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Catcher10 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Greatest Guitar Tone of All Time...
    Posted: November 08 2010 at 11:36
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David Gilmour's "Comfortably Numb" solo all-time best guitar sound
Written by Matt   
Tuesday, 02 November 2010

David GilmourDavid Gilmour's guitar work on 1979's Comfortably Numb, a track currently being performed as part of Roger Waters' Wall tour (and at some point, with David himself guesting for this part of the show), has thrilled fans for more than 30 years, with the track justifiably seen as one of Pink Floyd's classics.

To add to this, the track has just been named as the song with "the greatest guitar tone of all time" by the UK's respected Guitarist Magazine.

David beat other legendary guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix (in second place with Voodoo Child), Hank Marvin, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Peter Green, George Harrison, Scotty Moore, BB King, and Jeff Beck.

The top five are as follows:

  1. David Gilmour - Comfortably Numb
  2. Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
  3. Eddie Van Halen - Sinner's Swing
  4. Brian May - Play The Game
  5. Stevie Ray Vaughan - Couldn't Stand The Weather
 
Do you agree or disagree? How about the Top Five list?
Here is the link
 
 
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Henry Plainview View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 09 2010 at 12:42
Even when I was a fanatic Pink Floyd fan, I never understood what was so great about the Comfortably Numb solo.
if you own a sodastream i hate you
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 09 2010 at 12:46
Surely Mark Knopfler deserves a slot on that list. His tone is amazing.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 09 2010 at 12:47
Coming from a site called "brain damage," this can hardly be construed as anything other than propaganda written by lapdogs of the floyd.

Worthless.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 09 2010 at 16:12
Rock: Leslie West
Jazz: George Benson
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 09 2010 at 16:27
Such tops often have Page's solo from Stairway To Heaven on #1, I'm surprised to not even see it mentioned in the top 5. 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 09 2010 at 20:58
Holdsworth
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 09 2010 at 21:03
Originally posted by Tapfret Tapfret wrote:

Holdsworth
 
ClapClapClap
 
That and Zappa.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 09 2010 at 21:04
For metal, I think Michael Romeo has one of the best
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 09 2010 at 21:33
Steve Hackett.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 09 2010 at 21:37
Eric Johnson
Pat Metheny
George Benson
Wes Montgomery
 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 10 2010 at 03:30
Zappa's 'liquid' wah wah tone is probably my favourite guitar tone, I think it's played through an accoustic. here's an example:
 


Edited by irrelevant - November 10 2010 at 04:09
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 10 2010 at 10:35
Originally posted by Tapfret Tapfret wrote:

Holdsworth

Clap  Love McLaughlin's acoustic tone, not a big fan of his electric tone. 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 11 2010 at 10:09
The way Peter Green and Danny Kirwan improvise over top of each other on the "Boston Tea Party" tapes. "Black Magic Woman" is the one to check out. First of all, they are using distortion like any other guitarist would except the tone is just on fire. Like when Zappa had that perfect sounding tone. "Black Napkins" or maybe on various tracks from Lather. Not everyone hears the same thing in guitar tone obviously. For example his lead in "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" has way too much treble for me. Other times he would have the perfect combination in sound of treble and bass level, switching his pick ups, pick hits the string and presto....great sounding rock or jazz/fusion lead guitar.

Rory Gallagher who is considered a rocker by many 70's fans was actually more of a diverse type of player. His electric lead guitar tone was also on fire and very beautiful. He played various acoustic string instruments. This path was one that I had wished for Clapton to follow long ago. But he didn't.

Paul Kossoff because he had some kind of originality to his playing that is difficult to describe. He wasn't too much about showboating on lead. He was kinda strange standing off in the shadows playing a beautiful expressive blues style on guitar. He wasn't like the others around him but he did get pegged as so when Free's Alright Now became a hit. He was a strange bird. Sometimes he would pull things out of the hat and I would sit there and think...."Wait a minute" "I didn't know he was capable of those measures". He just didn't showboat and it confused fans of rock to think maybe he was just an average rock player.
Steve Howe's tone especially on "The Yes Album"  He is all over the place on that record. Not like a young guitar student! Like a guy who has seriously studied and practiced for a very long time.

George Benson at Carnegie Hall in 1975. The cd was released in 1985 or 89'. I can't recall if he is using reverb. What he plays at this concert is very breathtaking to me. Not just his tone but, his dynamics are like a student of Mozart. The long extensive note passages are produced with impeccable speed while the sound of the notes flowing together is like waterfall. Reference to waterfall of sound derives from old school jazz players. It's trying to produce a sound of nature through a 20 and beyond amount of notes played rapidly but coming off tranquil in sound. As heard maybe on Emerson's Take A Pebble.

Mike Bloomfield a guitarist who was actually sometimes sloppy. He had the most amazing tone on "Albert's Shuffle". He brings Johnny Winter on stage with him for the first time on the Lost Concert Tape at the Fillmore East. Both of them are incredible. Mike Bloomfield had such a beautiful style and the nights where he is on just blow me away.
 
Pat Metheny.......Totally amazing tone this guy has. He is obviously influenced by some sort of mid- western American traditional style of music. He also has folk in his style. Sometimes his sluring reminds me of Chet Atkins. His technique is amazing but, even more amazing is how his phrasing puts extreme emphasis on being melodic. Then he plays outside the melody as a jazz player and travels to higher realms.

Jeff Beck.....A very distinctive sound. I am not crazy about his fusion albums. He is blessed with a sound that differs from many others. Originally during his membership with the Yardbirds, he played Les Paul riffs and he developed some of Paul's style into his. His tone on "Where were You" is my favorite.

Guitar tone in rock music was ruined for me when Boston's 1st album was released. The sweet rock tone of guitar was replaced with more distortion. Not really making reference to Heavy Metal. That tone has to be the way it is for the sake of the style and approach. It was a cheap tone that annoyed me. Mostly indicated in stadium rock. Foghat took the Peter Green's and Rory Gallagher's of the world and added even twice the amount of sustain and distortion causing the entire affair to be like a day at the circus. If it was Hendrix doing it, we have to think more of his originality with it. The way he crafted ideas for young rock guitarists was important but, they took it and did something else with it that I found cheap. It takes years when you are a kid trying to develop and play Santana, Kath, Bloomfield, Andy Powell, Rory Gallagher etc, and then years later along comes Mary with full lock distortion that not only hides many of your mistakes but opens a path for many guitarist who could never hold a candle to Ritchie Blackmore but, yet obtained the same respect through the usage of high buzzsaw sound, fooling the audience into believing they were just as talented.


Edited by TODDLER - November 11 2010 at 10:21
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 11 2010 at 10:23
Fripp's thick black liquorice tone must be one of the most (badly) copied sounds in the entire genre?

Genesis music would be pretty girly without Steve Hackett's welcome grunt and that sumptuous 'weeping' sound he gets with the violining effect via the volume pot etc

Ritchie Blackmore's tone has always sounded unfailingly yummy to my ears

Kenny Burrell's jazz tone is unsurpassed in my book

Tom Verlaine's guitar sound is the closest anyone has come yet to replicating 'heart-ache' using just metal, wood and electricity

Zal Cleminson of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band has fantastic rock tone

John McGeoch of the Banshees/PIL/Armoury Show has, unlike may celebrated plank spankers, considerably more than just the one signature sound
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 11 2010 at 10:26
The King of Tone might be Eric Johnson.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 11 2010 at 10:41
Mick Taylor on John Mayall's Crusade and Bare Wires. I suppose he was a good little boy in the Rolling Stones playing his role and all but, prior to that he was a monster blues player who was just as good or better than any guitar player of his time. I am not making reference to his playing on Gong's Expresso II simply because it is different. The way he plays and his tone on the Mayall records is of a much higher sophisticated level.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 11 2010 at 14:46

Shortly after 3:50 when Gary goes into the solo,  thats the ideal strat tone in my mind.  Steve Hillage's is pretty dominant as well.  



This crunchy guitar tone has always been one of my favorites too.  Plus this jam is nice (there's something about that drum solo), the video is linked to his Have You Ever Loved a Woman video which is probably a better example of his dominant tone because he's soloing a lot more.

Zappa is an obvious mention

Fripp's soft tone is pretty dominant.  like the lead that comes in around a minute or after in in this song. 



Edited by himtroy - November 11 2010 at 14:55
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 11 2010 at 14:54
I like the guitar tones of which make the guitar not sound like a guitar.  Don't know why.  The idea has always appealed to me though.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: November 11 2010 at 14:56
^that includes Zappa and Metheny, right?
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