Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?

['59]

From most to least, this is how important I view the different parts of a rig to a guitars sound:

Pedals
Amplifier
Pedal/Amplifier settings
Guitar wiring
Tuning
Scale length
String material/gauge
Pickups
Pickup height adjustment
Magnet swaps
Polepieces
Plectrum
Saddle material
Neck wood
Cable to amp resistance
Nut and fret material
Pot values
Body wood
Sustain block/stoptail
Tuners

I know that the guitar player him/herself is easily one of the most important parts of the signal, but I don't know where exactly that would fall in my list given that not even the best chops can turn a muddy guitar to a bright one like a change in amp, pedal, or pickups can.

I also know that a lot of you will get on me for putting wood so low on the list, but I feel that the effect of wood is often times exaggerated because it makes up such a large part of a guitar structurally, but people forget that it's one of the few parts of a guitar that passively absorb energy (especially considering wood is always at least one component removed- frets, bridge, etc.- from the string) instead of the items higher on the list that have a more active part in the tone by adding to that energy or being an electrical part of the system.



How do y'all think I did on the list? And if you actually read the parts after the list, bonus points for you!

[Mincer]

Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?

The player can override a lot of things on the list. He/she has more to do with the overall EQ of a guitar than many components.

['59]

Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?

I mentioned that in my first post, but the way I see it, the player themself would be in a bracket next to the list, not a part of the list itself.

[Clint 55]

Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?

Looks generally very good.

[bloughlin16]

Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?

Although I know you probably included it in with the amplifier, I would say the speaker cabinet and the microphone on it (presuming you're in a studio/live environment) affect the tone more than pretty much anything other than the player. I've run different amps into the same cabinet/mic combo or impulse response and the results were hardly night and day, but I've run the same amp into different cabinets and heard a HUGE difference.

[NecroPolo]

Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?

For me it's attitude, craftsmahship, pickups, amps, picks. All the rest have minor impact.

[PFDarkside]

Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?

I’d separate out the Amplifier into Speaker, Cabinet, Preamp, Power Amp, Tubes/etc.

[PFDarkside]

Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?

Oriental rug

Ah yes, Tone is in the rug. More specifically, how your bare feet interact with the rug.

[ehdwuld]

Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?

Persian Rug

Not just a dang bath mat

But I have seen teal bath mats with incredible bluesy tones

[Chistopher]

Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?

Don't forget to add the room into the equation if you're playing live.

[Mincer]

Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?

I was gonna say, apart from the rug, it is the fans blowin' the hair around.

[ibanezrocks]

Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?

Boss metal zone

Sent from my BlackBerry using Tapatalk

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?

The amp is the main ingredient. Pedals are spice. Guitars are forks and knives.

[Chistopher]

Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?

The singer is the dog whining for scraps.

[ehdwuld]

Re: Most Important Parts of a Guitar's Sound?

I was gonna say, apart from the rug, it is the fans blowin' the hair around.

Fans blowing

I'm wit cha