Richie's current guitar tone is less-than-mediocre
 

I've been saying this for a while, but after watching this video, it really struck me hard again. It sounds so... crappy. There's no depth anymore. Even up until the Lost Highway Tour, his tone was fantastic. Now it's just... bad. I don't think it's the guitars, because even when he was constantly using that Les Paul on the European leg last summer, it only improved slightly (VERY slightly).

Why is it so crappy now? Is it the pedals or amps he's using? I thought someone said he wasn't using Boss pedals anymore.

His guitar still sounded good to my ears on the Lost Highway Concert DVD. Then on MSG DVD it was worse. And on The Circle Tour it reached a new level of bad. So I completely agree. His guitar sound is basically the only thing that is wrong with the Hyde Park bootleg from the radio. The crowd was amazing, Jon was great on some songs (weak on a few others), but Richie's tone really turns me off from listening to that show more often on my iPod.

Even the MSG DVD was good to me. The early early Circle Tour was good, but it really became evident around the Meadowlands shows.

Oh, how great his tone used to be. Maybe he needs to use Strats again.

Another good one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBDcQhevalk#t=5m55s
And here, it's amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB3Yi0UPRRU#t=5m25s
But this... this is the onset of the mediocrity.

And this... this is just all around awful. The performance is awesome, but the guitar here.... ugh.

Well, he's certainly using Boss pedals in that Letterman video. The only obvious thing he's changed (other than his guitars) is his guitar tech. I'm not placing blame though as I don't know enough about when he got Takumi on board for his live performances after Lumpy left.

The fact is, you can make a sh*tty guitar sound good with a ton of expensive effects and decent backline but you can't make a great guitar sound good with a sh*tty backline and/or bad effects.

The guitars, as you said, aren't the problem here, it's his general tone that's suffered and my bet would be that chances are either his own personal tastes have changed or his new tech does things very differently. It's probably a combination of the two.

richie for the most part sucks now.

he's lazy and a booze-bag and drug addict.

Hardly in the shape to inspire confidence...mind this is his job..what person functions well on that shit at his age?

Don't sugar-coat it or anything.

I'm one of his biggest fans. I just don't understand how Gary Moore, Slash, Yngwie...all these dudes...francis rossi from Status Quo etc etc have all become better players whereas Richie has got so evidently sloppier!

it's blatant to see-compare him in 84-91 to now. The nineties he was flying too but had become really repetitive and crush till now....god if i hear that descending run one more time!

I was listening to a live mp3 of love lies from back in the day...what chops!

Now....mehh....and the vocals aint what they were either.

I couldn't disagree with you more.

well, i recall them in their peak. I was getting heavily into music from about 93 onwards...by the time i was 11 these days was HUGE and i was solely interested in music.

Thinking back I had these days, history, crowded house greatest hits....i m sure they were released around the same time.

I was obsessed with Woodface.

anyway...I'm qualified to debate and comment on Richie's tone/playing.

He's sloppy these days. As i said, I wouldn't be as tight if i were a 50's something drug addict and alcoholic.

That's where I take a bit of offense. His playing has gone downhill. Not enough that I don't enjoy him or that he can't blow us away every now and again but you're letting the tabloids, gossip and hearsay influence your attack on him a little.