Top 5 little things that destroy tone

[adeiderich]

1. Crate Amps with G and/or XL on the panel.
2. The inability to twist knobs.
3. Alcohol.
4. Excessive Volume.
5. Cargo Shorts.

[voodoostation]

I can only think of one, the operator. The rest add character.

[MT Tele]

ceiling fan!

[TeleToTheRain]

5. reading internet forums
4. reading internet forums
3. reading internet forums
2. obsessing over gear
1. not playing

ok, now back to one of the above ; )

[e-merlin]

Originally Posted by jswiss

2: using multi-effects boxes

I'm going to take issue with this one. I think I'd change it to using too many effects at once. I like multi-effects boxes, especially for W/D/W setups.

[Doorlord]

Originally Posted by adeiderich

1. Crate Amps with G and/or XL on the panel.
2. The inability to twist knobs.
3. Alcohol.
4. Excessive Volume.
5. Cargo Shorts.

+1 on #1, unless you want to sound like James Hetfield, who ironically has the best tone in Metallica.

[Radspin]

Where you place your amp. Sometimes raising it off the floor can make a world of difference--or vice versa. I do either depending on the acoustics of the room we're playing in.

[McGlamRock]

Originally Posted by fezz parka

The number one reason for tone suck is not knowing what to do with what you have, then going onto Musician's Friend thinking you can buy it.

Some great advice right there!

[Turtleface]

Bought a new pedal board, but nothing seems to be helping my tone!

[Skintight]

Originally Posted by TeleToTheRain

5. reading internet forums
4. reading internet forums
3. reading internet forums

+1,000,000

[tedro]

Originally Posted by hemingway

I don't use a lot of pedals.

To me, tone is about the solidity of the instrument and particularly of the strings in connection to it, and v little else. So, starting from the small end, you need:

decent stringing job
solid nut
good neck/body join
solid bridge with saddles that aren't rattling about.

+1...wow, i like that!

[tedro]

where's DELETE in this joint?

[tedro]

Originally Posted by Turtleface

Bought a new pedal board, but nothing seems to be helping my tone!

you need the new, but already rare, Boss Flux (Dilithium [not Germanium]) Stabilizer pedal.

[Mjark]

Originally Posted by Skintight

Page, Santana, Hendrix. Yeah they have awful tone.

I was hoping to irritate more than one person.

I may switching to .009 in the not too distant future.

I guess a bad set up/nut can cause problems as well as technique, but otherwise it's pretty subjective.

[Skintight]

Originally Posted by Mjark

I was hoping to irritate more than one person.

I may switching to .009 in the not too distant future.

Son of a!!

[63dot]

Originally Posted by Mjark

Gibson

Yeah, this really qualifies. What they may call woman tone, I often call mud.

Leo got it right with the single coils and it's the reason I put in a push pull pot into my guitar with humbuckers. I can see why Jimmy Page opted for the push pull pots. If I had to I can work with humbuckers, but single coils have that x-factor that's hard to put a finger on. And within the world of single coil equipped guitars, the tele has something that often only tele lovers can truly enjoy. I can hear players tell me all day that the tele is ugly, or limited, or anmeic, but then that's one less player competing for a tele. We are kind of like Mac owners or Miata owners or Krispy Kreme eaters which is loyal on a level few can understand. Those are the three most famous brands, but us tele players have everything those folks have.

[Mjark]

I have no beef with humbuckers either really. Although I think they sound better more on the clean side like though a Bandmaster than a Marshall. Here's a surf type thing using a Les Paul. http://snd.sc/LReZbU

[Gringo13]

I agree that guitar set-up and technique are huge factors in tone, but I've seen people with pro set-ups and great technique completely suck because of a few issues. In no particular order...

Constant strumming on electric guitar. see also: not letting the electric rhythms breathe
Not sound checking- see also: any kind of stage volume war
Corroded strings OR brand new strings are equally bad for tone and tuning
Tense sobriety OR sloppy intoxication
Overuse of ANY effects pedal, especially wah, phaser, flanger, and tremolo
Bad drummer

[thorton077]

1 my lack of playing ability
2 my lack of playing ability
3 my obsession with gear
4 my lack of playing ability
5 my lack of playing ability

[Tele Fan]

How 'bout a room with bad acoustics. Some places you just won't sound good no matter what you do.