The best tone you've heard in person..

mudslide73

Reading the "The best tone you've had from gear you no longer own" thread reminded me of a pub conversation I had with @equalsql. Who had the best tone you've ever heard in person?

Mine are: .

1) Robin Trower. I saw him at the Robin2 in Bilston - he was using all his Fulltone stuff through 2 JCM800 halfstacks in stereo. I positioned myself right between them and caught the full majesty of his Univibe swirl. Far too loud but majestic. As good as I've heard a Strat in person by a long way. (I've seen EJ, Beck, Matt Schofield etc.)

2) Aynsley Lister. I can't even remember where I saw him but it was a long time ago. He swapped guitars a lot but his first song was on a black LP though a Cornford MK50. When he kicked into the solo I was completely astounded that such a great tone could even come out of an amplifier. Just the right amount of everything. 

3) Matt Schofield. Lichfield Guildhall. This was at the time Matt was playing without a bass player. He used his SVLs through the Two Rocks. I managed to get a look at his pedalboard between sets and he had the usual SOV, Providence etc. but still had a Centaur. Great great range of sounds with an incredible solo sound in every song. As good as I've heard a Strat in person by a long way. (I've seen EJ, Beck, Trower etc.)

Elwood

Kirk Hammet - Gibson Les Paul '59 through an Axe FX playing Nothing Else Matters

Tony Iommi - for sheer consistency and presence. Sounds magnificent when ever I've heard him.

stimpsonslostson

Two stand outs for me, though I wasn't paying much attention to their rigs:

Brand New at The Usher Hall in Edinburgh. 
They were layering effects to create soundscapes, just as you were sure it'd all fall apart the melodies appeared and the song came pouring through. It was mesmerising to see/hear. The harmonised singing was incredible too. I came out saying to my brother "I need to learn how to use effects!".

Biffy at the Barrowlands- Simon Neil made his strat sound HUGE. (This was just before the introduction of their second guitarist). Justboy sounded like an aircraft taking off.

Stevepage

Paul Gilbert. He had a show case in Letchworth a number of years ago. He used a Laney GH50 and his signature guitar with a few pedals. His tone was incredibly punchy and dynamic.

Lemmy. Motorhead headlined Wembley Arena with Anthrax as support. Lemmy's tone just roared like nothing else I've heard since. Also the loudest show I've ever been too.

Matt Schofield. 100 Club in London. Just lovely tones all round.

MikeB

Andy Timmons at the Band on the Wall in Manchester. Huge stereo mesa rig which was epic.

Flip side was Pierre Bensusan with his acoustic rig at the same place. 

scrumhalf

Micky Jones of Man. A strat, with an old Peavey solid state amp at one end and the hands of a genius at the other.

Eric Johnson, Marquee 1991.

Alan Warner (ex-Fondations) at a NYE gig at a pub in Mill Hill a few years back. I coulnd't believe how good he sounded.

p90fool

Probably either Rory Gallagher or Frank Zappa. 

The former because it was that elusive bright-but-never-painful thing which makes the whole volume range of the guitar usable, the latter because it was like listening to a giant hi-fi, with the guitar always in the perfect place in the mix no matter what kind of wacky sound he had dialled in. 

lasermonkey

Certainly the best straight, clean tone I've heard at a gig was Iain Archer. He was playing a Tele which had Shed pickups fitted, into an AC30. Such a sweet, chiming sound.

Otherwise, every time I've heard Robin Guthrie play.

cruxiform

Joe Bonamassa in 2016 at the Hammersmith Apollo. 

Paul Gilbert at a guitar clinic earlier this year in Guildford. 

Tony Iommi’s at the O2, also this year.

slacker

Whitesnake 1980ish Mick Moody. 

richardhomer

EC playing his ‘64 335 through a Tweed Fender at the Manchester Arena In 1996 - real ‘hairs on the back of your arms’ stuff....

Strat54

Too many! David Grissom playing with Joe Ely in the early 90's and London's Town & Country Club...80's PRS into 50W Marshall. Robben Ford Signature Fender Esprit with Dumble in the 90's Manchester. Ian Moore vintage Strat with a Bassman re-issue. Chuck Prophet in the early 90's with Squier Tele through a blackface deluxe and Doyle Bramhall II red Strat copy at London Borderline. 

Maynehead

Some random dude that was selling me his Mesa 2x12 cab.

I turned up and he had the cab in his front room on its own. I said you'd better show that it's working for both our sakes, so he goes upstairs and brings down an amp head I'd never seen before. Plugs this guitar (PRS i think) straight into the amp, selects the dirty channel, and strums a chord.

I was just instantly blown away... it sounded better than anything I'd heard before.

Turns out that amp was a PRS Archon, when they first came out. I wouldn't mind owning one some day...

Teetonetal

In all honesty, I have no idea. I don't think I've ever stood at a gig and gone wow, that tone is amazing. the bad ones for sure stick out, like last week watching trampoline who were so loud it hurt.

RandallFlagg

Eric Roche playing "With These Hands" on his Nick Benjamin OM model, sat on the floor cross legged, at Sleaford Playhouse in front of what must have been less than 100 people.

The best live acoustic sound I've heard

dazzajl

Mr Gilmour, at the Albert Hall. Other than the black strat it was the tele and the sitting down slidey thing that night. 

And I’d have to agree with Matt Schofield too. Always sounds mind blowingly good and LOUD. 

Sassafras

I went to 3 Captain Beefheart gigs when Bill Harkleroad was playing and they were without a doubt the best sounding gigs I've been to. The volume was perfect as was the arrangement and the overall mix.

rico

My bandmates Tele into a cranked blues deluxe. And I mean cranked. 

JohnPerry

I saw Van Halen once about 25 years ago. It was pretty dreadful but the high point of the night was the first two chords of the first song by the support band Little Angels. It was a strat IIRC into a cranked AC30. Magnificent crunch. Never heard better before or since

Marshall_stax

John Petrucci, Wembley arena, Dramatic turn of events tour. His tone on the Breaking all illusions solo is the holy grail for me.  

thecolourbox

I saw the Dead Weather in 2008 or 2009 at the O2 in Birmingham just after it opened. The guitars sounded terrific but then I was stood in the perfect spot for it I think