These last days, something keeps on running through my head: the most recognizable guitar sounds/tones (without really trying, I usually think about rock music, because this is my “business”, let’s say). Please keep in mind that I am not considering the style of each guitar player, but his tone only, even if when trying to identify a guitar player both are considered.
- Brian May (Queen) ,the overdriven tone, has an electric guitar sound that in my opinion can be recognized in an instance. It is somehow a strange sound, and for sure I wouldn’t set my guitar this way, but it really defines him. I don’t think that his clean tone has anything special.
- Slash (GNR), the overdriven and the clean tone. I am not a big fan of Slash, if you constantly read this blog you may already know this, but I really believe he belongs here. I think that the one thing that helps defining the tone of Slash is the fact that he is tuned one step down, thus using low tensioned guitar strings, which gives some kind of a “loose” and sweet relaxed sound. About the clean tone, I have asked myself what makes it particularly recognizable for ex in Don’t cry or Knocking on heavens door. I have added a delay on my rhythm clean picking tone and I was surprised to see how close I get to it when playing Knocking!
- Joe Satriani’s overdriven and clean tone. How could you possibly miss Satriani? How could you miss the one that is called the master of tone?! Here I think that his Fred pickup (which gives him that beautiful feedback) helps a lot in getting the almost patented overdriven sound.
- Metallica’s clean tone. Well, this is kind of funny! Metallica, which became famous for trash rock to be recognizable by the clean tone. Well, but for me, I think that the tone in One, Enter Sandman, Fade to black can never be mistaken!
- Carlos Santana’s overdriven tone. In such cases it is difficult to say where recognizing the sound starts and where recognizing the licks end. Santana’s style is unmistakable, but so is his guitar tone, in my opinion. And I know it is not rock, so don’t point your finger at me!
I would have said also Stevie Ray Vaughan, Mark Knopfler, Jimi Hendrix but I can’t tell where playing style ends to only speak about the sound. I think I would recognize a new Dire Straits song by the way Mark Knopfler plays, but I don’t know if only the guitar sound would be enough.
So, what’s your take on this?
- Tags: Brian May, Carlos Santana, Joe Satriani, Metallica, Slash
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14 Responses to “Top most recognizable guitar tones”
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Ovidiu OprescuRomania, 31 years
Playing the guitar since 17 and enjoying every moment of it!
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Gary
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:20 am
Roy Buchanan
Jerry Garcia
Zappa
Ovidiu
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:35 am
Zappa is the most difficult to tell, IMO. If you give me something to listen from him, I would probably recognize his STYLE but I am not sure about sound. Jerry Garcia and Roy Buchanan, well, I couldn’t tell, honestly…I could recognize songs played by Grateful Dead probably but I couldn’t tell when he’s playing alone and no way I could identify the sound, I think it’s a cultural issue, I don’t usually listen him on regular basis
Gary
April 2nd, 2008 at 5:23 pm
“I don’t usually listen him on regular basis”
Well you should! I listen Jerry and the boys every day!
Ovidiu
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:03 pm
I remember watching a 2 hours video about them on TV a couple of years ago, I liked them, but they are a bit out of my regular musical interest. I enjoyed listening them and I really said to myself to get a CD or something, I haven’t managed yet to get one!
Jeff
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:10 pm
You gotta have Eric Johnson up there if it is solely on tone. His lead and clean tones are immediately recognizable and unique, even more so than Satriani’s. Although I love Satch’s tone, I think a lot of guitar players have very similar tones to his. As well with SRV these days. When he was playing, you could immediately tell SRV’s tone. Nowadays there are so many SRV clones that it makes it tough to discern.
I’d also say John Scofield has a very recognizable tone. Very loose and ratty and very cool.
Ovidiu
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:15 pm
The reason for which I left SRV outside is actually Andy Timmons. He has a song, Remember Stevie, I just couldn’t tell who’s who when I listened that song.
IG
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Interesting that the guitarists you picked are almost exclusively humbucker pickup users.
Pickup types are my guideposts when thinking about recognizable tones. Typically I can sort of tell from listening if a certain tone is coming from a humbucker type guitar (say, Les Paul) or a single-coil type (a Strat type).
And I think a lot of guitar players (not all, of course) who have recognizable tones are humbucker players. Humbuckers don’t give you a whole lot of tonal variety by themselves, which leaves the player with the opportunity to shape his unique tone a lot with touch, attack, feel and dynamics (and amp/effects too of course).
Then Strat players, those guys and gals are recognizable not so much on tone, but on their playing style and phrasing. Because in my view the Strat has its very distinct set of voices (5 of them, all right there in the switch), and it’s very difficult to mold those voices into different tones with effects and amps. When you’re a Strat player, you have to commit to the Strat tone and find unique ways to basically leverage the voice they already have.
The two types are just complete different animals. And I love them both!
IG
Ovidiu
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Ha! Ig, I have never thought at this, indeed, now that you mention it, they are all 5 humbucker users. What do you know!
You may have a point, here. On the other hand, Jeff mentioned SRV and Eric Johnson, Strat players. But as he says, “Nowadays there are so many SRV clones that it makes it tough to discern.”
Could there be too many Strat users?
pilgrim
April 3rd, 2008 at 7:18 am
I can recognize Albert King with one note.
And possibly David Gilmour.
Santana definitely belongs on the list.
Korellia
April 8th, 2008 at 12:30 am
What about the tone master BILLY GIBBONS. How could you miss him when your talking about tone. Sham Sham.
LOL
MG
April 10th, 2008 at 12:58 am
Ovidiu-I would agree with you about all of these. With Brian May, I agree it is a kinda odd tone-almost bell-like. I always thought his tone is one of the most recognizable in rock.
For me, it was hard to think of tones separated from styles-I had to think of one or two notes from each player and “block out” more than that since I would be relying on the style more.
Yeah a lot of the blues players-I’m talking about Albert “Iceman” Collins and BB King have a definite ear-catching tone. Collins had that kind of biting, sharp tone, and BB has maybe a thicker, cleaner, but still biting tone.
Yeah, Jimi H could be here, and maybe even Tony Iommi.
Good List!!
Epiphone Guitar fan
May 28th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
BB King is the man who immediately springs to mind. I’d recognise that fat clean tone anywhere. As for SRV and Albert King, they have very similar tones and set-ups to the point that when I listen to them playng together I constantly change my mind about who is playing which part.
Then of course there’s Joe Walsh, another very distinctive tone, and Peter Green, and Gary Moore, and, and, …..
Epiphone Guitar fan
May 28th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Did anyone mention Eddie already?
Ovidiu
May 28th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
I think I should update the list, isn’t it?