The Smiley Smile Message Board

And I am not talking stuff you like to play or wish (in my limited case) you were able to play.  I am talking stuff you wish you could turn just the right knobs or buy just the right pedal to get just that sound.  I am talking timbre, tone, shading, things that make a guitar sound right, beautiful, or whatever.  And yes, electric guitar can sound absolutely beautiful, and I am talking oboe-and-flute-gentle beautiful.  Which leads to my opening disclaimer: my all time fav guitarist is someone most of you won't know -- Phil Keaggy, an Ohio player who started out in a band called Glass Harp in the late 60's, became a Christian and started making Christiam music.  At his best he can either rock out a la Cream or else make dreamy reflective music making incredible use of effects, eBow, and a little technique where he turns the volume knob up and down with his pinky while he plays.  Most of my moments would be Phil moments.  In standard rock/pop, it's harder to find quiet beauty; it is raw and more on a primal level there.

Having said that, in no particular order....

Jorma Kaukonen, Volunteers -- especially We Can Be Together and the amazing Wooden Ships

Mick Taylor, Get Your Ya Yas Out -- especially Stray Cat Blues.  He makes that whole album for me.

Byrne/Harrison, More Songs About Buildings and Food -- one of the great pairs of rhythm generators and highly underrated.  Everything on this album, possibly the best recorded punk/new wave album of all, sounds great but especially the guitars, especially Found a Job and I'm Not In Love

Roger McGuinn, various Byrds tracks -- actually, I don't like the "in your face" Rick in early stuff as much with the exception of the phenomemal "Bells of Rhymny".  But scattered throughout are great moments, and many of my favs if you can believe it come late in the Byrds career:  Chestnut Mare, Well Come Back Home (first 4 minutes or so), See the Sky About to Rain.

Neil Young, Everyone Knows This Is Nowhere -- Cinnamon Girl is what good rock guitar is supposed to sound like.

Eric Clapton, Cream -- can't limit it much here -- the Gibson ES 335/Les Paul plus the Marshall stack was an amazing combo.  Clapton NEEDS humbuckers.

The Edge, Joshua Tree -- I am an unrepentant U2 fan, and I admire Bono.  Deal with it.  And the Edge may have made the best contributions to rock guitar sound post-punk period.  Pride is probably his best moment, but the Joshua Tree is sustained brilliance.

Robbie Robertson, Live Dylan 1966 -- When I first got Bootleg Series 5, this is what kicked me in the face.  Best live sound I know of on an album, and the guitar sounds great.

George Harrison, It Don't Come Easy -- Of all tracks to find my favorite by a Beatle, it was a solo Ringo track?  But I LOVE the shimmering chorus/flanged/whatever sound George got here.

Any other thoughts...?

Sergio Dias' playing on the Os Mutantes albums, man. He's like Santana without all the mainstream appeal.

Barney Kessel - Caroline, No
Carl Wilson - California Girls
Jerry Cole and Barney Kessel - Wouldn't It Be Nice

Really, the ultimate "pedal" would simply be a sampled reverb of Western's reverb chambers.  Just plug an electric 12-string into that baby, and I think I'd cry to my own playing.

Rivers Cuomo - Weezer (1994)
John McLaughlin - Lost Trident Sessions LP

Both are pretty much straight up Les Paul juniors with p-90s through Marshalls.  Pretty sounding just the same.


The man's seeming obsession with Strats is really strange.  I mean, I love the sound of a Strat, but it doesn't work for Eric.  His playing hasn't helped matters much though. 

Alright.  2 guitar riffs I'll post that just bug the sh*t out of me.

1. The doors - Light My Fire (Live) - this is the live version you hear constantly, it was on both of their original live albums I believe.  Anyways, during the guitar solo, there's this awesome triplet? I guess portion that he added in that's not on the original studio version.  doo dee doo dee daa daa daa daa, doo dee doo daa daa daa daa. Just really fast, screaming triplets that sound like the guitar is dancing the polka or something, lol.  Hard to explain but one of my favorite moments on a record.

2. I KNOW I'm in the minority on this one.  There's 3 versions of Let It Be.  1 is the single version, with the harmonium? Solo.  2 is the recently released alternate take that's on the "Naked" album.  BUT, the best! Absolute best! And they never play it version is off the original,  Phil Spector Let It Be Album!  Not only do you have all the reverb drenched over Ringo's drums, and a different mix, but he did the intelligent thing, killed the Harmonium solo that was overdubbed onto a seperate track on the original, and plays the guitar solo instead.  It's one of Harrison's best solos, the last little scream of the guitar at the end of the break is one of the highlights of his career. 

THEY NEVER PLAY IT!  EVER! 

Urgh, I typed to fast, I just noticed I totally didn't even adress the topic, which is tones... sorry, I'll think about that and get back to it.

But still. 

I was about to say...looks like they missed the point of your thread Jeff...but, hurray, the topic may be saved yet.

Give it time -- I think that once people finish dinner, it may take off.

And hopefully make me think of more great sounds.  These are just a few.

I never much dug the Wrecking Crew's guitar sounds on BB records, because the other parts all caught my eye instead (especially the great organ and flute parts).  But listening to the Pet Sounds Sessions box helps; guitar tracks of great delicacy buried in the mono mix come shimmering out.

I know what you mean, but there are certain interesting things the mono mix brings out in the guitars.  We've all heard it before, but Brian was working toward the mono mixes, and I think the impact of the guitars is often very dependent on how the guitars were recorded when listening to the stereo mix.

Fortunately for the stereo "listening experience" (completely sucky for studying the guitar parts), most of the time all the guitars were recorded to the same track so they keep their combined sound.  "I know there's an Answer" for example, features really a mind bogglingly cool dual-guitar part (or one 12-string, one Kessel-Mandotar?), and while I'd love to hear each part seperately, it's the combined sound of the two instruments playing together in harmony and wallowing in the chamber that is so powerful.

Some of the guitar on Pet Sounds is so subtle...like Barney's stuff on IJWMFTT.  Well, this is sort of going on a tangent...

Not necessarily -- sometimes guitar tones that sound great have to be done in tandem.  Like the great sound AND riff on And Your Bird Can Sing, which not coincidentally features the best IMO guitar sound on a Beatles track.  But it's John and George playing together.

And certainly listening to the guitar parts outside of the mono mix for BB records is instructive.  Lots of beautiful sounds there.

I love the electric guitar on "Getting Better," from Sgt. Pepper and "Something" on Abbey Road.

John McLaughlin on Miles' Jack Johnson disc.

Wes Montgomery's tone was always awesome.

Eddie Van Halen on "Hot for Teacher," when the gain wasn't really high up (the boogie parts)

Beach Boys on "Don't Worry Baby" in the verses/intro.

Hendrix, "Red House" off of Live at Winterland (I think is the disc...some concert) and the album version of Voodoo Chile (Slight Return).

I'll think of some others later.

What's interesting about that is, apparently, on all of the Miles stuff John did, he was using a bottom-rung entry-lever Fender Musicmaster which were so boring as a model that nobody remembers them.  Like a Mustang, only the stock arrangement was one single-coil pickup.

On Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay", I've always enjoyed the sound of the pedal steel guitar (is that what it is? - I'm not a musician). Very soothing. Great vocal also...

This might be (correction: IS) very lame, but as a young teen, Ace Frehley throughout the KISS Love Gun album...

Ben Keith's pedal steel sound and playing always get me - particularly on the Tonights The Night LP - Albquerque and Tired Eyes are just beautiful. Neil's guitar sound on his solos is great.

I'm a sucker for a Rickenbacker 12 string.

Richard Thompson gets the most wonderful sounds out of his strat - the new box has a whole CD devoted to 'Epic Live Workouts' which is just that.

Townshend has often had a poor guitar sound (Tommy, Quadraphenia) but Who's Next is perfect. Played largely on a Gretsch.

THe guitar sound I most hate is Brian bloody May's squeaky home made thing. Ughh!

You have to say Dave Gilmour has one of the best guitar sounds around. Stratospheric.

Love the sound Lindsey Buckingham got on"Out of the Cradle".

Ticket To Ride - The Beotels.

The power of that note being plucked out is so supportive with the booming drums, it works well.

Trey Spruance - Everything on Disco Volante.  He's got an awesome sound, goin' down.

Tony Iommi "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath"-- has a Gibson SG ever sounded better?

My Bloody Valentine: "Soon"

and

The Velvet Underground, "Rock and Roll."

Oh, and John Squire, "She Bangs the Drums."

Oh, and the Verve, "Blue"

Oh, and the Byrds, "Renaissance Fair."

These are some magnificent lil' guitar tones.

OH! Velvet Underground, Sweet Jane. No question.

Yes!

The Misfits -- "Where Eagles Dare"
The Rolling Stones -- "19th Nervous Breakdown," "Citadel"
The Seeds -- "I Can't Seem to Make You Mine"
Pere Ubu -- "Final Solution"
The Stooges -- "Penetration"
The Residents -- "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," "You Yesyesyes"
The Ramones -- "Commando"
The Sex Pistols -- "I Wanna Be Me"
Chuck Berry -- "School Days," "Johnny B. Goode"
The Temptations -- "My Girl"
Red House Painters -- "Katy Song"
Television -- "Venus"
The Damned -- "Silly Kids Games," "Sick of Being Sick"
Led Zeppelin  -- "The Ocean"
The Pixies -- "River Euphrates," "Ana"
Duran Duran -- "Rio"
David Bowie -- "Starman," "Suffragette City"
Steely Dan -- "Reelin' in the Years," "Daddy Don't Live in that New York City No More," "East St. Louis Toodle-oo"
They Might Be Giants -- "Ana Ng"

(Yardbirds) - Jeff Beck: Shapes of Things
(Bowie) -Mick Ronson: Man Who Sold the World
(Amboy Dukes) -Ted Nugent: Journey to the Center of the Mind
Pete Townshend: Sheraton Gibson ('sittin' in the Sheraton Hotel playin' my Gibson")
Paul Simon: Duncan (not actually his most noteworthy picking but it does have his best guitar-player sentiment: "Just thanking the Lord for my fingers")

Brian May, especially on Queen II. And, for unique guitar sounds, how about Good Company from A Night at the Opera? The fanfare at the end of Bohemian Rhapsody I love, too.

Only two possible choices for me:
Velvet Underground "I Heard Her Call My Name"
The Band "Unfaithful Servant" (Rock Of Ages)

Have to second that one too.

I would have laid money that Ian would have had a Neil Young moment in there.

Not since he's been spotted on Ventura selling his Neil "Mung" albums.  I think Ian's turned a corner, but I don't know if there's a handicapped ramp.

Hell, while we are at it I gotta say I love the tone all over "Maladroit." here we go again...

Well, Jeff, that's in 3-5.
The final choked harmonic-reverb solo on Like A Hurricane.
Scotty Moore's slashing break on Hound Dog, atonal rock.
Townshend's Hiwatt scorch on Live At Leeds.

The early Beefheart guitarists all made great sounds, though I'm not usually sure whose were whose: Alex St. Clair's and Antennae Jimmy Semens' (Ry Cooder is easier to pick out on the first record). I love tracks like Electricity for crackling bluesy energy; Kandy Korn supplies free style cross-the-English-Channel marathon guitaring that slots neatly in between the longest live rambles of Grateful Dead and Velvet Underground. What's hugely exciting to me about this track is that -rarity of rarities- the band lumbering and sweating away in the same groove for sixteen minutes or so suddenly gets to that tantric release point jams always aimed for: a totally different guitar-led composition emerges slowly, slowly from the deteriorating repetitions and knocks me right between the eyes, transcendent afterglow. It's like the coda of Layla as if growing organically out of the first half of the tune instead of being grafted on as it is

Allman and Clapton together on that particular Dominos' number remind me a bit of Beefheart's combos overall, multiple guitar playing  that's often edgy and tense aspiring to joint ecstasy, a drama of two very distinct virtuoso players trying to interlock and mesh while also trying to run rings around one another and sometimes talking over each other's sentences in the process. You can hear them figuring out how to consolidate and build as they go along. That sort of dual guitar relationship appeals to me in part because it reminds me of the  human everyday kind, no instruments involved.

I'm nowhere near as musically eclectic as most of the people on this board, but a few sounds/tones that stick out in my mind...

Of course you have to mention "The Edge" when you mention guitar tone because he did a lot of creative stuff with it.  My favorite tone or whatever of his is actually the solo? break? to "Discoteque"

I know it's probably not a unique tone, or anything that's not easily replicable, but Del SHANNON.  For instance, listen to "Hats off to Larry" or listen to "Keep Searchin".  That's rock and roll, baby! One of my favorite parts of his songs is always how kick-ass the guitar sounds in a 'that's the way a guitar is supposed to sound' kind of way.

Don't laugh, but the distorted guitar that breaks in the chorus of "More Than A Feelin' by Boston.  KICK ASS moment right there and it's all because of the tone of the guitar.

Gotta mention Johnny Cash's strummed guitar in "Folsom Prison", I believe that's the track... where he stuck paper in the strings so it would sound like a snare drum (which I guess he said you couldn't use that sound on a country record at that time). 

Wichita Lineman.  End of discussion

I can't go to sleep without mentioning George Harrison.  I love "Wah-Wah", and the slide on "If Not For You" is just great.  Of Course "And Your Bird Can Sing" is nothing short of legendary and I also really like his guitar playing on "Not Guilty".  I think all this is on topic because I'm not really a huge fan of how great of a guitarist someone is, but more on how expressive their playing is, the tone, and how well it fits the song.  So basically I wouldn't like a guitar part anyways if it didn't have a great tone, so all of these I think are my favorite guitar sounds on albums.  George was such a great example of a guy who didn't give a crap about flash, but was an intelligent guitarist and perfectly competant when they needed a great guitar line out of him.  You could find guys infinitely more knowledgeable than George on guitar, but you'd search long and hard to find someone who actually sounded better. 

Not a big hometown fan of Boston (the band; writing from my sometimes home the town, right now), but that guitar break is massive, I've got to agree, likewise all Ron's choices.



I just mentioned Layla a couple posts ago written to George's wife by Clapton, and doing a quick scan through the LP of the same name, I keep hearing George H. as a ghostly collaborator, Allman taking his place on slide. The record's a bit like the sounds Eric and George might have been making together  had Eric not been screwing/screwed by George's wife. Fanciful on my part?  (Clapton-free And Your Bird Can Sing is among my top five guitar breaks too, by the way)

My Clapton/Allman moment is Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad. Breakneck.

As far as blues/rock goes, Peter Green's tone is my all-time favorite.  Particularly on the Fleetwwod Mac Live at the Boston Tea Party set, his Les Paul/Twin Reverb sound is absolutely haunting.  Listen to the soloing on "Jumping at Shadows" and "Green Manalishi" from vol. 1.  It's amazing.

Of course, Neil Young's wiry, Bigsby-heavy tone really gets me too, particularly on Rust Never Sleeps / Live Rust.  The moment at the end of the second (third, maybe?) solo in the Live Rust "Cortez the Killer," where he's doing Bigsby divebombs with some really heavy delay, is particularly spine-chilling for me, as is the industrial grind he gets on "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)."

For really beautiful, chimy tones, it's a toss-up for me between Jeff Buckley's Tele sound all over Grace, and Jonny Greenwood and Ed O'Brien's tones on songs like "Let Down," "The Tourist," and "No Surprises" (on the latter, Ed said he wanted his guitar to sound like a music box, or like some of the tones on Pet Sounds).  Those tones are so warm and inviting they're almost womb-like.

And as far as really ugly guitar violence, my favorite tones are Ron Asheton's Fun House tone and Paul's sound on the "Taxman" solo.  Also Zappa's guitar entrance into "Willie the Pimp."  That metallic glissando he leads into the song with is one of the most gloriously ugly guitar moments ever.

Keith Levene on PiL's "Memories"
That sound is psycho.

Robbie Robertson on "Tears of Rage" and "King Harvest (has surely come)"
Very different sounds, of course. Tears being fed through one of Garth's contraptions, and King Harvest featuring some mindblowing minimalist lead guitar solo work, as well as riffs during the verses. Perfect interplay with the organ too (not that that matters here, but still...)

For some reason, I really like Beck's acoustic guitar sound on "Jack-Ass" from Odelay. A very full sound. Same is true for a lot of the Mutations album, though that is mostly played by Smokey Hormel.

I really dig some good surf guitar sounds too. I'm not an expert or connoiseur by any stretch, so I'll just go for the best-known, Dick Dale and Carl Wilson. I also love the surf-ish tone on George Harrison's solo on "Honey Don't". Great recording. Also, "Surf Rider" by the Lively Ones has a good sound, if I remember correctly.

Adrian Utley's sound on Portishead's albums and the Beth & Rustin Man album is spectacular. The heightened drama on the "Theme from 'To Kill A Dead Man'" may be my favourite.

Yeah, Dick Dale, dude. I was just about to mention him 'cause I thought no one else had.

Chris Squire on the first few Yes albums, that 5000 pound buzzsaw tone.

While we're talking about Robbie, I've gotta mention Stagefright.  Robbie tears it up in that one.

Amen. One of THE best albums of the nineties. Great stuff. Lindsay is one of the great original guitarists of our generation. A master.

I don't really know either of you, but for your comments above , I love you both  ;D

Woohoo! I'm finally getting some love on this board!   ;D

Before her love
I was cruel and mean
I had a hole in the place
Where my heart should have been

But now I've changed
And it feels so strange
I come alive when she does
All those things to me

The guitar on the James Gang's "Funk #49".

Brian May - need I say more?

George Harrison
John Lennon

Back in the Saddle era Aerosmith.

The Who's sound on older songs and on "I'm Free".

 :D :D :D

I know DI is considered very uncool, but two of my favorite guitar tones ever are Kurt Cobain's on Spank Thru from the Fecal Matter tape and Mike Watt's on his four track demo of Burnin' Up of Ciccone Youth's Whitey Album.

I guess one of my favorite tones would have to be the sound of John's guitar on the break on "You Can't Do That".

Are you sure that's John?

Yep, that's John. Pure punk.

John plays the wicked Chuck Berry riff on Revolution, that kicks ass.

I LOVE the guitars on the 45 Revolution. And Paperback Writer - and Rain - and And Your Bird Can Sing. Wonderful!

Chunky, rockin' stuff:
The tone on "Reelin' In The Years" is killer, that whole intro before the vocals come in is one of my favorite slices of music.
Clapton on "Hideaway" on the Bluesbreakers album.
Steve Jones always got a great sound out of his guitar, especially on "Bodies" and "Satellite."
Jimmy Page. "How The West Was Won."
Lou Reed on the Velvets live reunion album, fat and ballsy.
The solo in Southside Johnny's "Hearts Of Stone."
ZZ Top in their heyday.
And my favorite guitar noise in the history of the universe: "Like A Hurricane." I can and have listened to this on "repeat" for an hour at a time.

Pretty, beautiful stuff:
The "Anthology 2" version of "Across The Universe". "If I Needed Someone."
Anything by Bruce Langhorn.
Chrissie Hynde (or was it Honeyman-Scott?) on "Kid" and "Talk Of The Town."
Roddy Frame (Aztec Camera) on "Oblivious"
Those glorious opening strums on "My Sweet Lord."
That beautiful "watery" effect they get on "Child Is Father Of The Man"
McGuinn on "Turn! Turn! Turn!"
The crashing wall of acoustic guitars on "Do You Realize??"

one word ..Tom Verlaine..... listening to his first solo disc now

I got a good one.

Opening guitar to "Goin' Up Around the Bend" by CCR.  John Fogerty made a whole career out of a killer guitar tone.  "Green River" anybody? "Born On The Bayou" anybody?  "Fortunate Son" anybody?  All killer because the guitar sounds like it's eating your speakers alive... but yet it's still palatable enough that anyone from 5 to 50 likes the sound of it. 

Yes, definately.

Leslie West is another "tone master."

And whoever played on Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit In The Sky."

The opening guitar to "Helter Skelter".

The opening guitar to "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby (Standing in the Shadows)" is a unique tone that I like.

The opening and lead to "Star Star" is sweet as well.

As mainstream as it is, Nirvana's guitar on "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is good, as well as "Come As You Are".

Some faves:

EVH on Fair Warning (Meanstreet and Unchained make me wanna chug a beer and smash my head through the wall!)
Jeff Beck on You Know What I Mean & She's a Woman (amazing touch)
Skunk Baxter on My Old School (Jeff Beck student for sure)
Eric Johnson on Cliffs of Dover
Billy Gibbons pre-Eliminator
Ron Wood? on Stay with Me
SRV on Little Wing (He was a God)
Hendrix on Wind Cries Mary
Tom Scholz on Hitch a Ride
David Gilmour on just about every solo (flawless tone, melody and phrasing)
Tom Morello on Killing in the Name Of
Angus Young on Back in Black album
Slash and Izzy on Paradise City
John Frusciante on beginning of Can't Stop
Slash on Slither
Randy Rhoads on Flying High Again
Clapton in the Cream days
Paul's solo on Taxman
whoever played the riff on Dr. Robert
If I Needed Someone
Neil on Rockin in the Free World
Joe Perry on Aerosmith Rocks...

Iommi on the solo in Paranoid. pure fuzz!
oh and Into The Void. nasty!

Eddie Hazel's sound on Maggot Brain and the early funkadelic albums.

I don't think anyone's mentioned "Cowgirl in the Sand".  I'm not a big fan of extended guitar workouts in general, but I could listen to Danny and Neil all day.

I may have missed it, but has anyone mentioned

THIS GUY?

(http://www.clarencewhiteforum.com/images/clwhite1971plays.jpg)

Great player, but Clarence's sound was only something I would have gone nuts for on certain tracks on the Easy Rider album.  Don't get me wrong, I love Clarence, but he was more about what he played than how his amp and gear sounded.

All the White Album guitar and bass sounds. They sound so controlled yet so trashy at once. Queens guitar sounds are always amazing too.  Macca has always had very impressive tones throughout the 70's, and like Aej said, weezer's tones were awesome.

From the Blue album but especially Pinkerton.

Maybe this is lesser known but the Cardigans album "First Band on the Moon" has some great either telecaster or acoustic guitars that sound amazing.  Their latest stuff is not as good but their 90's stuff is fantastic, its like bossa nova/beach boys type arrangements. The song "Choke" especially. Check it out.

Always loved the guitar playing on The Cure's A Forest. I know it's not exactly rocket-science guitar playing but it hits the spot! Also I find the recent, live acoustic version of Fleetwood Mac's Big Love stunning.. that flamenco sound. Also think you can't beat the Chic/Sister Sledge/Nile Rogers guitar sound in some of their classics.

I love the deep-sea sounds Hendrix evokes at the conclusion of the "Moon, Turn the Tides" (before the swooping space noises come in). Isn't this everything musique concrete should be? Almost anything by Hendrix would get my vote, though; he's simply the most atmospheric player who ever lived.

Otis Rush: "Checking on My Baby." It's like the ground beneath a man's feet being swamped by a rising tide of hellfire. Pure damnation.

And, of course, Alex Chilton's and Chris Bell's strident Strats thoughout "Radio City."

Steve Hackett,when he was in Genesis,and on his incredible solo records.
His use of the Roland Space Echo.
Hackett's guitar sound has ALWAYS been perfect......and his technique.After all,how many Classical Guitar writers do we know of in this day and age?
Hackett and the late great Randy Rhoads have/had great guitar sounds.
Bri

For me it's Roger McGuinn and the trademark 12 string-Byrds sound...

The Bells of Rhymney
I See You
Eight Miles High (guitar solo)
5D (solo at the end)

Had to go thru all 5 pages (whew)

1)The big Em7 between two solos near the end of
Down by the River-Neil Young
2)PT-live at leeds
3) Andy Summers- Message in a Bottle
4) Fripp-Hammond song(the Roches)
5) McGuinn-eight miles high
6) Bob Weir-Playin in the band (Ace)
7) Neil again-Drive Back (Zuma) he nearly "out-whistles" Gibbons (La Grange)
eight IS enough I guess--nice feedback blast from Carl on Knebworth...

forgot to mention TWO major tone kings--Zappa and Steve Stills...

and Lennon (third solo, THE END)

It's just the truth! Love your Mac avatar, Maybelline.

Thanks. Happy to talk Mac any time  ;D  (have you looked at 'The Ledge' forum? Pretty good stuff on there).

Hmm.

New York Dolls -- "Trash" ---------  Thunders' lead-breaks sound cute. Wh--Wha?

Shudder to Think -- "Hit Liquor" ---------  The most brutally harmonized guitars ever, courtesy of Wedren & Larson.

Townes Van Zandt -- "Rex's Blues"
Fleetwood Mac -- "Save Me A Place"
Brent Mason -- "First Rule Of Thumb"
Stooges -- "Gimme Danger"
Michael Hedges -- "Layover"
Statler Brothers -- "Flowers On The Wall"
Pantera -- "Suicide Note Pt.I"
Van Morrison -- "Fair Play"
Those Stones -- "Wild Horses" or insert your favorite ballad here* ----------------------- Great acoustic sounds on all of these.

Flipper -- "Life Is Cheap"
Flamin' Groovies -- "Louie Louie" -------------------- These guitars sound like a variety of whale farts.

Jeff Buckley -- "Yard Of Blonde Girls"
Johnny Rivers -- "Poor Side Of Town"
Love -- "7 And 7 Is"
Chuck Berry -- "Brown Eyed Handsome Man"
Elvis Presley -- "Gentle On My Mind"
Beach Boys -- "Sloop John B" -------------------------- Perfect sounds.

Acid Bath -- "Locust Spawing"
Cynic -- "Uroboric Forms"
Pantera -- "Slaughtered"
Steve Vai -- "Erotic Nightmares"
Black Sabbath -- "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" ---------------------- Obligatory Metal picks.

Good call on number 4, that's one of my favourites. A sublime track.

Thank you for remembering the amazing sound of the late, great Johnny Thunders...

I'm tellin' you, you plug a 12-string guitar through Western's echo chamber...perfection.  Doesn't matter who or when.

I can guarantee that my playing on 12 string at Western will not be perfection....

You underestimate the power of Western's chamber.

You overestimate my ability to play guitar.  I can do all of the Barre chords in E and A and open chords, but that's about it.  Elvis would run circles around my rhythm playing and that's all I can really do.

Right. I singled-out "Sloop" for the interplay.

The Guess Who
"Bus Rider" and "Running Back to Saskatoon"
Randy Bachman is an amazing guitarist!

I love the tone in the guitar solo for "Ain't To Proud To Beg" by the Stones on the It's Only Rock 'N Roll album.  It's so raunchy!  I just think that sound defines Keith and the boys!  Also, the guitar solo on "Whole Lotta Love" by Zep!  For that matter, anythign Jimmy Page ever played on!!

The tone on the guitar solo to "Everything You've Done Wrong" by Sloan pops to mind. The rhythm guitar on that has great tone, too. So do the brass and lead vocal, for that matter. Excellent song and recording.

The Justin Hayward tone--if you listen to the Moodies you know what I mean. "Lovely to See You" is a good example.

Paul Westerberg--"The Best Thing That Never Happened" Great rhythm guitar tone.

Robert Fripp--"Heroes" (Bowie)

Robert Fripp--"Larks Tongues in Aspic Pt II" Live version from USA.

One of my favorite guitar sectons is the intro to "Hey, Bulldog" by the Beatles. I love playing that lick on guitar

I also need to throw a vote in for Billy Gibbons of ZZTop's tone in general!  Wonderfully nasty!!!

Guitar solo from Paul McCartney's Too Many People, especially the 2nd part at the end.  Hands down my favorite guitar solo to play and the coolest sounding one ever.

Approaching Pavonis Mons By Balloon from The Flaming Lips' Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots has a really awesome sound on the guitar.

Of course the guitar parts from I Know There's an Answer.

All Day and All of the Night.

There are others...

I also need to throw a vote in for Billy Gibbons of ZZTop's tone in general!  Wonderfully nasty!!!


I got lucky this week and got invited to a pre-Oscar party at a house in the Hollywood hills. There was a groovy little rock band from Norway playing, and when they did their last number, the one and only Billy G. got up and jammed with them. That brother hits one note and the place went wild. Such an iconic figure with the sunglasses and that freaky long beard! He's got that ZZ tone in his fingers. He just starts to play and you recognize the sound right away. He only did the one song with them, but man what a thrill to see him up close layin' down that Texas boogie!

George Harrison's double-tracked lead guitar on "Fixing A Hole".  Simply IRIDESCENT - like an audial rainbow!

1st things 1st, detuned high register guitar in "The Singer Not The Song" (Rolling Stones)
Kinda brash strumming in "Eyes of a dreamer", "Big Iron Door" (Charles Manson)
"I Get Around" - they didn't achieve precise sound before & after, it stands out.
"Help Me Rhonda", "That's Not Me"
The Residents records got many interesting/creative
Ditto NRBQ
"Claustrophobia" (Bee gees), "Cat's Walk" (Beatles) & the like, with the vintage echoed shaky/wobbly guitars (paging guitar experts for name of such sound)
Obscure: "What we had in mind"
Christie "Yellow River" & the like.
Robert Johnson records

This was difficult - there's not many guitar sounds to choose from imo. Smb. uses the same tricks, amps, whatnot, smb. else gets the influence from the favorite guitarists etc.

"Her Face Forms In Summertime" is one that comes immediately to mind:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_yROdk5fx8

Elvis Costello - -alison