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I wonder why we never talk about the Stones guitar players tone?


Dr. Ellwood

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Personally, I'm not a huge Stones fan. So, it doesn't excite me like a heavy metal Panterish tone.

 

My 2 cents :wave:

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When I think of Gimmie Shelter I'm as knocked out by the tone as the tune, I don't like any cover I've ever heard of it because that sound is so integral to the tune for me anyway.

 

Goat's Head Soup is a record full of great tones also.

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The Stone's tone comes about by a sum of all the parts, rather than any individual. Which is why, most of their solo stuff by various members is lacking something. You could duplicate all the gear exactly and still not sound like them.
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Originally posted by Starcaster:

I don't much like the Rolling Stones either, BiC. So, what do you think of the turn that Darrell's tone took in between "Cowboys From Hell" and "Vulgar Display of Power"?

 

hijacking>

I believe his tone became more defined with VDOP then morphed into a darker/deeper tone with "Far Beyond Driven".

 

I didn't follow them past "Driven". That's when they began running into problems with Phil and lost their magic, IMO.

"Treat your wife with honor, respect, and understanding as you live together so that you can pray effectively as husband and wife." 1 Peter 3:7

 

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In my tone universe, "Can't You Hear Me Knockin'?" has always been my fave. The intro is the perfect, gnarly-ass Keef tone, with all of his monkey-funk feel to boot! Mick Taylor's tone on the outro solo makes me shake my head every time I hear it. Goddamm, who needs Clapton in the Stones when you got that? For me, that's the Stones best lineup.
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It's come up here before that, though he's rarely or perhaps never even used 'em, somehow P-90 pickups have often been associated with Keith Richards' style and tonal-bent. Particularly when someone tries to convey the essence of soap-bars 'n' dog-ears mojo in typed-fonts...

 

I've always loved the guitar-tones in many Stones songs; "Sympathy for the Devil", "Gimme Shelter", "Wild Horses", "Jumpin' Jack Flash", "Brown Sugar", and "Can't you Hear Me Knockin'", in particular.

 

Originally posted by D. Fox:

In my tone universe, "Can't You Hear Me Knockin'?" has always been my fave. The intro is the perfect, gnarly-ass Keef tone, with all of his monkey-funk feel to boot! Mick Taylor's tone on the outro solo makes me shake my head every time I hear it. Goddamm, who needs Clapton in the Stones when you got that? For me, that's the Stones best lineup.

Yeah! Hell, yeah! You get two for the price o' one, there! Keef, and the OTHER Mick! :cool: Great tones, playing, vibes, 'n' mojo all through that one! It's a lead-filled gig-bag to swat a dead-blond croonin' Elton John offa his piano-perch and into a mosh-pit near you...

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Originally posted by BiC:

Personally, I'm not a huge Stones fan.....

...

Originally posted by Starcaster:

I don't much like the Rolling Stones either, BiC....

:eek: I guess you dagnabbed threadjackers must've never listened to their song "Gimme Shelter" then. That must be a simply awful way to go through life. :P

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Originally posted by D. Fox:

In my tone universe, "Can't You Hear Me Knockin'?" has always been my fave. The intro is the perfect, gnarly-ass Keef tone, with all of his monkey-funk feel to boot! Mick Taylor's tone on the outro solo makes me shake my head every time I hear it. Goddamm, who needs Clapton in the Stones when you got that? For me, that's the Stones best lineup.

On a general basis I like the tone and agree it comes from the whole band and not one member.

But Mick Taylor is different class and seeing him a couple of years ago in a small local club close to where he lives was awesome, he has incredible feel and tone, without doubt the stand out in any of the line ups, Ron can be tidy when he is on his game too. Keef is Keef you gotta love him :freak:

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The 'Midnight Rambler' live take that appears on the Hot Rocks album has two of the most complementary guitar sounds I've ever heard.

 

It doesn't hurt that the playing is top notch either(Keef & Taylor, right?) But the tones are warm and honky, in the best possible sense.

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Originally posted by Teahead:

The 'Midnight Rambler' live take that appears on the Hot Rocks album has two of the most complementary guitar sounds I've ever heard.

Is that the same track that's on "Get Yer Ya Yas Out"? That albums' got some great tones.

 

But actually, my favourite Stones' tone EVER was not by a Stone at all. Ry Cooder's solo on Sister Morphine still blows me out each time after all these years.

 

But just about anything out of that golden period was fantastic. There's lots of fantastic bootlegs from that time as well.

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Get a copy of the live 4 disc set FOUR FLICKS-

great guitar sound- and some pretty good playing, and although neither Ron or Keef seem to be doing alot- it all meshes together. Excellent stuff.

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Yeah Monkey Man for sure and I have always liked the tone on Jumpin Jack Flash both the live version and the studio one. I like the way they record acoustic too like in Salt of the Earth. I wonder if Mick T. is still using that clear Dan Armstrong? that had those rocker pickups you could do a quick change on didn't it?
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I love the intros in a lot of the Stones songs on their new (not so new anymore) cd. Just plain old foot tappin rock and roll tones. That cd and the latest Allman bros cd have the guitar tones I never get sick of.

bbach

 

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I was a big Stones fan when I was in college. I loved the late 60's early 70's stuff when it was Keith alone or with Mick Taylor. I have to agree with Sticky Fingers also. I guess we don't talk about their tone as much since we take it for granted. Alot of bands have copped that same general tone since so it has almost become a generic rock and roll tone. But the Stones still hold it as the best of that genre in my opinion. It is very much a band sound like a couple folks have already mentioned but Keith seems to be the one that sets the overall pulse.
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Originally posted by A String:

Originally posted by lee83:

I may very well be worng but do they even have a stones 'signature tone'?

Maybe that's one of the reasons their tone is not discussed. Because they really don't have one set, recognizable tone.
Exactly :D
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Yep I think everybody has it right! NOW if it's a group tone what is it equipment wise that makes that happen? is it Tele/Strat with Fender amps along with P90 equipped type Les Paulish guitars with again Fender amps (I think) SO..these combinations are not magic are they? petty straight forward instrument complement. Do you think then it is how they are ARRANGED! that makes this overall tone? I say yes but lets see what you think, bass tone is a given in this conversation.
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Originally posted by ellwood:

Yep I think everybody has it right! NOW if it's a group tone what is it equipment wise that makes that happen? is it Tele/Strat with Fender amps along with P90 equipped type Les Paulish guitars with again Fender amps (I think) SO..these combinations are not magic are they? petty straight forward instrument complement. Do you think then it is how they are ARRANGED! that makes this overall tone? I say yes but lets see what you think, bass tone is a given in this conversation.

I think it's largely in how any given gear is used, here, more than what gear was used- remember, the Stones in general, and Keef in particular, have used a wide variety of equipment and approches over the years.

 

Hell, how 'bout "Street Fightin' Man"'s overdriven riddum-guitar using a flat-top acoustic to overdrive a tape-deck, connected in turn to either the 'board or an actual guitar-amp?!

 

What were some of the things that Keith used to say? Something like, "the right guitar, and the right amp", moreso than any particualr brands 'n' models; "One guitar, five strings, 'n' one @$$40l3!" :D Or something like that.

 

He also said on more than one occasion that it generally took two "sources" for good overdive/distortion sounds...

 

It's the feel, and the sort of cleanish, touch-sensitive, attack-responsive semi-overdive that's often used for the guitars; AND the way all of the song's parts work together, tonally, rhythmically, and harmonically. (That's the sort of "arrangement" you meant, right?)

 

And, no discussion of Stonesy Keefery would be complete without mentioning Keith Richards' blossoming with the use of Open-G (usually minus the 6th-string altogether) and Open-D tunings, and the like... :cool:

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Originally posted by A String:

The tone on "Monkey Man" kills me. What a great sound. And Gimme Shelter gives me chills.

Same here on both counts. The girl singing backup on Gimme Shelter is what really does it for me, but the guitar tones are great.

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Originally posted by Teahead:

The 'Midnight Rambler' live take that appears on the Hot Rocks album has two of the most complementary guitar sounds I've ever heard.

 

It doesn't hurt that the playing is top notch either(Keef & Taylor, right?) But the tones are warm and honky, in the best possible sense.

My alltime favorite live song! Yes that's Senor Taylor playing. Ronnie will flat out tell you he's not Mick Taylor and never pretends to be, but what is truly important is that Keith likes him and the two interplay exactly the way Keith wants. Ron's soloing has really dropped off over the years, I wouldn't be surprised to hear he has arthritis or something. Start me up, boys!
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