best lead guitar “performances.”

So, here’s the one that always jumps out at me first… SRV 1989 Austin City Limits. He was sober, at his peak as a player, and put on a master class of lead guitar playing. The tone was killer, the playing flawless and alive, and his total command of his instrument still puts me in a spell. I don’t typically rewatch much of anything, music performances, movies, shows, etc. But I’ve watched the voodoo Chile performance from that set at least 100 times, and I learn something new every time. The whole set is killer top to bottom.

I’m not an SRV hack, never played a single of his songs live, but I still appreciate that performance as one of the best things any guitarist will ever commit to tape.

And the tone… there are things about the tones he got in that set that I still can’t figure out. And not for lack of trying. I don’t need those sounds, I’d virtually never use them. It’s still been a pet project to get them anyway. I’ve gotten kinda close a few times, but I still can’t crack the code of the whole thing.

D

 

[FuzzyAce]

I don’t know that I’ve ever heard a lead “tone” that was great and unique, certainly never think of one as the “best.”

When someone says the best lead tone, what I really start picturing/hearing are what I think of as the best lead guitar “performances.”

So, here’s the one that always jumps out at me first… SRV 1989 Austin City Limits. He was sober, at his peak as a player, and put on a master class of lead guitar playing. The tone was killer, the playing flawless and alive, and his total command of his instrument still puts me in a spell. I don’t typically rewatch much of anything, music performances, movies, shows, etc. But I’ve watched the voodoo Chile performance from that set at least 100 times, and I learn something new every time. The whole set is killer top to bottom.

I’m not an SRV hack, never played a single of his songs live, but I still appreciate that performance as one of the best things any guitarist will ever commit to tape.

And the tone… there are things about the tones he got in that set that I still can’t figure out. And not for lack of trying. I don’t need those sounds, I’d virtually never use them. It’s still been a pet project to get them anyway. I’ve gotten kinda close a few times, but I still can’t crack the code of the whole thing.

D

Live at the El Mocambo is up there too. I revisit SRV every so often and still get chills with what he did. Same goes for Hendrix.

 

[la szum]

The 64-thousand-dollar question is, do you 2 dig Michael Schenker as much as I dig John Petrucci?

Haha! No contest. You win.

 

[TSJMajesty]

Haha! No contest. You win.

Haha I thought you might say that.

 

[Tritium3H]

I always loved Yngwie's very early tone, particularly with Alcatrazz and then his first couple of years solo. That goes both for his studio recordings but also the very early live performances.

Fantastic, overdriven Marshall tone, which is otherwise very clean, dry, crisp and clear. No delay (except in a few limited circumstances), and natural reverb. Also, a wonderful "in your face" mid-range emphasis, which really cuts through the band mix, and gives his Strat an almost violin-like timbre. It also means any little mistake or clam will be very apparent, and not obscured in wet effect or heavy distortion. Which, makes these insanely precise and virtuosic performances all the more amazing.

Here are clips from 1984 and 1985 era:

 

[dk_ace]

Anybody else flipping through this thread, clicking videos, and wondering what the hell is wrong with this forums ears?

 

[TSJMajesty]

Anybody else flipping through this thread, clicking videos, and wondering what the hell is wrong with this forums ears?

Different tastes is quite enough explanation for me.

 

[Tritium3H]

I also really like Steve Morse's live tone in this performance with Deep Purple of "Haunted". Great tune, great solo.

 

[Steinmetzify]

Not my band and mostly not my thing but for cover these guys killed it and Chris’s lead and rhythm tone just does it for me.

 

[Speedyone]

Sorry guys, David Gilmour has the best lead tone ever, in every recording.

But wait…. He didn’t have an AxeFX back then, did he?

:)

I’m just kidding!

I do love your passion for Fractal.

And I agree that Comfortably Numb is (for me,) the greatest guitar solo ever, with the greatest tone (tied with Ty Tabor)

:)

 

[Life Eats Life]

That would hinge on ‘who’ produced this lead tone.
Has nothing to do with the player in the end unless he’s the producer or the sound engineer for that nights live sound & production.

J.Mascis has a juicy lead tone and produces his own shit.
He also does the drums herds of justice back there behind the kit.

 

[Diezelmonster]

I'm definitely the odd man out here but Dime's lead tone on the great southern trendkill gets me every time.

Especially on this song.

 

[Speedyone]

I don’t know that I’ve ever heard a lead “tone” that was great and unique, certainly never think of one as the “best.”

When someone says the best lead tone, what I really start picturing/hearing are what I think of as the best lead guitar “performances.”

So, here’s the one that always jumps out at me first… SRV 1989 Austin City Limits. He was sober, at his peak as a player, and put on a master class of lead guitar playing. The tone was killer, the playing flawless and alive, and his total command of his instrument still puts me in a spell. I don’t typically rewatch much of anything, music performances, movies, shows, etc. But I’ve watched the voodoo Chile performance from that set at least 100 times, and I learn something new every time. The whole set is killer top to bottom.

I’m not an SRV hack, never played a single of his songs live, but I still appreciate that performance as one of the best things any guitarist will ever commit to tape.

And the tone… there are things about the tones he got in that set that I still can’t figure out. And not for lack of trying. I don’t need those sounds, I’d virtually never use them. It’s still been a pet project to get them anyway. I’ve gotten kinda close a few times, but I still can’t crack the code of the whole thing.

D

How about this?

Check 3:33


Check 1:27


Check 2:18


Check 00:52


Don’t know if this counts, but:


And this:
https://youtu.be/WAtA1BZWPyQ

And finally, check out 3:44
https://youtu.be/D7Y6LDFyYwA

It’s cool if you don’t LIKE any of these tones, but they seem pretty unique to me.

:)

 

[Gearzilla]

I’ve heard lots of great lead tones. Often quite different to each other.

 

[Eagle]

I’ve heard lots of great lead tones. Often quite different to each other.

This is it really, there isn’t just one type of great tone and it’s mostly about how well the player shapes it and uses it as a voice.