Tone tone tone blah blah blah tone do XYZ affect tone blah blah

[HoodieMcFoodie]

I'll take on the "don't know the meaning" of the word aspect.

Tone is what you do with an equaliser. End of story.

Most of what people talk about when they're talking tone is the envelope. Especially here on the Tele forum, we talk about attack. And sustain and decay and swell. But we don't take control of it, we try to make it happen with accidental side effects. Like old caps that resonate, microphonic pickups, different metals here and there.... and the wood.

On the other hand (don't you have three?), my mother was a clinical dietician, and wow, did that take the fun out of food. I'll shut up.

In all my years here at the TPDRI I have never seen mention of an ASDR curve in relation to guitar playing in any thread. Ever.

 

[ale.istotle]

How about timbre? Can we discuss timbre?

 

[wabashslim]

I'd much rather hear another discussion about tone than "what color should my effing pickguard be?" ... really?

But a great pickguard will increase your "love" for the guitar and could subconsciously affect how your picking hand caresses the strings and that affects tone!

I can always tell when a player is ambivalent towards his guitar and shows no interest in pleasing it, because the guitar sounds "meh" as opposed to a "yes - YES - OHH YEEEESSSS!" tone.

 

[wabashslim]

How about timbre? Can we discuss timbre?

OK - is it pronounced "timber" or "tamber"? And what does it say about the people who pronounce it either way?

 

[jays0n]

This axe, though. Is it nitro or poly?

Umm we’re, unfortunately, gonna need the thickness of that finish too.

 

[eddiewagner]

If you play gigs, all the sudden knowing songs inside out is more important than tone.

 

[schmee]

But a great pickguard will increase your "love" for the guitar and could subconsciously affect how your picking hand caresses the strings and that affects tone!

I can always tell when a player is ambivalent towards his guitar and shows no interest in pleasing it, because the guitar sounds "meh" as opposed to a "yes - YES - OHH YEEEESSSS!" tone.

Good point! I need a new pick guard!

 

[willietheweirdo]

Use this link to set each knob on your guitar, amp and pedals and change your playing and genre of music to work with the sound you get. Be a man.

Wheel Decide!

Remember, there is no better or worse--just more differenterer!

 

[sax4blues]

While I agree 100% with OP, I fully understand this is the nature of online forums, so I’m fine with the minutiae.

 

[nixdad]

I used to drive fast cars. Now I drive a slow car. I can still speed in my slow car.

 

[willietheweirdo]

How about timbre? Can we discuss timbre?

OK - is it pronounced "timber" or "tamber"? And what does it say about the people who pronounce it either way?

It's pronounced "TOMbrhghghhh"

 

[Toto'sDad]

Three things I have decided long ago: If I ever am awarded a honorary degree or have to play something other than blues or have to use one of those amp modeling tools and in ear monitors I'm going to kill myself or have one of the guys in my band shoot me. I have already voiced those directives to my rhythm section.

Sounds a tiny bit extreme, but then I'm not going off willy nilly saying your stand doesn't have a certain logic. (given that harmonicas and harmonica players are being bandied about)

 

[Guithartic]

I suppose if you are on a pro stage with pro expectations, or in a recording studio, then all the little nuances matter. For the rest of us, which is the majority, then yeah I agree with what has been said. With a full band in some bar or something, as long as you sound OK nobody will notice the difference between one guitar or another, or between this pedal or that similar one.

I was buying all kinds of pedals and even a few pricy guitars to try and sound so professional, and then reminded myself, “Dude you play by yourself in your home office or with your friend in his home office. Don’t worry about the perfect set up or getting all this gear.” I decided no more tone-chasing purchases unless I start playing for a living.

 

[Rocky058]

Not fun.

Fun.

 

[Jupiter]

1. Tone is its own hobby. Which is fine I guess. I've built multiple guitars that have hardly ever been played; I just started building the next one.

2. "Tone is good enough if you play good enough" --1955

 

[guitarsophist]

I changed the pickguard on my tele from black to white. It did not change the tone but I liked it better. However, I swapped out the stock TOM bridge on my CV Squier Starcaster for a Gotoh, and it definitely did improve the tone, though it did not improve my playing, or make it more likely that I will make a viral recording and become a rock god. Still, all things considered, it was worth doing. It made a fun guitar into a serious guitar. If such things were not worth doing, there would be no need for TDPRI.

 

[Masmus]

So if you are a pro.
1. Chose a guitar that gives you the feel and tone you want.
2, Pick an amp that gets you that tone.
3. Choose the right strings for your tone.
4. Choose the right pedals to shape your tone.
5. Dial it all in.

And then record it though an SM57.
Recording engineer tweeks tone knobs on the mixer
Mixing engineer does more tweaking
Most of the time a guitarist will never know about any of this.

 

[Buckaroo65]

How about timbre? Can we discuss timbre?

Only if it relates to your axe.

 

[somebodyelseuk]

Tone really mattered in my last band. He was the drummer.

 

[mad dog]

Each to his/her own. "A chacun son gout" as the French would say. What interests me (tone for example) will continue to interest me despite your preferences.

I'm one of those folks ... thinking and discussing sound is just as much fun as creating it and hearing it.