GUITAR TONE OF THE SUN

Being able to play the right note in the right place is still pretty much the indicator of greatness in an instrumentalist. Sometimes it's lots of notes, sometimes not playing any. However, I've come to increasingly feel that TONE takes the great instrumentalist to the realms of the sublime or genius. Funny enough, the masters of one are often the masters of the other. Here, I'm thinking of Dave Gilmour of Pink Floyd ("Shine On," "Dogs"), Brian May of Queen, Robert Fripp of King Crimson, John McLaughlin of Mahavishnu Orchestra, Tom Scholz of Boston and a bunch of others. These guys play with a tone that, for me, cuts through any questions, ambiguities, uncertainty, and crises of meaning. They each direct their light in different directions and with different intent but they all come to a sound that embodies the "guitar tone of the sun."

One of my favorite current embodiers of that sound is Tim Green, a San Francisco-based guitarist/producer. Somehow, I think through overlapping several guitar lines, he can get a sound that's laser-like yet rich, full, and vibrant. Sometimes, the guitars will be in harmony, sometimes in polyphony, but always with a soaring/searing light to blaze the way.

Here are a few, lesser-heard examples of the awesome guitar tone I'm talking about. The first three feature Tim Green. The last track shows where this sound started opening-up and is close to perfect bliss for me:


The F***ing Champs -- Air On A G String (adapted from Bach's "Air in G").

The multi-voiced arrangement is beautiful on its own. Not surprising considering the composer and the piece's renown in wedding circles. But it's the resonant, restrained-laser sound of the guitars, as though several streams of fire have agreed to cordially minuet with each other, that makes this more than a mere cover.


Citay -- Vinter
What Never Was And What Should Have Been

Tim Green from the above-mentioned F***ing Champs is applying some of that awesome guitar production to another band's compositions. The guitar is high but meaty, substantial, as if it could knock you flat, just as easily as go through you, or all around you. The second track is notable for its Zeppelin-reference title but also for how it echoes much of the great Jade Warrior track that follows below.


Jade Warrior -- Borne On The Solar Wind.

Simply, one of my favorite instrumentals of all time. It's a rare kind of piece that I could listen to endlessly. The guitar-choir comes in at around 1:20 and doesn't "do" all that much, except gently but surely blow the wind and the shine the setting sun of the infinite horizon.