Is anyone else completely happy with their gear and tone?

[john_p_t]

This is the thing; obviously, you can tell it's his playing style, but this doesn't add up to "tone is in the fingers".

[Frozen Roadkill]

I'm continually bemused by this forum's general inability to separate the concepts of "tone" and "playing style".

 

 

Sure but I don't think they're mutually exclusive, either. Some handbuilt, vintage spec germanium fuzz pedal is likely to sound fantastic if you're playing a Stooges riff through it, but rubbish for bluegrass. So a bluegrass player using a D*A*M Sonic Titan is going to be rightly accused of having bad tone, just as a Black Metal band would if they tried to use original '54 Teles into a backline of equally original Fender Champs. So while I have to agree that tone and playing style are seperate on a literal level, I'd argue that 'good' tone only really comes about when the two actually come together.

[john_p_t]

Absolutely, they're interrelated factors in the sound being made. The point I was making is that the claim that because you can recognise someone's playing, that means tone is on the fingers, is at best a non-sequitur.

[scuzzo]

its a silly argument, tone is the color of a guitars sound, dark, warm, mellow. what ever adjective.. when some one says tone is in the fingers.. they mean the ability to attack or trill or the guitarists touch.. good tone is great is played well, and will still sound like crap if its just some stale A B E progression.
there are some cats who will sink {censored}e loads of coin into bouquet amps and rigs. but if the playing is stale or not in the groove or too safe and practiced sounding.. the amp may be the holy grail of tone.. but its trumped by how the musicians approaches his playing.. the artist will not blame the brush or canvas...

just 2 cents from a hacky 2 bit player.

[Belva]

I agree that gear can make a difference. To a point. If you're talking about a 99 buck GC special and a mid price guitar or amp, you'll hear more difference than going from mid to high end. But a seasoned player, even with dirt cheap junque will still have the same signature style and, to a great extent, tone.

[SnoMan97]

I agree that gear can make a difference. To a point. If you're talking about a 99 buck GC special and a mid price guitar or amp, you'll hear more difference than going from mid to high end. But a seasoned player, even with dirt cheap junque will still have the same signature style and, to a great extent, tone.

Your sig is great!

[chadd]

I'm actually very happy with my tone and have turned down a couple deals simply because the items wouldn't have sounded any better than what I have. I would like to replace the pickups in one of my teles and one of my strats, but I'm not in any hurry to do so.

[mister natural]

yep

[DavidMgT]

I am quite pleased with my guitars & amps:thu:

Recording equipment is another story though.

[StillRock]

For the moment, but then I just bought a new guitar.

[Doctor Morbius]

My tone is excellent. My playing, on the other hand ... .

I play Surf Rock through a Fender Twin Reverb. I usually play a Strat with upgraded pickups, but occasionally play an AVRI Jaguar or Jazzmaster. Once in a while for kicks I hook up a '63 RI Reverb Unit for more drip.

Nothing to complain about tone wise.

[sylvesterlowery]

I'm pretty much set at this point. I don't need anything more, but there are a couple of wants. I've been able to get all the tones I need and want from what I have currently.

[CoqBelliqueux]

Maybe some people really can't distinguish between playing and sound.

 

His fingers sound like screechy {censored}.

[Ferdinandstrat]

His fingers sound like screechy {censored}.

 

 

You sound like screetchy {censored}.

[robertkoa]

I have a very fat sounding Carvin Koa Bolt H-S-S ( like a very very resonant Strat with lots of sustain) and using a noise modded ADA MP1 and an old H@K Tubeman into different Cab Impulses for recording I'm getting very good tube clean, mild overdrives and singing sustain for various modern Fusion tones and some Retro 60s and 80s tones- no metal .

 

Really can't complain at ALL about the tones, very tube amp like( I always have tubes in the signal chain) time to write and Record.

[C-4]

It is very interesting - something that transcends the whole cheap vs. expensive thing - how different setups are more/less forgiving than others. I don't think it's just the amount of distortion either. For instance, a completely clean tone without any distortion, but with some reverb, compression, and/or delay, is much easier to play than a flat clean. I just think so much of tone is in the expressiveness of the player (touch, vibrato) and his ability to find gear that lets him maximize that expressiveness. That's why so many of those tone gods are always tweaking - EVH creating a mongrel that fit his style, Stevie was always working with his amp techs, Eric Johnson picking a certain kind of battery ( but you get the point!) for his stompboxes. All of those guys could sound good with almost anything, but that didn't stop them from adjusting or trying new gear. It matters.

This is well stated and true.
I have heard players go from one guitar and amp to another and yes, they do have a a similar tone as they played on the last setup, but one's personality might change when changing guitars or amps so that they play slightly differently.

I played Gibsons and Fenders for over 50 years and while I sounded similar, I still played differently from guitar to guitar and from amp to amp.

I finally hit the wall and changed everything to a carbon fiber guitar and soon, a Vigier. I expect to play similarly as I have, but will get different inspiration from the newer guitars.

Everything matters. You just won't know it until you make those changes.