So, why was Vai's guitar sound with DLR so BAD

**Stevolives** · 01.14.07, 08:28 AM

Man, the playing is stellar sure, but the sound is AWFUL. I've heard he uses really high dollar equipment too but its so thin and tin canney. Wonder if he, or DLR, looks back on those albums and thinks, WOW, that sucks, tone-wise. Then again, if you turn them up really loud, they sound nice, but at a casual listening volume, to me, they just sound funny or bad. Anyone in agreement? Imagine how cool those 2 records would have been with a nice crunchy brown sound ala EVH...

**mikewails** · 01.14.07, 08:41 AM

I agree, I think he's very talented, but never liked his sound. I wonder how he would sound on an acoustic

**twonabomber** · 01.14.07, 08:45 AM

i didn't mind Vai's sound up through Passion and Warfare. the first time i listened to Sex and Religion i thought the sound had gotten really bad.

**Stevolives** · 01.14.07, 08:56 AM

yeah, would be really cool to hear him on an acoustic or on someone elses rig. found a little snippet of him playing acoustic on youtube, was really good just short... but yes, like EVH on acoustic, I bet he is a monster on it. Hearing great rock players on acoustic, Zakk, EVH, Vai for example has always been kinda cool to me. you might hate him but watching C.C. DeVille hist around the house on the new Surreal Life jamming acoustic even is cool. I think hes a pretty darn good player in spite of some of the cheesyness of yesteryear. Also on youtube, some clips of Steve Stevens jamming various riffs in a quasi instructional video is cool, another great player I'd say in spite of the silly raygun sounds on some things...

**Stevolives** · 01.14.07, 09:08 AM

heres that Steve Stevens clip

http://youtube.com/watch?v=lFdPGD-enZo

**chain** · 01.14.07, 09:36 AM

Even the great Zappa himself always pointed out what a genius Vai is, but never particularly liked his tone much. I'm sure I read that somewhere.

**Warmoth** · 01.14.07, 12:22 PM

I think Vai's sound on the DLR albums is great. I don't think the mastering is very good on Eat 'em and smile ... the whole CD is kind of muddy. The Skyscraper guitar parts were done in Vai's home studio (the shed behind is house) where he recorded Flex-able. I think they are great tracks. His delay patches are sweet. I think some of the best Vai tones on the DLR albums are on Yankee Rose, Tobacco Road, Big Trouble, Ladies Night in Buffalo, Skyscraper, Damn Good, Knuckle Bones and Just Like Paradise.

**Charvel2** · 01.14.07, 12:44 PM

If you're listening to EEAS on CD, that's no way to judge Vai's tone. If ever an album was in need of good remastering, this is it. Listening on vinyl, Vai's tone isn't that far removed from EVH's around the same time. It's pretty much a straightforward Marshall getting the crap driven out of it with some modulation and delay thrown on top. If I remember correctly, he used a Marshall Plexi head that was borrowed from Steve Stevens on that album, with a Boss DS-1 to goose the front end occasionally. I suppose some people might find the tone a little harsh, but I like it. I've always preferred that raw edge to more modern Soldano type tones.

The sound on Skyscraper is more refined, and closer to the following solo albums. But, like his playing, I feel it didn't quite have the edge of EEAS.

**forrestjump** · 01.14.07, 02:12 PM

I believe that the guitars are just not big enough...neither are the drums. Greg AND Steve sound very "young"if you will with power sound. I don't think Dave would let them be sounding as big as VH too. Maybe that's why.
Who knows.

**bcgvh** · 01.14.07, 04:51 PM

While I think his tone sounded fine, he has said in interviews that he sounded the way Dave wanted him to sound.

**lil'devil** · 01.14.07, 05:02 PM

yeah vais tone always sucked.

he is one badass player, over the years he has managed to surprise me with his abilty to play rhythm, i just think he gets bored.

he just isn't the kind of player that can stick in the pocket and chunk away.