The nastiest guitar tones, that worked

Many guitar players these days are obsessed with tone. The availability of boutique gear, the sheer number of variables is staggering. From pickups, to wood, to cable, to pedals, to amp design to tubes, to speakers, there are infinite possibilities.

Yet there are some recorded guitar tones that if taken by themselves would be almost painful to hear. These tones in the context of their songs however, are just right. They work in favor of the song no matter how wrong they seem. Here are some of my favorites.


Sympathy For The Devil

The shrillness of this tone is something that nobody can deny. It is a treble heavy, distorted tone that screams ice pick. In the context of this song though, it sounds right. I don’t think that a smooth, mellow tone would convey the same emotion.



Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black) (Album Version)


This sputtery, fuzzed out sound has one thinking of speaker about to blow out of the cabinet. If there was a tonal family tree, this sound by itself would be the redheaded stepchild. But once you hear that tone kick in that riff, everything just clicks.


Revolution

The highly distorted sound of a guitar overloading the input of a mixing board is not something people normally think of when you think good guitar tone. This unique approach to recording produced the right tone to convey the attitude of the song at hand.


I think these songs serve as examples of how thinking outside of the box can produce a guitar sound that will serve the song even if it isn't what we commonly consider a good tone. Let these songs be inspiration next time you start recording. See if you work outside the comfort "tone" zone and find a unique sound that serves your song and turns some heads.

Scott