Over the years, people have – for better or for worse – tried to talk about where tone comes from. Many players say it comes from your fingers. They are then quickly dispatched by obnoxious gear freaks who say tone comes from your gear. So who’s right?
The answer is… both and neither. How’s that for not taking sides? 🙂
Actually, my opinion is that either of these views together are only a small part of what I call Tone – with a capital “T.” From my perspective, there are two types of “tone:” The first, “tone” with a little “t,” is the natural sound produced by your guitar(s), effect box(es) (if any), and amp(s). In other words, “tone” is the sound of what’s in your rig.
The second, what I call “Tone” with a capital “T” is the sound of your gear, combined with your – for lack of a better word – heart; that is, the emotion and passion that travels from the center of your being to your fingers, onto your strings and fretboard, down through your rig, and out your amp. Tone is the music you express through your gear that is uniquely you.
In that light, I tend to gravitate to the “tone is in your fingers” camp, in that what you “feel” while you’re playing is transmitted to your fingers which in turn manipulate your guitar. And I think that’s where the important distinction must be made from those who say your tone is simply your gear. Of course, the quality of your gear and the purity of the signal are certainly important factors to consider. But music played with no passion and feeling just sounds flat and uninteresting, even through great gear.
On the other hand, even what could be considered cheap or crappy gear played by someone who can truly express themselves will sound great – and they will sound like themselves, no matter what gear they play. I was watching a video recently of a guy down in LA who is session musician that uses a Squire Strat and a Sears Silvertone amp, and he’s on a lot of big-name groups’ albums.
To add to that, around the middle of last year, I was listening to an interview with Ronnie Montrose, and he recounted a story from his early days where he was sitting at a table with Carlos Santana, taking a break from a recording session. Apparently Carlos had a new guitar and amp that he was showing everyone. Ronnie picked up the guitar started playing, and everyone was amazed that even with Carlos’ gear, he sounded like himself!
So to sum up, yes, tone comes from your gear; yes, tone comes from your fingers. But Tone – your sound – comes from your heart.
Guitar Gear 