This is my description of the live sound (only distortion), also hearable on the "Live at the Astoria in London" DVD.
I think the sound is very, very synthetic, but not in a bad way. It sounds a tiny little bit "through the nose" if you know what I mean. I hear this a lot when he plays one single note a little longer, like a bend (which is actually more than one note). Best example is the first bend in the solo of "I know you´re here" on the G3 DVD (!) with YJMalmsteen. His sound has the full warmth and presence (well, not the Amp-Presence, what I mean is the sound is just "there"). And even with this warmth the sound of the WahWah-Pedal is still so clear and expressive...well, I´m dreaming
.I really would like to play his setup once, and I think it really would be diffrent of what I am describing here. I think it is really interesting what a musician puts into his sound and what the people take/absorb...like Illusion and Reflection
. Though, his Illusion to us (-> the sound we hear)seems to be a Reflection of him...confusing .So what do you think about Steves sound, in which way does it reach you or what do you get? Let´s put the little black dots asside, we all love them
...but what would the sound be without...
It's very difficult to explain!
