Tone is in the hands...

thats very true, but speaking from self experience there was a point in early guitar playing when i thought all i needed was a better amp for better sound instead of focusing on where the sound was mostly coming from... my hands!
 
In my opinion, a good player will always sound good, no matter what the gear.
Good gear can make a poor player sound a bit more convincing though.
 
Can we put this to the test though?

Here's the plan.. we need a person with a GREAT guitar setup, and let a person who is SHIT at playing guitar have a go at it.. and the other way around.. now who is with me!??
 
Black neon bob said:
Can we put this to the test though?

Here's the plan.. we need a person with a GREAT guitar setup, and let a person who is SHIT at playing guitar have a go at it.. and the other way around.. now who is with me!??
Click to expand...

Hell, I'll do you guys one better!

Tomorrow, ( Someone remind me! ) I'll record a clip, one with good playing, and one with bad playing, and you guys will see which has better tone.
 
Just goto youtube, dial up one of the many shithouse bogner/diezel clips, then go watch loomis at namm with the pod. Then tell me gear actually matters.

Recording can be different, but your only putting tits on a bull or some shit. Still flappin' its cock round n shit. I shouldn't do metaphors...
 
The greatest players also are known for having and caring about great tone. Just look at some of the guitar world demos, sick playing, horrible shit tone. It matters a lot at least to me, it's all part of the package.
 
maybe i'm in the minority here, but i think a good amp is as important to getting killer tone as one's hands are

don't believe me? get the best player you know...have him plug a $100 guitar into a little 10W solid state amp and try to rip some metal riffs. it might sound passable, but it won't ever sound GOOD.

good player + good amp = set
 
colonel kurtz said:
maybe i'm in the minority here, but i think a good amp is as important to getting killer tone as one's hands are

don't believe me? get the best player you know...have him plug a $100 guitar into a little 10W solid state amp and try to rip some metal riffs. it might sound passable, but it won't ever sound GOOD.

good player + good amp = set
Click to expand...

Seriously! I think we're having some serious delusions of grandeur about our instruments of choice here; they're electric and amplified, and thus we're far more slaves to our gear for good sound than any acoustic player. I mean, I've already agreed in this thread a great deal of good tone is in the players hands, but for fuck's sake, you people saying it's ALL in the player's hands and that a great player will sound great through any setup, well, you try recording your next band with your great player playing his heart out though a Marshall MG15 combo and let me know the results! :ill:
 
Metaltastic said:
Seriously! I think we're having some serious delusions of grandeur about our instruments of choice here; they're electric and amplified, and thus we're far more slaves to our gear for good sound than any acoustic player. I mean, I've already agreed in this thread a great deal of good tone is in the players hands, but for fuck's sake, you people saying it's ALL in the player's hands and that a great player will sound great through any setup, well, you try recording your next band with your great player playing his heart out though a Marshall MG15 combo and let me know the results! :ill:
Click to expand...

left_hand_path.jpg


= BOSS HM-2 + Peavey Bandit 60 + Shure SM58
 
But all that proves is that SOME inexpensive gear can be made to sound good, which is a topic for a totally different thread...
 
Kurtz and Tastic, I agree in some way that a good tone is also a matter of gear and budget. No doubt about it but I'd rather spend my time recording great musicians with a crappy gear and try to mix and make it sounds good - it's more challenging and the final product is more gratifying -than losing my time with rich teenagers with golden amps that they don't even notice when their guitar is out of tune.

I do not have my own studio -only my little home studio- but from time to time I help a friend of mine recording local bands in his studio and it really sucks when recording those awful musicians. It is very difficul to get the proper tone and many times I feel embarrased for them and ashamed.
 
I don't know that tone is wholly in the hands but I think a majority of it does come from the player. Being able to play and dial in a good tone, and to an extent, making the most of a bad tone are key. I wonder if players with good tone are just hitting the strings harder or more dynamically? My buddy can play technically correct but his tone, even if I dial it in on my amp while he's playing my guitar seems kinda lifeless. Same goes with both of us playing his guitar thru his amp dialed in by either of us. He and I agree that when I play though it's very different in a good way. I noticed that when he plays he picks really softly and his vibrato is real shallow/weak. It just seems like there's no energy in his playing. I don't grind frets flat with every bend but I know I play harder or more physically and he puts me up there with players of great notoriety whose names I won't mention because I humbly disagree. I definitely don't think gear is the dominant factor in getting good tone. I've gotten good guitar tones out of some highly questionable gear. I can't tell you how many times I've seen bands playing stock Crate amps and Aria/JB Player guitars that sounded unbelievably good. Makes you wonder for sure...

Maybe..:
Tone = Technique + Passion/Energy
Poor Tone = Just Technique
?
 
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