Favorite/Least Favorite guitar/bass tone?

[StudioShutIn]

I know tone is a really subjective thing, so I decided not to call this thread 'best/worst'..so, let's hear what some of our favorite/least favorite guitar and bass tones are.
I'm a guitarist so I'll stick with that to start things off:

Favorite: there are so many to choose from, but I've always liked Steve Howe's chorused/flanged tone from Starship Trooper
Also, that really liquidy, smooth lead tone that John McLaughlin gets with his new Godin guitars.

Least Favorite: 60's wah tone used by Cream-era Clapton and early Keith Richards (not sure what wah they were using but it's..painful
Also, Jerry Garcia's 70's strat tone is pretty harsh.

[devnulljp]

Least Favorite: 60's wah tone used by Cream-era Clapton and early Keith Richards (not sure what wah they were using but it's..painful

That's a Colorsound/Macari wah (Cream anyway) -- I like it.

[warwick.hoy]

Least Favorite Bass Tone: Scooped Smiley Faced Mids a la Fieldy. Crap on a Crap Cracker.

[CBGB]

[Edited about a hundred times, but in a nutshell...]

NO =

Slayer guitarists' solos
fake blues (Stevie Ray Vaughn, Clapton post 72, Robert Cray)
John Scofield

YES =

Eddie Hazel on Maggot Brain

[Bellyheart]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0PTw0cZAFo[/youtube]

[warwick.hoy]

[Edited about a hundred times, but in a nutshell...]

NO =

Slayer guitarists' solos
fake blues (Stevie Ray Vaughn, Clapton post 72, Robert Cray)
John Scofield

YES =

Eddie Hazel on Maggot Brain

I love Sco's tone on A Go Go and Out Louder.

[bigchiefbc]

My favorite bass tone, hands fuckin down, was Paul D'Amour's tone on the first two Tool albums. It is the gnarliest, nastiest bass tone I've ever heard. My second favorite is probably Chris Squire. I'm noticing a pattern here. I need a fuckin Ric.

I will agree that Fieldy, and all of the other Nu-metal idiot bassists have terrible tone. all thumps and clicky-clacks.


As for guitar, my favorite tone is probably Gilmour's from Meddle through the Wall. Just awesome. Also, Knopfler's sound in "Money For Nothing" is TITS.

Least favorite, hmm, that's tough. I'll come back to that one.

[Jero]

My favorite is probably Chris Squire. I need a fuckin Ric.

'nuff said

[StudioShutIn]

Oh and if I can just add my bass faves/notfaves

Favorite: John Myung (especially his early tone, either a J-Bass or an old Mike Tobias-built Tobias on songs like "Another Won")
Least Favorite: Geddy Lee's recent clankity-clankity low-action tone. (first heard on Vapor Trails, I think?) His old jazz tone was, as some say around here, Tits!

[smile_man]

Fav

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr8-brAaL4s[/youtube]

[Rygot]

Definitely can't narrow them down to one.

Some of my favorites though...

Nirvana's Bleach album is probably responsible for my love of the fuzz.
Baroness - Red Album and Blue Record.
Machine Head's wall of distortion on The More Things Change, Burn My Eyes, Through the Ashes of Empires and The Blackening.
Josh Homme tends to catch my interest in just about any band he's in.
Alexisonfire - entire Crisis album.

Bass...
Les
Tool, mainly Undertow.
Always like RATM
Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely.
Plenty more I'm sure.


What I don't like:

Almost everything on the radio. Mainly the overproduced drop d ish LP > Tube Screamer > Marshall or Mesa sound.
______-Core...stuff like bring me the horizon, whatever else scoops everything except their single highest and lowest frequencies.

[belew balls]

Favorite Guitar Tone: Tom Morello.

Favorite Bass Tone: Cliff Burton.

Least Favorite Guitar Tone: Brian May.

Least Favorite Bass Tone: Sting.

[Jenesis]

Fave guitar - Warren DeMartini
Fave bass - Muzz Skillings

[gruizmuller]

I can´t think of the least favorite.

My favorites are:

John Paul Jones, Listen to his recordings with Diamamnda Galas.
Les Claypool.

[ifeellikeatourist]

BRIAN MAY=GREATEST GUITAR TONE OF ALL TIME

I don't know what it is. I like Queen's music, but I'm not a huge fan or anything, but he's got the greatest tones I've ever heard.

Bends/OK Computer-era Jonny Greenwood would probably be the next thing to come to mind for me.

As far as dislikes, I just don't like anything shitty sounding. Anything involving any kind of "metal" type of distortion pedal comes to mind.