Yes, Steve! Just enough "crunch", but not too much. Maybe it was those Gretsch guitars Malcolm preferred. Gibsons can easily sound too thick, with too much sustain. The best rhythm guitar sound I ever played with in a band was a Gibson Les Paul Jr. plugged into a Fender Deluxe Reverb, cranked up just enough to give it "bite".
A great scene in "Hail Hail Rock 'n' Roll", the documentary Keith Richards made of Chuck Berry, was the one on stage rehearsing for the live show. Keith is trying to help Chuck with his tone, and Chuck is having none of it. Chuck actually likes the horrid, overly-distorted sound he is getting out of his guitar and amp, and doesn't care what Richards thinks. Keith ends up feeding a signal from Chucks guitar down into the basement of the concert hall, where he has set up another amp. THAT amp sounds great, and is the one Keith recorded, I believe. He may have also sent the signal from the mic on that amp back to the house P.A., unbeknownst to Chuck!
