Guitar players with signature tones

[Jay Kahrs]

Guys like Ty Tabor on the first couple of Kings X albums. Jim Martin from Faith No More had a really unique tone too. Who are some guys who can recognize from the tone in about 5 seconds or less?

[David Herbert]

-Andy Summers, The Police

-Doug Marsch, Built to Spill

-Mark Knofler, Dire Straits

-Eddie Van Halen

-Jimi

Good thread. David

[Bobalou]

-Ritchie Blackmore,

-Alex Lifeson, Rush

-Neil Schon, Journey

-Brian May, Queen

[Ruphus]

Originally posted by David Herbert
[B
-Mark Knofler, Dire Straits

[/B]

Take a listen to Knopflers shining example.
J.J.Cale.

[e-cue]

Stevie Ray Von

Santana

The Edge - U2

Eddie Van Halen - Van Halen

Kerry King - Slayer

Ty Tabor - King X

Trevor Rabin - Yes

King Crimson

[Tim L]

• Keith Richards
• David Gilmour
• Hendrix
• Stevie Ray Vaughn
• Edward Van Halen
• Brian May
• Billy Gibbons
• Eric Clapton
• Adrian Belew
• Steve Vai (love him or hate him, you know it's him pretty quick and nobody sounds like him!)
• John Lee Hooker (tell me you don't know this man in the first few notes!)

It's a little early in the AM for me so I'm forgetting a lot, but these just off the top of my head...

[Midlandmorgan]

Others with a 'signature' tone...

- Albert Lee
- Mark Farner (Grand Funk)
- Steve Howe
- Duane Allman
- Joe Walsh
- Ricky Skaggs
- (most of) Brent Mason
- George Harrison


Seems that in most cases, the people on these lists sound like themselves, regardless of the guitar rig they are using...

[David Herbert]

Good call on JJ Cale. Most car trips he ends up sitting in the "repeat" position on the CD player. Never wears out his welcome. David

Marc Ribot (Tom Waits among others)

[Ruphus]

Originally posted by David Herbert
JJ Cale. ... Never wears out his welcome.

Absolutely my thoughts too.
( And yeah, fits so great on car trips. Have had trips with friends where we´ve been singing and clapping hands to it all the time.)

Ruphus

[Dave Martin]

BB King
Chet Atkins
Jerry Reed
Freddie Green

[David Herbert]

How could I forget?

The Edge, U2. Not a super-virtuoso guy, but totally distinct, knows how to communicate with his instrument. David

[tiger vomitt]

tony iommi


word up

[toledo3]

Eddie Hazel.

Leslie West.

Joe Walsh.

Jeff Beck- though there have been different "era's" of Beck-tone.


Also- That guy that plays slide for Jackson Browne. Very consistent tone.

[2leod]

Originally posted by toledo3
Also- That guy that plays slide for Jackson Browne. Very consistent tone.

Ahh, David Lindley... love his mojo.
Can we talk about bass players, like Tony Levin, Victor Wooten, and the late great Jaco Pastorius? Monster tones...

[Noah]

Good list so far...

What about some of the blues dudes like Elmore James. That "Dust my Broom" Slide sure is recognizable...

B.B. King has built a career out of one sound as well.

Though I don't love all his music Robert Cray has a very different tone.

Noah

[Randy]

Jimmy Page

The early years

[withintheflux]

Without a doubt, Creed

[Neddy Seagoon]

Django, Wes, Holdsworth, Neil Young(!), Jeff Beck, Ry Cooder.

[blesscurse]

Steve Albini - Big Black
Steve Albini - Rapeman
Steve Albini - Shellac
Andy Gill - Gang of Four
Johnny Thunders
Tom Verlaine
Albert King
Mike Bloomfield
Mick Taylor
The O'Neill brothers (The Undertones)
William Reid (JAMC)
etc. etc.

-R.P.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/experimen...stortion.shtml

[merlin17]

Dann Huff
Rik Emmett (Triumph)

[Jay Kahrs]

Originally posted by withintheflux
Without a doubt, Creed

WHAT?!?

Are you deaf?!?

No I'm not joking.

That guy has the most un-fukin' original guitar sound I've ever heard. I got that tone when I was 13 with a ****ing Randall bass amp and a Boss metal pedal.

Original my ass.

There goes your cred...

There's a few other people on here that I disagre with where the playing style is more signiture then the tone. Like Vai, Nuno, Iommi & Scofield.

[flexoffset]

I've always thought Brian May (Queen) had a unique squashed-to-hell guitar tone.
BTW, I've always thought his bell-like solo at the end of 'we will rock you' contained some of the coolest 15 seconds of guitar phrasing in history (except for anything Randy Rhoads ever did).

I also like David Gilmour's tone (Pink Floyd) a lot.
I bet could pick his tone and style out in a single measure of music.

[Tim L]

Originally posted by Jay Kahrs
... There's a few other people on here that I disagre with where the playing style is more signiture then the tone. Like Vai, Nuno, Iommi & Scofield.

I can't speak for others but to me they're part and parcel... style is an inseperable, integral component of what ultimately becomes one's "tone"... in fact, 'style' is probably the most important factor... at least that's how I see it... mileage and all that jazz.

[Zarf]

Charlie Christian, easy!
Merle Travis
Scotty Moore
Link Wray
Hank Marvin
Speedy West
Joaquin Murphey
Chuck Berry
Fanny Beecher
Duane Eddy
Cliff Gallup

And most of that's in the fingers, as many of them used the same amps (Standel 25L15) and quite a few used the same guitars (or at least pickups).

[flexoffset]

Try this site...

http://guitargeek.com/index.php

[2leod]

Surprised no-one's included SRV yet...

[Mad John]

1. Syd Barrett
2. Frank Zappa
3. Wes Montgomary
4. Les Paul (did everyone forget?)
5. Jimi
6. Steve Howe
7. John Mclaughlin (in the 1970s)
8. George Benson
9. David Gillmore
10. Jerry Garcia.

[Jay Kahrs]

Originally posted by 2leod
Surprised no-one's included SRV yet...

I know E-cue did on the first page and I think a few other people have too.

Tim, I can see your point...but look at someone like Ty Tabor who used to have a really unique tone and now it sounds like he's playing a generic 'bucker through a Boogie and there's nothing individual about it.

Randall, Marty Friedman is the guy your thinking of. Again, that's playing, not tone. I'm looking for unique tones. For example, as much I as love Warren Haynes, he doesn't have a unique tone.

[withintheflux]

Originally posted by Jay Kahrs
WHAT?!?

Are you deaf?!?

No I'm not joking.

That guy has the most un-fukin' original guitar sound I've ever heard. I got that tone when I was 13 with a ****ing Randall bass amp and a Boss metal pedal.

Original my ass.

There goes your cred...

There's a few other people on here that I disagre with where the playing style is more signiture then the tone. Like Vai, Nuno, Iommi & Scofield.

HAHAHAHA I was joking.

he he

[2leod]

Originally posted by Jay Kahrs
I know E-cue did on the first page and I think a few other people have too.

Oops!
I should have never believed that guy with his fingers flying across the pages that "YOU CAN LEARN TO SPEED READ TOO!!!"
I want my money back...