What jazz guitar player has the best tone to you?

**cpike** · 04-01-2019, 07:02 PM

Originally Posted by sgosnell

Jesse Van Ruller, with his Westville. What a great sound.

Went to youtube to check this out, and this played next...(!)

**takauya** · 04-02-2019, 08:32 AM

Jesse sounded 1000000x better with his old Levin.

**christianm77** · 04-02-2019, 10:00 AM

Originally Posted by Gabor

We agree on Kenny Burrell... we also agree on Bill Frisell.

What makes me answer is you were mentioning Mike Stern and Coryell with Scofield... I think Scofield created something what is now the part of the jazz culture. I do not think Mike Stern and Coryell fall in the same league, they have literally no sound, and what is more important most of the time no music comes out (sorry) :-)

Of course one can like or dislike Scofield's music. Just for the record I am not a Scofield fan, but really appreciate his works.

Back to the topic the sound itself: "flat and uninspiring"? please listen, what a great sound, not talking about the music....

A lot more tone comes from Scos fingers than it would seem if you’ve only heard him play electric.

My wife thinks Sterns sound is beautiful (we heard him at the 55), rich praise from someone who plays cello, which is basically the best noise.

But it’s funny how people can’t hear beyond a sound they dislike. It’s terribly important.

But who would want to be a player that no one has any strong feelings about?

**JCat** · 04-02-2019, 11:39 AM

Originally Posted by Gabor

We agree on Kenny Burrell... we also agree on Bill Frisell.

What makes me answer is you were mentioning Mike Stern and Coryell with Scofield... I think Scofield created something what is now the part of the jazz culture. I do not think Mike Stern and Coryell fall in the same league, they have literally no sound, and what is more important most of the time no music comes out (sorry) :-)

Of course one can like or dislike Scofield's music. Just for the record I am not a Scofield fan, but really appreciate his works.

Back to the topic the sound itself: "flat and uninspiring"? please listen, what a great sound, not talking about the music....

Some of the last records I bought (before streaming killed the CD) happen to be a couple of Scofield albums. In general I like his music more than his tone, but after a while one accepts the tone and expression as vital for his music. Most of the time his playing and sound is hard to separate from the actual compositions, which I think is a double edged sword; on one hand he is unique with a very distinct signature tone, on the other hand the music becomes hard to recapture by other musicians.

I wanted to cover a couple of tracks, and did my usual routine; listen and repeat....I soon found out that he approaches the fretboard very differently than I do; He digs in hard and plays a bit stiff and gnarly. I tried some altered tunings, to see if it would fall out more natural, but it didn't. His tone is a consequence of his playing style and he goes for a hairy tone. He plays with distortion and swirl.

I think he's mighty cool, in the sense he's a bit avantgarde but still accessible for people that don't listen to old time Jazz, the way most of us do around here. I think of Sco as a Jazz-musician with one foot firmly planted in the fusion soil.

Jazz comes in many shapes, and I think Scofield is a good example of a player that uses distorion without being particularly "horn-like" nor "guitaristic"

. He sounds like Scofield. I respect him for it and I leave it to him.

**Robertkoa** · 04-02-2019, 12:55 PM

"You don't have to be a star baby to be in my show."

Marvin Gaye and Tammy Terrell singing about the fact that there are a LOT of stellar tones from non famous Players.

Ironically , when you hear a ' Local Guy ' with great tone or Playing and compliment them they often try to talk you out of it ...

I remember in the 80's when Miami was a real Jazz/Fusion/ Prog R&B town [ Carmen Lundy and Nimbus with Peter Harris on Guitar..[.Kepler with Randall Dollahon on Guitar ].

There used to be a Club where every Monday was Sax Player Ed Calle ( was signed to Epic Records - )
He had this young Guitarist who played like a Jazz Clapton , real calm confident great Tone from a warm Strat ..his vibrato fit straight Jazz somehow in addition to Fusion ...

I told him 'even though you are twice as good as me - I still enjoyed your Playing and Tone '...lol.

He tried to talk me out of it ...but a few years later was with Miami Sound Machine ...

I thought that guy selling the Westville 'Water ' had great tone and Jack Z - depending on which Guitar he demos etc.
( semi famous but still...) lots of non famous Guys with great Tone who don't realize it cuz they are trying for something else.

**Hep To The Jive** · 04-02-2019, 12:59 PM

Scofield tone was what pulled me into jazz in the first place. Before most of what Ive heard as a jazz guitar sound was pretty boring and uninspiring. Over the years Ive learned to appreciate it, but still I prefer some blues and rocknroll in my fav jazz tones.

**Gabor** · 04-02-2019, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by christianm77

But it’s funny how people can’t hear beyond a sound they dislike. It’s terribly important.

...I was talking about Stern as a musician, not his sound...

***

Regarding the sound itself, the sound with all the nuances are part of the music, I think it makes no sense to ignore it and "hear beyond it" in case of a musical art. That is the integral part of the musician self expression and the musician's character from its (the sound) feeling, to all the emotions it carries, to dynamics, starts, ends, picks, legatos.

**Shadow of the Sun** · 04-02-2019, 08:44 PM

The tone Julian Lage gets out of a Tele and a Fender Champ is to die for. Definitely makes me want to get a Tele and, well, a Champ.

**christianm77** · 04-03-2019, 02:23 AM

Originally Posted by Gabor

...I was talking about Stern as a musician, not his sound...

***

Regarding the sound itself, the sound with all the nuances are part of the music, I think it makes no sense to ignore it and "hear beyond it" in case of a musical art. That is the integral part of the musician self expression and the musician's character from its (the sound) feeling, to all the emotions it carries, to dynamics, starts, ends, picks, legatos.

I think that was what I was trying to say

**MisterMitch** · 04-03-2019, 04:04 AM

I've always prefered Pat Martino's tone

**JCat** · 04-03-2019, 06:08 AM

Originally Posted by Gabor

Regarding the sound itself, the sound with all the nuances are part of the music, I think it makes no sense to ignore it and "hear beyond it" in case of a musical art. That is the integral part of the musician self expression and the musician's character from its (the sound) feeling, to all the emotions it carries, to dynamics, starts, ends, picks, legatos.

Well, not from the perspective of composition. There's a difference between a happening and work that can be reproduced. There's a difference between performance and composition.

This is partially a philosophical question where the answer depends on my purpose and my relationship to improvisation and music in free form.

From my point of view, the best compositions are never dependent on the performing artist, not even the set of instruments.

OP asks about "tone" and not specifically about composition. -What performing soloist has the best tone? I couldn't provide a subjective answer without consideration to the actual genre, composition and orchestration/band setting (not to say that the composition should depend on the soloist).

In case it would not be possible to separate tone, improvisation and composition from the soloist; -what is this thread really about?

**coolvinny** · 04-03-2019, 11:54 AM

Peter Bernstein and Billy Bean for melodies - very close and just depends on the recording. Sheryl Bailey is very close too!

Billy Bean and Jimmy Raney for comping.

**dickbanks** · 04-03-2019, 04:32 PM

Can't argue with any of these.

For me, for today, it's Pat Metheny.

**CarlD** · 04-03-2019, 08:47 PM

Fun fact:

If you take Methenys tone on Brecker's Midnight Voyage (Tales From The Hudson) and run it thru a speaker on its last legs, so it distorts just right, and with possibly a small mounting screw a little loose (such as my car stereo) that rattles just right ... you're left with Miles Davis.

Like, unimaginably, exactly Miles. It's uncanny.

**P.J.** · 04-06-2019, 06:22 AM

Originally Posted by Iced Tea

Hank Garland’s tone here is heavenly! I do love guitar with a big plate reverb, to me that’s the quintessential 50s bop guitar sound.

Oh Joe Pass’ tone on For Django is great too!

Love that Hank Garland record!

**P.J.** · 04-06-2019, 06:35 AM

Some more to add to the list...

Ben Monder - love him clean or distorted. Love his volume pedal work. Love his atmospherics. What I would give for that right hand...
Eivind Aarsett - check out his work with Nils Petter Molvaer and his cd w/ Jan Bang on E.C.M. Makes me want to explore the guitar/laptop rabbit hole.
Danny Gatton - country/jazz/you name it. Could get a convincing jazz sound w/ a tele. Could also rip your head off.
Ted Greene - such a gorgeous touch. Another tele jazzer who made gorgeous music on an unlikely instrument.

**Stringswinger** · 04-07-2019, 09:27 PM

Wes Montgomery on any guitar

Kenny Burrell on his Super 400

Joe Pass on his 175 (but not on every recording. "For Django" and "Intercontinental" nail, IMO, perfect jazz guitar tone)

Jim Hall on his 175 (with either a P-90 or the Guild Humbucker)

Johnny Smith on any guitar

**voxss** · 04-08-2019, 01:15 PM

hes Nailed it and no club audience to interfere..

**P.J.** · 04-19-2019, 06:14 AM

Originally Posted by takauya

Oh, the "chorus effect" era. I totally agree. I hate that too. It became even worse with a distortion. The only exception is Sco though. I love his playing in Miles' group even though I hate that group's music and his tone at the time. Too many guys ruined their music with their shitty chorus tones. Frisell didn't use it.

Bill would bend the neck of his guitar and create his own chorusing.

**christianm77** · 04-19-2019, 06:31 AM

Originally Posted by P.J.

Bill would bend the neck of his guitar and create his own chorusing.

Also open string doublings help with the effect. Leni Stern recalls that Bill was getting that sound on an unplugged acoustic

**jbear** · 04-19-2019, 02:11 PM

My tone heros:
-Robben Ford
-Scott Henderson
-Pat Metheny
Also digs:
-Sco
-Vic Juris (as of this month when I "discovered" him"
-Kreisberg
-Mike Landau
-Ken Talve
-Kurt Rosenwinkel (non-synth)
-Alan Holdsworth (non-synth)
-David Gilmour
-Frampton
-Jeff Beck (W/BBB/T&B era)
Generally speaking...if I don't dig the tone...I can't listen to the playing...no matter how good the player is. There are others who I really like, but these come first to mind. Context is important...David Gilmour playing through layers of effects=yay...Robben Ford playing that POG thingy=yuck...in my opinion.

**Irez87** · 04-19-2019, 07:45 PM

That's still living?

Peter Berstein

Howard Alden

And

Graham Dechter:

He sounds even better in person and he really understands the tradition like no one else around my age.

I also love Billy Bean, Wes, Jimmy Raney, Grant Green, and Jim Hall.

And whose tone can I do without? Pat Metheny... too dark for my tastes (but he can really play his arse off)

**christianm77** · 04-21-2019, 01:29 PM

Originally Posted by Irez87

That's still living?

Peter Berstein

Howard Alden

And

Graham Dechter:

He sounds even better in person and he really understands the tradition like no one else around my age.

I also love Billy Bean, Wes, Jimmy Raney, Grant Green, and Jim Hall.

And whose tone can I do without? Pat Metheny... too dark for my tastes (but he can really play his arse off)

I approve your use of arse

**Gabor** · 04-21-2019, 03:55 PM

Originally Posted by Irez87

That's still living?
And whose tone can I do without? Pat Metheny... too dark for my tastes (but he can really play his arse off)

Agree. I think the "foggy" is more appropriate, and the question arises why? (see Rejoicing/Tears Inside) It is extreme, and I risk the opinion it is going to expense of the expression and Metheny tries to "hide" something where there should be nothing to hide. Anyway, I managed to listen that LP ziliion times. Not talking about 80/81.

Now I adore Peter Bernstein and Jesse van Ruller's sound of picking