Thank you guitar masters, one and all. Not a player myself but have so thoroughly enjoyed listening to Derek's and Duane's playing throughout the years. The sound was always enough for me but so cool to learn something technically about their guitar-playing feats and what makes them distinct. Personally still lean toward Duane for a favored style because of a personal preference in tone and the intensity and conciseness of his expression but both players have taken me on some amazing rides.

BTW, Goldtop (Ron) check your PM's.

My brother coined the term "fuzzy volcanoes" when describing Derek's sound and I agree. When Derek starts to go up the mountain top, he slides his slide down the frets and back up again without the strings muted like taking a big breath between each crisp pure phrase. When he gets back up to play the next lick, the non played strings get muted again and it's pure bliss. The volcano is erupting and each phrase is lava shooting out and each "breath" of sliding down and back up with all the fuzzy noise is the churning lava before it gets ejected from the mountain.

A great example is 1:30 - 2:30 of this clip.

There are a few people out there who can't stand Derek's sound and I think it's the fuzzy volcanoes that they can't stand. I, on the other hand, LOVE IT!

That is a perfect description/term to describe what I am talking about. And count me as one of the ones who is not a big fan of the "fuzzy volcanoes". However, it doesn't bother me to the point that I don't enjoy listening to Derek. I think he is an amazing player and I love listening to him. I just prefer Duane's (and even Warren's) tone to Derek's.

Yo, Redfish --- I'm like you -- I don't know anything about music (unless you count air guitar, of which I am a master) or about tone, so I can't give you a scientific answer. But I can give you a great example -- listen to Brent Underwood's remarkable animation on "OK, the Allman Brothers Band..." You have different guitarists from different ABB lineups all playing Statesboro Blues and you can really hear the difference in their sound or tone. You can also hear why that, despite all of the great guitarists this band has had over the decades, Duane is still the best. Here's a link to that video: http://www.jambase.com/article/animated-video-allman-brothers-band-statesboro-blues.

If that link doesn't work, just Google it. ... Pax...

Thanks for the link to the video...that was great. I did a similar comparison last night, and even chose that exact song. I listened to these versions of Statesboro Blues back to back...
1) LAFE - Duane
2) Play All Night: Live at the Beacon 1992 - Warren
3) One Way Out (Live) - Derek
4) Live at the Beacon on 3/15/13 (Instant Live/MunckMusic download) - Derek

Duane's LAFE tone is definitely my favorite. Warren's is a distant second, and then Derek's after that. But for me...nothing compares to Duane's.

Thank you for all the responses...this is some great information.

My brother coined the term "fuzzy volcanoes" when describing Derek's sound and I agree. When Derek starts to go up the mountain top, he slides his slide down the frets and back up again without the strings muted like taking a big breath between each crisp pure phrase. When he gets back up to play the next lick, the non played strings get muted again and it's pure bliss. The volcano is erupting and each phrase is lava shooting out and each "breath" of sliding down and back up with all the fuzzy noise is the churning lava before it gets ejected from the mountain.

A great example is 1:30 - 2:30 of this clip.

There are a few people out there who can't stand Derek's sound and I think it's the fuzzy volcanoes that they can't stand. I, on the other hand, LOVE IT!

Thanks. That's exactly what I was, probably unsuccessfully, trying to allude to in my post. Absolutely he grinds up and down the neck during what would otherwise be empty spaces.

He also used to scrape his thumbnail along the sting similar to pick scrapes. I read an interview with Derek a few years back where he talks about people asking him about it. He said he didn't even realize he did it and made a conscious effort to stop it.

Yo, Redfish --- I'm like you -- I don't know anything about music (unless you count air guitar, of which I am a master) or about tone, so I can't give you a scientific answer. But I can give you a great example -- listen to Brent Underwood's remarkable animation on "OK, the Allman Brothers Band..." You have different guitarists from different ABB lineups all playing Statesboro Blues and you can really hear the difference in their sound or tone. You can also hear why that, despite all of the great guitarists this band has had over the decades, Duane is still the best. Here's a link to that video: http://www.jambase.com/article/animated-video-allman-brothers-band-statesboro-blues.

If that link doesn't work, just Google it. ... Pax...

Thanks for the link to the video...that was great. I did a similar comparison last night, and even chose that exact song. I listened to these versions of Statesboro Blues back to back...
1) LAFE - Duane
2) Play All Night: Live at the Beacon 1992 - Warren
3) One Way Out (Live) - Derek
4) Live at the Beacon on 3/15/13 (Instant Live/MunckMusic download) - Derek

Duane's LAFE tone is definitely my favorite. Warren's is a distant second, and then Derek's after that. But for me...nothing compares to Duane's.

For me I like Duane the best too...then Derek....I'm not fond of Warren's tone in general its very compressed and he really likes a strong fundamental in his sound .....what I like about Duane is his tone is way more complex........not so dependent on the fundamental....Warren has perfect pitch and that may be why he likes that compressed sound with a strong fundamental.....

For me I like Duane the best too...then Derek....I'm not fond of Warren's tone in general its very compressed and he really likes a strong fundamental in his sound .....what I like about Duane is his tone is way more complex........not so dependent on the fundamental....Warren has perfect pitch and that may be why he likes that compressed sound with a strong fundamental.....

I love Warren, don't get me wrong, but I know what you mean regarding Warren's tone. I'm not crazy about Warren's tone at times, that strong fundamental produces a tone that's it's a little too fat, simple and sometimes sour. There have been a few "Ain't Wasting Time No More" where his slide work up the neck gets a little screachy. Sometimes his distortion is so high that he loses separation and his chords get that crunchy "whomp!" effect. I never felt this way about any of his 1990s playing, only the last 10 years or so, and only here and there.

Dickey and Duane had such clean tones, I think that's why so many people feel the Dickey & Jack lineup was the closest to the original band's sound. The more distorted the sound, the less an audience can hear it. The cleaner the sound, the more separation and air in the conversation.

imo Derek's slide tone varies. I suspect the variations in his sound are directed by what he is going for. I'm not a guitar player so can't comment on how he does it, just that I hear it.

Sometimes he has (or had) a fair bit of that grating sound in between, and sometimes his slide guitar almost sounds like a wind instrument (so did Duane at times).
in my head I'm hearing Derek's solo in Rocking Horse, or perhaps Midnight in Harlem, where the sound is clean to my ears.
I also remember a DTB show I saw when Susan came out and during a jam she was singing sweetly (not shouting, as some are critical of her for) and Derek was playing off of that. Derek's slide actually sounded like a female voice

I think this is it - Done Got Over
https://archive.org/details/dtb2009-04-02.gefell.m270.flac16

imo Derek's slide tone varies. I suspect the variations in his sound are directed by what he is going for. I'm not a guitar player so can't comment on how he does it, just that I hear it.

Sometimes he has (or had) a fair bit of that grating sound in between, and sometimes his slide guitar almost sounds like a wind instrument (so did Duane at times).
in my head I'm hearing Derek's solo in Rocking Horse, or perhaps Midnight in Harlem, where the sound is clean to my ears.
I also remember a DTB show I saw when Susan came out and during a jam she was singing sweetly (not shouting, as some are critical of her for) and Derek was playing off of that. Derek's slide actually sounded like a female voice

I think this is it - Done Got Over
https://archive.org/details/dtb2009-04-02.gefell.m270.flac16/blockquote >

just listened to Done Got Over-you got it right as i hear it,Stormy...Susan sounds spectacular here & yes,Derek's tone is a perfect match as his guitar sings in sync with Susan's tone...sweet

 

For me I like Duane the best too...then Derek....I'm not fond of Warren's tone in general its very compressed and he really likes a strong fundamental in his sound .....what I like about Duane is his tone is way more complex........not so dependent on the fundamental....Warren has perfect pitch and that may be why he likes that compressed sound with a strong fundamental.....

I love Warren, don't get me wrong, but I know what you mean regarding Warren's tone. I'm not crazy about Warren's tone at times, that strong fundamental produces a tone that's it's a little too fat, simple and sometimes sour. There have been a few "Ain't Wasting Time No More" where his slide work up the neck gets a little screachy. Sometimes his distortion is so high that he loses separation and his chords get that crunchy "whomp!" effect. I never felt this way about any of his 1990s playing, only the last 10 years or so, and only here and there.

Dickey and Duane had such clean tones, I think that's why so many people feel the Dickey & Jack lineup was the closest to the original band's sound. The more distorted the sound, the less an audience can hear it. The cleaner the sound, the more separation and air in the conversation.

just a thought about Warren's tone,which can vary depending on what he's playing and with which other musicians & in what style.

Also,Warren's tone,in addition to fitting the context in which he plays has evolved over the years.

So,listening to Warren with Lesh,the "Jerry" philharmonic shows,the Railroad Earth stuff,the Warren Haynes Band,Mule,ABB...all seem to show the great diversity of tone that Warren brings...let alone the acoustic stuff..Duane is still my favorite.

To me the best tone/sound was Duane's solo on Blue Sky from EAP. It gets not better than that.

The guitar break on EAP Blue Sky is unbelievable. It really could not get better then that. That's one of my favorite songs of all time.

I love both Duanes and Dickeys solos in the middle of Blue Sky. What I'd like to know did Dickey write Duanes solo or did Duane come up with it while recording...

I love both Duanes and Dickeys solos in the middle of Blue Sky. What I'd like to know did Dickey write Duanes solo or did Duane come up with it while recording...

The guitar solos are improvised...I'm sure they have other studio versions they recorded that we just haven't heard and I would bet the guitar solos are different....

The written guitar parts would be the harmonies at the beginning and end of the song and the harmonies between verses and leading into the chorus plus the ques to change solos....the actual solos were always up to the player

For me I like Duane the best too...then Derek....I'm not fond of Warren's tone in general its very compressed and he really likes a strong fundamental in his sound .....what I like about Duane is his tone is way more complex........not so dependent on the fundamental....Warren has perfect pitch and that may be why he likes that compressed sound with a strong fundamental.....

I love Warren, don't get me wrong, but I know what you mean regarding Warren's tone. I'm not crazy about Warren's tone at times, that strong fundamental produces a tone that's it's a little too fat, simple and sometimes sour. There have been a few "Ain't Wasting Time No More" where his slide work up the neck gets a little screachy. Sometimes his distortion is so high that he loses separation and his chords get that crunchy "whomp!" effect. I never felt this way about any of his 1990s playing, only the last 10 years or so, and only here and there.

Dickey and Duane had such clean tones, I think that's why so many people feel the Dickey & Jack lineup was the closest to the original band's sound. The more distorted the sound, the less an audience can hear it. The cleaner the sound, the more separation and air in the conversation.

just a thought about Warren's tone,which can vary depending on what he's playing and with which other musicians & in what style.

Also,Warren's tone,in addition to fitting the context in which he plays has evolved over the years.

So,listening to Warren with Lesh,the "Jerry" philharmonic shows,the Railroad Earth stuff,the Warren Haynes Band,Mule,ABB...all seem to show the great diversity of tone that Warren brings...let alone the acoustic stuff..Duane is still my favorite.

Yes he changes his playing with each band but he still has a very non-complex tone when he plays....Its so compressed that I'll I really hear is the fundamental tone....obviously the harmonic breakdowns are in that tone but he compresses and processes his tone a lot more than Duane, Dickey or Derek....I've seen him play with the ABB....Mule and Phil and his basic tone is the same....how he Interpret tunes is different and the guitars he plays especially with mule gives him more voices but again the basic tone is squashed down hard