Great Examples of Tone?

[kevinT]

To have a baseline tone to work from when designing a particular pickup model and to have an example to compare tones, what are folks' opinions of great tone (from artist recordings) of the following types of pickups? If possible, list artist, song, and album.

Also, if you want to get more specific regarding the specific location on the guitar (e.g., Tele neck tone, Strat middle, tone etc..) please list.


Tele

Strat

PAF

P-90

[Possum]

PAF

Here's two not very often heard Duane Allman recordings with Bozz Skaggs and Herbie Mann:
http://ur.pair.com/shrapnel/paf/

[madialex]

To have a baseline tone to work from when designing a particular pickup model and to have an example to compare tones, what are folks' opinions of great tone (from artist recordings) of the following types of pickups? If possible, list artist, song, and album.

Also, if you want to get more specific regarding the specific location on the guitar (e.g., Tele neck tone, Strat middle, tone etc..) please list.


Tele

Strat

PAF

P-90

Tele- Roy Buchanan, Brad Paisley, Brent Mason

Strat- Mark Knopfler, SRV, Hell too many to list.

PAF- Duane allman, EVH, Guitar player for Atlanta Rhythm Section and many more.

P90- Dont know his name but the Guy from Mountain, Mississippi Queen, and a host of others I cant think of now.

[DrStrangelove]

Stratitude

The mention of Mark Knopfler in connection with Strat sounds
is something of a canard since Knopfler's instrument of choice was
a Pensa Suhr Strat made by John Suhr while at Pensa in New York,
before graduating to a stint at the Fender Custom Shop.

The general feeling is that if a Strat died twice and was reincarnated
as a better guitar twice, it would be much like a Suhr Classic --
an uber-Strat.
http://www.suhrguitars.com/guitarsCustom2.aspx?custom=C

In that vein, Scott Henderson's "Tore Down House" is a fine clean
neck pickup sound from a Suhr Classic variation (now a signature model).
Strats don't sound this good but Suhr's do. The old 50-watt Plexi
Marshall amp didn't hurt, either.

http://www.scotthenderson.net/

If memory serves correctly, Suhr uses a Tanac AX2 to wind his pickups.
http://www.tanac.com/ax2/ax2.html

An honest clean strat neck sound is in Eric Johnson's Trademark,
also in his tribute song, "SRV".

-drh

[David Schwab]

P90- Dont know his name but the Guy from Mountain, Mississippi Queen, and a host of others I cant think of now.

Leslie West. Damn good guitar player! He was also one of the voices on Beast Wars Transformers.

[David Schwab]

An honest clean strat neck sound is in Eric Johnson's Trademark

I'm not sure what he uses now, but Johnson used to use DiMarzio HS-2's with the bottom coil turned off, and his tone control all the way down. That's what he said in GP anyway.

[DrStrangelove]

I'm not sure what he uses now, but Johnson used to use DiMarzio HS-2's with the bottom coil turned off, and his tone control all the way down. That's what he said in GP anyway.

That was the bridge pickup.
The neck and middle ones are reported as stock Fender single coils.

-drh

[madialex]

The mention of Mark Knopfler in connection with Strat sounds
is something of a canard since Knopfler's instrument of choice was
a Pensa Suhr Strat made by John Suhr while at Pensa in New York,
before graduating to a stint at the Fender Custom Shop.

The general feeling is that if a Strat died twice and was reincarnated
as a better guitar twice, it would be much like a Suhr Classic --
an uber-Strat.
http://www.suhrguitars.com/guitarsCustom2.aspx?custom=C

In that vein, Scott Henderson's "Tore Down House" is a fine clean
neck pickup sound from a Suhr Classic variation (now a signature model).
Strats don't sound this good but Suhr's do. The old 50-watt Plexi
Marshall amp didn't hurt, either.

http://www.scotthenderson.net/

If memory serves correctly, Suhr uses a Tanac AX2 to wind his pickups.
http://www.tanac.com/ax2/ax2.html

An honest clean strat neck sound is in Eric Johnson's Trademark,
also in his tribute song, "SRV".

-drh

HAHA, I have been drooling for a Surh for a long time now

[David Schwab]

Tele - Jimmy Page (even though people picture him with a Les Paul most of the time), David Gilmore, Andy Summers.

Strat - Richie Blackmore, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck*

PAF - Mick Ronson, Jeff Beck*, Santana, Cream era Clapton.

P-90 - Gotta go with Leslie West again...how about George Thorogood? Can't think of any others...[/QUOTE]

*Now of course things get confusing when we have humbuckers on Strats and Teles...

[DrStrangelove]

HAHA, I have been drooling for a Surh for a long time now

*sigh!*
Me, too.

I don't like Strats but I do like Suhr's.

At $2500 MSRP, they aren't cheap but there's nothing else like them.

-drh

[soundmasterg]

Tele - Yardbirds era Clapton, Jeff Beck and Page*, Zep 1st album Jimmy Page, Roy Buchanon

Strat - Hendrix**, modern Jeff Beck, SRV***, Buddy Holly, 70's era to modern Clapton, Ritchie Blackmore from 4th Deep Purple album on

PAF - later Zep era Jimmy Page, Bluesbreakers and Cream era Clapton, Slash

P90 - Early Santana, Leslie West, later Beatles era John Lennon

* = booster pedals
** = fuzz face and other assorted pedals
*** = tube screamer

[Regis]

Strat: Robin Trower, Richie Blackmore, Tommy Bolin, Ted Turner of Wishbone Ash

Tele: Joe Walsh did most of the vintage James Gang with a Tele. Bill Kurchen of Hot Rod Lincoln fame

PAF: Paul Kossoff of Free, Clem Clemson and Peter Framton in their Humble Pie days, Alvin Lee and his Big Red 335, Andy Powell of Wishbone Ash, Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane, and the guy who played a 335 with Janis Joplin

[Sweetfinger]

The mention of Mark Knopfler in connection with Strat sounds
is something of a canard since Knopfler's instrument of choice was
a Pensa Suhr Strat made by John Suhr while at Pensa in New York,
before graduating to a stint at the Fender Custom Shop.
-drh

My fave Dire Straits songs and tones of choice are mostly before Suhr started building. I'm pretty sure that when you're enjoying Sultans of Swing, you're hearing a Stratocaster. As far as other Strat tones, I've become quite a fan of Jimmie Vaughan in my later years.

[Possum]

P90

P90, Charley Baty, Junior Watson, Nick Curran, these guys play the classic real tone of P90s

Leslie West, I did his last four album covers, or was it 3, unfortunately the idiot has an endorsement with Dean guitars and is playing some piece of shit that ought to be hung around some metal head's neck, maybe he's getting senile or needs the money, very sad.....

[galibier_numero_un]

Hi Possum,

unfortunately the idiot has an endorsement with Dean guitars and is playing some piece of shit that ought to be hung around some metal head's neck, maybe he's getting senile or needs the money, very sad.....

I'm not trying to be contentious, because my impression of Dean's is also that of being a metal-head's guitar.

A couple of years ago, I visited an out of town friend who had a Dean acoustic with a list price in the $600 range. Now, you wouldn't get me to trade my Martin D-28 Herringbone for it, but at the same time, I was amazed at the guitar's sound and playability.

Maybe Dean's electrics are not limited to metal-heads? Then again, maybe he is getting senile

Just thinkin' out loud here ...

Cheers,
Thom