Let's get something straight

[Johnny the Kid]

Style is in the fingers, tone is in the gear.

You cannot take a Deluxe Reverb and a Tele with no other form of gain and expect to get a good death metal tone. However, if you switch out the guitar for something pointy and get a Mesa half stack, then you can get a great metal tone. Your choice of notes and the way you play is your style. And if you're playing something like thrash metal, you wouldn't expect to hear a lot of major keys or "happy sounding" chord progressions. Also, if you have a poor grasp of the instrument, no amount of good gear will make you play better. The improvement of your style can only come from practice.

I feel like we throw out the words "tone" and "style" to mean the same thing, but in reality they are two very distinct and different terms.

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: Let's get something straight

Who cares.

 

[regan]

Re: Let's get something straight

To be fair your talking gain and an aggressive mid cut which I accept is hard to achieve on a deluxe reverb.
However hit the strings hard close to the bridge and then hit them softly close to the neck then tell us tone isn't in the fingers
All through the same rig with the same settings.

And how much of a good metal tone is in palm muting which may not be the fingers but still kinda counts

 

[JeffB]

Re: Let's get something straight

I like pie.

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Let's get something straight

Saw the thread title and thought "that sounds like something you should have a doctor help with instead of a guitar forum".

Yeah, your style/attitude can be heavy metal, but the tone/gear can be something else entirely. Dick Dale - has the metal attitude, but the overall sound produced by the mixture of his style and gear isn't really metal. Sounds great though.

Also, not only is it the gear, but how it is used/dialed in. Some people really gel with Fender amps, while others don't at all. Some people gel with Mesa Boogies, and others can't dial one in for ****. That's why I say a player's sound is the sum of all parts: attitude, stylistic approach, gear; everything.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Let's get something straight

a good death metal tone.

Why, on Aceman's green poolscreen, would I want a Death Metal tone?

 

[Jackson Distortion]

Re: Let's get something straight

Tone is in the gear. Why the hell else would I buy a Randall if my fingers could do all the work.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Let's get something straight

Why, on Aceman's green poolscreen, would I want a Death Metal tone?

I'll take it. One man's poison...

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[regan]

Re: Let's get something straight

Tone is in the gear. Why the hell else would I buy a Randall if my fingers could do all the work.

So Santana or Gilmour could not get 'their' tones through your amp?

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Let's get something straight

My $0.02, tone can affect style and style can affect tone. I think tone, style and gear are all just part of the equation for an individual guitar player to adjust according to his/her needs.

 

[voggin]

Re: Let's get something straight

If tone is in the fingers, why is there a thread bashing Clapton for switching to strats? Wouldn't he sound the same with Blackie and a tweed as with the Beano Burst and a Marshall? Unless he had a finger transplant circa 1971.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Let's get something straight

Tone is in the ear of the beholder. Style is in the fingers of the player.

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[YeRedHouseOverYonder]

Re: Let's get something straight

I'll bite. When I hear or read people say "tone comes from the fingers", I think of timbre. Your fretting/pick hand do affect what is heard/played. Is it style? Yeah. Is it tone? Yes.

The same applies to gear. It's both style and tone.


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[crusty philtrum]

Re: Let's get something straight

I think it evolves as one progresses along their musical journey. In the early days of playing, we seem to rely more on equipment to get into the ballpark of our goals. As the years go by, many players develop a stronger command of what they do, and I suspect a stronger concept of exactly how they want to sound, and are able to do more of that from the way they play their instrument.

That seems to lead to players having their sound 'in their head', and seeking that sound, or something approximating it, from almost any equipment. Of course there are extremes, and a great country player may struggle with a dedicated metal amp, just as a metal player may struggle with a vintage Fender amp. But the intent will shine through because the seasoned player will stamp more authority into the equation due to having a strong sonic vision.

Imagine some guitar legend showing up to play somewhere and their gear has got lost, they have to perform with whatever gear can be hastily cobbled together at the last minute ... gear that is nothing like what they would normally be using. Stylistically they'll still sound like themselves, but sonically they won't quite have the tones they're known for. But they will do a pretty fine job of bending the random equpiment to their needs because of their strong mental vision of 'their sound', and how to get as close to that as possible with whatever they are presented with.

 

[Demanic]

Re: Let's get something straight

^^
This.

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[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Let's get something straight

View attachment 72416

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Let's get something straight

So Santana or Gilmour could not get 'their' tones through your amp?

Santana or Gilmour could get a great tone from my amp and guitar. But it will not sound the same as what they're known for playing. Their style, however, is something only they can achieve.

 

[Chad]

Re: Let's get something straight

I like turtles.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Let's get something straight

I like turdholes.

FIXT

 

[Matt42]

Re: Let's get something straight

My $0.02, tone can affect style and style can affect tone. I think tone, style and gear are all just part of the equation for an individual guitar player to adjust according to his/her needs.

This and....

I think it evolves as one progresses along their musical journey. In the early days of playing, we seem to rely more on equipment to get into the ballpark of our goals. As the years go by, many players develop a stronger command of what they do, and I suspect a stronger concept of exactly how they want to sound, and are able to do more of that from the way they play their instrument.

That seems to lead to players having their sound 'in their head', and seeking that sound, or something approximating, it from almost any equipment. Of course there are extremes, and a great country player may struggle with a dedicated metal amp, just as a metal player may struggle with a vintage Fender amp. But the intent will shine through because the seasoned player will stamp more authority into the equation due to having a strong sonic vision.

Imagine some guitar legend showing up to play somewhere and their gear has got lost, they have to perform with whatever gear can be hastily cobbled together at the last minute ... gear that is nothing like what they would normally be using. Stylistically they'll still sound like themselves, but sonically they won't quite have the tones they're known for. But they will do a pretty fine job of bending the random equpiment to their needs because of their strong mental vision of 'their sound', and how to get as close to that as possible with whatever they are presented with.

This.

/thread