Were 80s tones as good as we remember them?

  • Thread starter Thread starter SFW
  • Start date Start date
SFW said:
Saw this video in my YouTube feed today. The first thought I had was "wow... that tone is very thin." Maybe I've just gotten used to more modern tones. Who knows...

Click to expand...

That one one has been in circulation a long time. It's the video that was shown on the screens at the arena while Dokken was playing that particular show opening for Aerosmith. I'd assume the audio was a bit more in your face actually being there. One of my favorite live Dokken shows here

 
PDC said:
Dan!! Really??? Maybe the songwriting / lyrics / look / etc. But Vito’s guitar tone on the first album was killer! I get it, the second album was all ADAs and solid state power amps. But Pride has some killer organic tube guitar tone and some really tasty rhythm and lead work.

Seriously tho - love your posts and contribution to this forum!
Click to expand...
Pride was their 2nd album , great playing and tone from Vito
 
  • Like
Reactions: PDC
Yeah, I think some of them are.
George Lynch’s tone on “Back For The Attack”.
Doug Aldrich’s tone on Lion’s “Dangerous Attraction”.
Jake E Lee’s tone on the first Badlands album.
Akira Takasaki’s tone on “Live Loud Alive” and “Thunder In The East”.
Just to name a few.
 
SoooRad said:
No, a lot of them sucked. With a very small minority, most guys of that era had better sounds in the early 90s.

Reb Beach had his best sound on Pull, George on Wicked Sensation, Vito on Mane Attraction (Pride sounds like a guitar with the tone knob rolled halfway back). Demartini on Detonator.

The best “Fr00t Rock” tones of the 80s I can think of were from the guys in Rough Cutt.
Click to expand...
My fav tones are definitely from the 90s
 
Slash with an LP plugged into his Magnatone sig amps pretty much sums up the sound of the 80's to my ears.
 
Chubtone said:
The guys from Rough Cutt did have great tones but have no idea what froot rock is.
Click to expand...
Damn straight. Their debut was thick sounding. Follow up was good as well. Two albums I still listen to on a regular basis.

So many great tones from the 80's but the best thing was the variety. It wasn't all the same over processed high gain, repeatedly done to death tones.

Guys questioning tone from the 80's -

Put on Gary Moore's Corridors of Power, then put on Whitesnake '87, as someone said above Main Attraction from White Lion, ULAK, BFTA, Wicked Sensation all from Lynch, Vivian on the first two Dio albums, Lifeson on Moving Pictures, Scorpions Blackout or Sting, Accept's Metal Heart, EVH on FUCK or Balance, Vandenbergs first two albums, Akira on Thunder (one of my personal favs), albums by Tesla, Badlands...the list could just keep on going and going.

Again the amazing thing is they all had their own thing tonewise going on. What a great time for guitar, tones, music, players, fun etc...
 
Last edited:
For the record, some of my favorite guitar tones ever came out of the 80s. The title was more of a joke. lol
 
SFW said:
Saw this video in my YouTube feed today. The first thought I had was "wow... that tone is very thin." Maybe I've just gotten used to more modern tones. Who knows...

Click to expand...


I actually saw this tour at the tail end of '87... that recording sucks lol Going to say the mic is cutting out a ton of low end as that is almost painful and was definitely not like that in person.
 
CrystalSky said:
What’s your favorite modern metal tones btw? I got curious!
Click to expand...
I think the KSE guitar tones are perfect. Obviously 311. Big Jim Root fan. Not up to date on all the current thrash. I need to go back to that 'new thrash' thread we had about a month ago and get caught up.
 
I saw this tour. They opened for aerosmith.
I went to see lynch (sounded pretty good)but what a god awful show. The road crew scrambled all night because Dons mic kept cutting out. He threw it at them twice.you could tell Don and George hated each other that night.
 
NorCal_Val said:
Yeah, I think some of them are.
George Lynch’s tone on “Back For The Attack”.
Doug Aldrich’s tone on Lion’s “Dangerous Attraction”.
Jake E Lee’s tone on the first Badlands album.
Akira Takasaki’s tone on “Live Loud Alive” and “Thunder In The East”.
Just to name a few.
Click to expand...
Good stuff.

I'd add Lynch's tone on ULAK(multiple amps), Accept on Balls(71 Marshall with a MXR Dist cranked), and for an 80s tone from an 80s amp, but recorded more recently(last 20 yrs or so) check out John Sykes "Bad Boy Live" Jose A modded 800 non master head.
Beginning of Cold Sweat.
Might be my fav hard rock tone of all time.
 
311splawndude said:
I think the KSE guitar tones are perfect. Obviously 311. Big Jim Root fan. Not up to date on all the current thrash. I need to go back to that 'new thrash' thread we had about a month ago and get caught up.
Click to expand...
Sylosis probably pops up in that thread quite often.

I like KSE too, even though they went through a lot of amps on their journey.
 
DanTravis62 said:
Depends what 80s music you listen to.


If you listen to Helloween or Blind Guardian or Scanner, then the 80s tones sounds fucking glorious


If you mean White Lion, Winger, or whatever wack buttrock bands you guys listen to, then yeah those tones are garbage
Click to expand...
I used to listen to I Want Out Live all the fucking time!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top