Looking for great blues rock tone in 2026

[harddriver]

great band and audley’s tone on this performance of peace pipe was cool,
but the link below looks like the same show and i vastly prefer his tone on that song (Highway Jones—maybe because i just prefer the neck/middle pickup sound)?

(oops—link!

Someone made the statement that Freed used the clean channel of the Silver Jubilee's......I have no idea if that is true.

 

[mentoneman]

Someone made the statement that Freed used the clean channel of the Silver Jubilee's......I have no idea if that is true.

i think you’re right because it looks like a pair of Jubees behind him.

the same friend that left that amp with me also left a jmp 50 watt 2x12 combo, an ac30, a traynor and a silvertone. my triaxis/395 stereo rack rig at that time eclipsed those amps, but i played the silvertone way more than the others

 

[mentoneman]

Awesome! When I first heard EJ as a teenager, I was changed forever.

His rig with the Dumble doing the "dirty rhythm" role isn't my favorite either. He sounds way more at home to me with a cranked Marshall in that spot.

Best 3 channel amp ever, two stereo twins for cleans, one Marshall for dirty rhythm, and the tube driver> second Marshall for violin lead tones.

A lot of rig, but it's glorious haha.

as much as i’ve loved his records, hearing him live on AVM tour in the front row, on his side of the stage at the Coach House—an intimate socal venue—was truly mindblowing.
His TONE and playing were peaking….and experiencing that cranking in vivid 3D surround sound at ground zero was surreal.

good ol’ EJ! one of the greats!

 

[mentoneman]

Love that Landau '15 NAMM clip you posted!

Sorry about the link issues, they are not working even if copy-pasting in Youtube directly? They all correctly show up on my side, maybe some region specific limitations in youtube?
The latest AC30 Brian May clip example was the '74 live at the Rainbow of White Queen, the official CD version that has a rawer mix.

i know it sounds like a broken record about seeing all my heroes play live and up close but 30 yrs of so cal living=right place right time!

that landau clip at baked potato was recorded during the second set of the NAMM show gig he normally does every year. it’s also one of the best recorded examples of what his Dyno 4/Jazz Ministry tone sounds like in person that i’ve ever heard. i attended the first set that night and sat as close to Mike as one could sit—at the end of the counter that runs stage right, where the PA console is located. while he loaded in and sound checked i talked to him about his then new fender ML amp and how great it sounded at the NAMM demo. a shot from my seat:

and standing in the maestro’s zone after the gig

there is no better way to fully understand the tones and extent of the player’s capabilities than seeing them live, preferably in a small venue or club. and Mike at the BP is a guitar pilgrimage i hope everyone in love with tone gets to experience in their lifetime. no words…

 

[mentoneman]

There's a couple of flavors of TBR-1. 1SLs are Slave To The Grind type thrash. 1Ms are clean and mid-gain oriented. No suffix is somewhere in the middle.

I like a lot of the Fuchs amps for mid-gain stuff.

personally i think EG would benefit from working with Andy to produce a Fuchs signature amp.



i thought the ODS II was his best flagship model ever. here’s my lousy EJ impersonation using said amp

 

[harddriver]

Here he uses a Fender and a Marshall SL...............

 

[Sick Michael]

personally i think EG would benefit from working with Andy to produce a Fuchs signature amp.



i thought the ODS II was his best flagship model ever. here’s my lousy EJ impersonation using said amp

Pat, whats your take on the Dualist pedal?

 

[JohnnyGtar]

 

[JohnnyGtar]

i know it sounds like a broken record about seeing all my heroes play live and up close but 30 yrs of so cal living=right place right time!

Damn right, dude! Our home in Burbank was 3 miles from the B.P.

 

[JohnnyGtar]

 

[JohnnyGtar]

 

[JohnnyGtar]

Bone breakin'!



One of the best guitar solos in history right here on "Heartbreaker". Freakin' tear jerker. Salute to Mick Taylor!

 

[mentoneman]

Pat, whats your take on the Dualist pedal?

great pedal with boutique SRV tube screamer tones on one and smooth boost to edgier bluesbreaker rock the other side. my friend uses it primarily for a lead boost on fendery amps and his synergy dirty shirley module.

 

[mentoneman]

Bone breakin'!



One of the best guitar solos in history right here on "Heartbreaker". Freakin' tear jerker. Salute to Mick Taylor!
…..

all of the songs you listed may not fall into the specific category of blues rock tones i’m seeking, but represent an era of great classic rock history performances nonetheless!

of your list Frank Marino’s tone sounds like the most modern example with the highest gain.

i’ll add this classic to the pile!

 

[mentoneman]

speaking of amazing guitar playing and perfect tones, those planning to be in LA for NAMM this January may want to check out the Baked Potato calendar:

https://www.thebakedpotato.com/events-calendar/

 

[CarlF]

all of the songs you listed may not fall into the specific category of blues rock tones i’m seeking, but represent an era of great classic rock history performances nonetheless!

of your list Frank Marino’s tone sounds like the most modern example with the highest gain.

i’ll add this classic to the pile!

I thInk you would be very surprised what's generating those tones

 

[mentoneman]

I thInk you would be very surprised what's generating those tones

i’m always up for a happy accident!

i get that sometimes gear conversations are like hobbyist sommeliers trying to justify who sniffs the cork best. that’s when it’s super helpful to hear clips of said player offering advice to temper their wordsmithery.
i normally just let the amp/gear win me over plugged straight in/first impressions.

when i first played some of the following outliers, i thought the carvin bel air and nomad combos and the peavey tweed 50 classic head had some of the better clean - breakup qualities i’m describing:



responds to pick and left hand dynamics, fluid sustain, tracking tight funky rhythms without flubbing out or being too thin. unfortunately those amps were plagued with design issues causing heat and reliability concerns.

 

[mentoneman]

i played the the classic 50 half stack at sam ash hollywood when it first came out and really liked how it broke up. not super metal/hard rock shred but just a nice tone and dynamic blues feel.

 

[harddriver]

A Marshall SLP makes an appearance and a humbucker strat in the OG video, probably the Warmoth strat mentioned. The tone on this track sounds like all Marshall to me

 

[mentoneman]

A Marshall SLP makes an appearance and a humbucker strat in the OG video, probably the Warmoth strat mentioned. The tone on this track sounds like all Marshall to me

a lot of the classic blues rock clips posted on this thread have an early to mid 70’s sound to me with a plethora of guitars. it is helping me realize i’m looking for more strat neck or middle/neck sounds, or maybe clapton woman meets ej violin where the marshall is rolled off.
with a more modern twist using a bit more edge and stereo fx.

this was actually a pretty nice strat tone along the lines of what i like, with a fairly modern bogner fish rack rig.