My impulse is to say the 70's "overall".... However, after seeing many of the greats live including VH, AC/DC, Page, ect.... The best live guitar tone I've heard by a wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide margin was Dean Deleo of Stone Temple Pilots. Nothing even begins to come close to his Demeter / AC30 rig and the amounts of clarity that he gets while using the unique driven sounds from the Demeter. The AC30 isn't actually required for most of the clarity, the Demeter provides most of that while a Marshall or Mesa would be considerably more reliant on the 2nd amp to hold down the fort on the clarity front. Not to mention the most unique use of modulation I've ever heard. The relationship between that Demeter and the Intelliverb is a very special thing when you start using chorus for just the right amounts of texture the way he does. This one dude is so good in his own right I had to vote 90's, sorry 70's.
Which decade had the best guitar tones overall?
- Thread starter Tone Monster
- Start date
Ethn Hayabusa
Member
I chose the 70s. Even mediocre players had listenable sounds.
My favorite tones came from later years (Fair Warning, Chris Poland, Engines of Creation, Passion and Warfare, Jimmy Herring, Alice in Chains, King's X, etc.), but those were exceptions.
The average guitar tone of later years is pretty lousy.
My favorite tones came from later years (Fair Warning, Chris Poland, Engines of Creation, Passion and Warfare, Jimmy Herring, Alice in Chains, King's X, etc.), but those were exceptions.
The average guitar tone of later years is pretty lousy.
Fret-Shredder
Well-known member
80s 
Mr. Willy
Well-known member
TGP3":1lozzl09 said:
Deleo’s live tone is killer. His is on my short list of best live tones I’ve heard. I totally get what you’re saying about the clarity. For heavy rock live tone, Mick Mars on the last tour was rediculous. For straight up hard rock tone, I saw some band (can’t even remember who they were) open for Velvet Revolver, and the guitarist was playing through a Wizard half stack. His tone was so raw, clear, and perfect. Totally blew away Slash’s rack wall rig.
dirtyfunkg
Well-known member
Man, yeah Dean Deleo sounded awesome.
I voted '90's.
I still think Superunknown has one of the best heavy/psychedelic tones with those Tremoverbs.
John Frusciante's BSSM tone is still the epitome of a Stratocaster to me, and his Californication tones were also on point.
Jerry Cantrell's guitar tones are punishingly haunting, from Dirt to the electric parts on Jar of Flies.
Even some of the solid state tones from Chuck Schuldiner and Dimebag are about as percussive and evil as they came.
Then, of course, Aenima from Tool and Adam Jones' sound on there... ridiculous. I remember hearing Stinkfist for the first time and being like "WTF" hearing that guitar tone. It sounded like my speakers were tearing (in a good way).
Rust in Peace and Countdown to Extinction tones from both Mustaine and Friedman were amazing.
Hell, even Tom Morello's tone was perfect for the music they were playing.
Billy Corgan's layered Big Muff tones are incredible also.
I can't think of any bands since the '90's that have effectively used true single coils and had a nice heavy sound. Soundgarden, RHCP, Rage, Nirvana... they weren't necessarily palm muting, but those were single coils powering most of their sound in the '90's.
If not for the '90's I'd have said the 1970's. Al DiMeola's Romantic Warrior tone is amazing, and Brian May's tone is still one of the best I've ever heard.
I voted '90's.
I still think Superunknown has one of the best heavy/psychedelic tones with those Tremoverbs.
John Frusciante's BSSM tone is still the epitome of a Stratocaster to me, and his Californication tones were also on point.
Jerry Cantrell's guitar tones are punishingly haunting, from Dirt to the electric parts on Jar of Flies.
Even some of the solid state tones from Chuck Schuldiner and Dimebag are about as percussive and evil as they came.
Then, of course, Aenima from Tool and Adam Jones' sound on there... ridiculous. I remember hearing Stinkfist for the first time and being like "WTF" hearing that guitar tone. It sounded like my speakers were tearing (in a good way).
Rust in Peace and Countdown to Extinction tones from both Mustaine and Friedman were amazing.
Hell, even Tom Morello's tone was perfect for the music they were playing.
Billy Corgan's layered Big Muff tones are incredible also.
I can't think of any bands since the '90's that have effectively used true single coils and had a nice heavy sound. Soundgarden, RHCP, Rage, Nirvana... they weren't necessarily palm muting, but those were single coils powering most of their sound in the '90's.
If not for the '90's I'd have said the 1970's. Al DiMeola's Romantic Warrior tone is amazing, and Brian May's tone is still one of the best I've ever heard.