I am just curious. We discuss lots of stuff on here so I hope this is OK. I play a lot during the week trying to keep what chops I have up and hopefully add something new. Youtube is addictive for me as I learn more new stuff than I can incorporate into my playing. Anyway I know what type of tone that I want for me. I strive for a thick,chunky tone that has as much clarity as possible. I can not stand loose, fizzy low freq. I can dial this in with my rig at home and jam for hours feeling that my tone could not be any better. The problem is when I get to a live situation I feel that my tone is forced to become very bright for any solo spots. I hear the term ice picky on here a lot and I know what you guys are saying. However in our group if I dont dial in more of an ice picky tone I can't hear most of my notes during a solo. I have a boost so it is not a vloume problem. We are a Christian Rock Band with an 80's, 90's style if that helps. There has been much discussion on TGP about famous players and bad tone. One of the top complaints is thin, ice pick tone. I am with you as well and have noticed this. Maybe these guys figured out a long time ago that they needed more of an ICE Pick sound to cut through the mix. I know some players take it to the extreme (Paul Gilbert) I love his playing but when he teaches with no other music his tone is super thin and piercing. I like Vinnie Moore but his tone is awfull when teaching or away from a live performance. Anyway for me if I can't hear the notes of my solo and know what I am playing then whats the point? Fortunately for me with the Egnater M4 I can switch back to my Vox mod for a warmer sound when the solo is done.