The best tone you've heard in person..

drwiddly

Gary Moore with Colosseum 2 at The Marquee in about 1977. He was playing the Greeny through a Marshall stack. It was incredibly loud and sounded glorious.

JerkMoans

Randomly, when pondering this the first thing that popped into my head - and then stayed there - was Skunk Anansie at a festival a few years back.  The guitar player, whom I believe goes by the style 'Ace', was, er pretty ace.  And his tone was fantastic.  Cut through a fairly heavy band sound, augmented by deranged lead singer and the usual drunken grunting festival horde.

BloodEagle

Strat54 said:

guitarfishbay said:

Teetonetal said:

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.

I don't think I've ever been to a rock gig quiet enough to not be wearing earplugs.  So in truth, I don't think I've properly heard any tone from about age 15 or 16 onwards.

I don't get earplugs at gigs, its not like gigs are that loud anymore. What are you preserving your hearing for? Old age? Great.....don't bother...you might not get there, and if you do it won't be that great! Like putting seat covers on a car to save the seats for the next owner...whats the point....enjoy the now, you are missing out on life otherwise. 

Go and see a Sunn 0))) gig without earplugs then have a rethink

simonk

Gary Moore on the Blues Alive tour in ‘92 at the Royal Albert Hall. He had a pair of Soldano SLO100’s and two Marshall basket weave 4x12’s... phenomenal tone. I started lusting after SLO100’s from there on in.

mbe

Sassafras said:

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.

I second that from what I saw and heard at Leeds University in 1973.

When Bill (aka Zoot Horn Rollo) 'hit that long lunar note' on his Telecaster, that truly was the most awesome guitar tone I ever heard. 

sted

Bonamassa at the RAH playing the beast and Philip Sayce at Band on the Wall Manchester which was so fucking loud, louder than many metal gigs I've been to.

Bucket

Jon Herington from Steely Dan.

Bloody HELL.

Jez6345789

Larry Carlton Saphire blues tour up close and personal amazing and effortless.

Jeff Beck  in the 70’s  Jammin through a jazz chorus in a pub it’s all in the fingers.playing a custom made aluminium Ibanez ISTR

Gary Moore  Guildford 2 Soldano Les Paul’s 

Daevid Allen glissando guitar at Marseille academy of art 1976 emotional or it seemed that way.

Jan Ackerman jammin in a bar in Breda with house band post focus but god can he play.

Derek Trucks small London club gig before he was well known. Had never heard such moving slide playing and tone.

sure there have been loads of others but they stand out.

Philly_Q

guitarfishbay said:

Teetonetal said:

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.

I don't think I've ever been to a rock gig quiet enough to not be wearing earplugs.  So in truth, I don't think I've properly heard any tone from about age 15 or 16 onwards.

I agree.  I've been to lots of rock/metal gigs, and I've seen Eric Johnson, Roy Buchanan, Robben Ford, Jeff Beck, John Scofield...

They were great.  But do I really remember the tone any of those guys had?  I can imagine what they sounded like because I know their records, but does anything about their tone, that particular night, genuinely stick in my memory?  Not really.

Maybe a couple.  I remember seeing John Paul Jones when his album Zooma was out, in my mind that was a great sounding gig.  And Extreme on the Pornograffitti tour - I remember Jason Bieler in the support band Saigon Kick sounding much better than Nuno Bettencourt.

thegummy

If the amp is miked through a PA at a gig, is that really any different from listening to a record?

bbill335

Doyle Bramhall II in Chelsea earlier this year was special. Very loud, and lots of techie problems throughout but an incredible range of powerful guitar sounds.

Wolf People have a brilliant sound, all big old amps turned up loud and fantastic players as well.

Neylus

Andrew Watt from California Breed 3 years ago, I think it was a 1962 Gibson SG Special (P90s) through an Orange Custom Shop 50. They were opening for Slash and when Slash came in his tone sounded NOTHING compared to Watt's!

Kebabkid

Steve Lukather on most Toto gigs I've ever seen. Always a massive and clear sound but it''s improved over the years in as much as there's less effect and it's clearer. He can't be beaten for that 'Arena/L.A. smooth delayed lead sound' and that will always be a part of his sound but these were gigs where you clearly hear a wet/dry set up.

I remember one Hammersmith Odeon gig for Toto where I got into the auditorium early and they were still sound-checking his guitars and there was a guy sitting near me with a walkie-talkie and I recognised him from the Rocktron ads and it was Bob Bradshaw (where possible, Luke took him out on the road with him).

Of late, John Mitchell of It Bites, Frost - all from a Marshall JMP-1.

Our own Stinkfoot (Guitarist in Steely Dan tribute, Stanley Dee) through a Helix and talking of Steely Dan, from their recent UK gig, Jon Herrington's Tele through a HRD on "Hey Nineteen"

stickyfiddle

I'm not sure I really give a shit about "tone" when watching a live gig. As long as it doesn't sound shit.

That said, I saw Pink Floyd at Live 8, which was, obviously, spectacular

ICBM

CloudNine said:

Neil Young and Crazy Horse a few years back in Glasgow. Perfectly controlled mayhem.

This.

Absolutely awesome - probably the best sound I’ve ever heard an electric guitar make. Interestingly, his backup ‘old gold’ Les Paul which he used on Cinnamon Girl actually sounded even better than Old Black, but that may have been because of the dropped tuning.

gordiji

George Benson around 1990 Brighton arena . Went with girlfriend who liked his disco stuff.
He blazed onstage with a 10 minute instrumental which made me realize 2 things. He was probably the best player i've seen. It was the best sound of any concert i'd seen. I didn't realise he was so good & i'm not really a fan.
Kevin Russell blues band S.Francisco . He regularly played through a blackface super reverb i think. Astonishing sound for an unmiked strat in a average sized bar.

Gassage

Sorry about this, but I'm serious:

DG Live8
DG RAH 2006
DG Nimes 2016

Daylight.

Brian May.

richardhomer

Gassage said:

Sorry about this, but I'm serious:

DG Live8
DG RAH 2006
DG Nimes 2016

I must give Dave Grissom a listen....

Gulliver

Richie Kotzen,  Birmingham - not only was it insanely good tone, but Jesus that guy can play...

dazzajl

Gassage said:

Sorry about this, but I'm serious:

DG Live8
DG RAH 2006
DG Nimes 2016

Daylight.

Brian May.

A good call on Dr May. Still haven’t gotten round to seeing him in person so I couldnt include him but nice to see someone has.