Factors that affect overall guitar tone.

[Ized]

I would say the most important factor is
wood, then construction, then electronics(not just pick-ups per se).

I agree. alot of ppl swap out cheap pups for more expensive ones on a cheap guitar and expect a vast improvement but there's a reason why expensive guitars cost more...Quality of wood and construction. there's a reason why they already sound so good acoustically before even plugged in, and better pups will benefit their tone to a better extent.

Personally before i buy guitars i'll strum them acoustically to hear if they sound good and resonate well before plugging them in....

 

[gsonique]

Factors that affect overall guitar tone

$$$

 

[guitarsan]

IMO, fingers aside......Amps (70%) > Guitars (20%) > Others (10%)

 

[edder]

but hor... better pickups on cheap guitars does sound better! eg GFS pickups on a Squier 51. Then again, common sense will tell me not to put in any custom mojo pickups that cost probably more than the guitar itself.

this discussion can go circular round and round and round.

I agree yet I disagree. There are no fixed hard and fast rule for something so subjective.

 

[RockerJ_77]

Hey. Fingers? Fretting technique? Picking technique?
How about strings and the pick we use?
Ain't it affecting the tone too?
Not forgetting different tunings. For eg,heavier gauge may tend to provide a rather 'bassier' tone.
Picks,well,it goes again if the thicker the pick. But then again,it's the player itself la. But,if we compare a Dunlop Tortex 2mm and a Dunlop Gel let's say,1 mm pick. The Tortex would provide a 'heavier' or 'solid' tone right?
And tunings do matter,for example. Having the same setting in distortion for a standard E tuning and a Drop C one (both being the same guitar) .The drop C one would sound 'heavier' and produce more distort due to the 'flabbiness' of the strings?
Okay,these are IMHO. But I don't think it goes the same for everybody.

Okay. What else is there to talk about regarding tone?

 

[ShredCow]

I know that amps contribute to the sound more than swapping around nice, expensive guitars...

However...

I am very very picky about the way my guitar is set up.

It affects my comfort level... so it affects my confidence level... it also affects what techniques I'd use... affects my playing, the way I articulate on guitar - which makes up the other half of tone and provides all the characteristics of me-ness.

So maybe for me, the guitar possibly matters as much as an amp.

Using the "audience matters!" argument - I have used a cheap amp before and hey, the audience thinks it sounds good. I have also used expensive amps and hey, the audience thinks it sounds good.

Using the "guitarist's pride before all" argument... well... I prefer to to be "in my element" and just be comfortable expressing myself.


That said... everything affects tone. We know that. One of the things I found to be really fun to play with, in order to tweak tone, was using picks. I think that's an area that is relatively cheap and quite fulfilling - the differences are obvious to the player.

 

[ShredCow]

....if we compare a Dunlop Tortex 2mm and a Dunlop Gel let's say,1 mm pick. The Tortex would provide a 'heavier' or 'solid' tone right?

Not necessarily - the material of the pick also matters. Perhaps in this case, the Tortex will sound heavier, more solid... but if I had a brass pick?

 

[gsonique]

underpants ....rely

 

[Godspeed64]

That said... everything affects tone. We know that. One of the things I found to be really fun to play with, in order to tweak tone, was using picks. I think that's an area that is relatively cheap and quite fulfilling - the differences are obvious to the player.

After buying them V-Picks, I still revert to my Dunlop Stubbies, the smaller ones.. Due to comfort and tone I expect..

 

[metalhead1993]

You can have a crappy amp, guitar and pedal and still sound awesome. Sad to say its all down to technique which means practise practise practise. =(((

 

[justheretolook]

errrrrrrr, tone knob?

Just find the tone you like and appreciate it. What's the point of sounding like other artiste? If you still want to sound like someone else, whats the point of having guitars in the first place? Whats the point of making music? Everyone would sound alike.

Have a good day ahead tomorrow

 

[RockerJ_77]

Shredcow -
Not necessarily - the material of the pick also matters. Perhaps in this case, the Tortex will sound heavier, more solid... but if I had a brass pick?

- Yeahh man. i forgot about that.


ShredCow -
That said... everything affects tone. We know that. One of the things I found to be really fun to play with, in order to tweak tone, was using picks. I think that's an area that is relatively cheap and quite fulfilling - the differences are obvious to the player.

- Yeah,quite too,but it also affects the playibility right? For example. One may get used to a certain pick,and when he/she changes to another pick,he/she may have difficulty problems,eg,strumming/picking problems,eg - maybe picking may be not as clean or something compared to the 'used to' pick?

I don't know la,maybe it's just me? hahaha. I'm too used to 'hard' picks which are 1mm and more.

 

[kaiwenny]

cables!!!!!!!!!!! i tried using cheap cables and expensive cables. and i tell you. the difference is like WOOHOO

 

[ShredCow]

I don't know la,maybe it's just me? hahaha. I'm too used to 'hard' picks which are 1mm and more.

Well, sometimes our rig is setup in such a way that... subtle things are lost. Say if you're running on maximum gain and all you play is well... linkin park styled "riffing". You got the hottest pickups and the aim of your tone is to slay little animals.

Then well. Change pick or not... maybe you wouldn't hear the difference but you will still feel the difference.

Go to say... a blues setup up... ahhh, then the nuances start to show.