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Author Topic: Gear elements and order of impact on pure guitar tone?  (Read 20156 times)

hunter

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Gear elements and order of impact on pure guitar tone?
« on: July 06, 2009, 06:26:06 PM »

So, no discussion the player has most influence. But what is your own order of what has most impact on tone of all gear related components? Let's not look at FX as they are highly important for some players (Matt Bellamy) but not what I am looking at.

Let's say in a live scenario, where maybe not all details come across so well.

I would say (in order of descending importance and without effects):

1. Amp
2. Speakers/Cab
3. Pickups
4. Cable quality/signal chain purity
5. Guitar
6. Picks
7. Strings

How would you order the importance based on your experience?
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Adam.M

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Re: Gear elements and order of impact on pure guitar tone?
« Reply #1 on: July 06, 2009, 06:41:14 PM »
I see them all as equally important.

Although, I only aim for everything to be good/good+ quality and to be very reliable.

I couldn't really put any of those above another, if one goes it all goes.

Sound wise I'd have to group amp, speakers, pickups and guitar together and the rest being less important.
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jibidy

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Re: Gear elements and order of impact on pure guitar tone?
« Reply #2 on: July 06, 2009, 06:54:56 PM »
I think if you have a guitar that you like then the amp speaker cable etc come after.

1 = Guitar
2 = Pick (I've only ever used jazz 3 and teardrops, I am useless with big picks)
3 = Amp
4 = Speakers/cab
5 = cables and FX


Lew

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Re: Gear elements and order of impact on pure guitar tone?
« Reply #3 on: July 06, 2009, 06:57:02 PM »
I'd put them is the same priority as Hunter

MDV

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Re: Gear elements and order of impact on pure guitar tone?
« Reply #4 on: July 06, 2009, 07:06:09 PM »
I think

Amp
Cab
Pickups and guitar I think of as rather inextricable, and they go here.
Strings
Speakers
Valves in the amp
cables
Pick

Subject to revision. Some things I'm not too sure about.

What I do know is that the most important thing is how they all work together.

Will

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Re: Gear elements and order of impact on pure guitar tone?
« Reply #5 on: July 06, 2009, 07:11:19 PM »
Hmm, my only doubts are that you put guitar below cable.
I can see your point, that if you have a cheap guitar Vs expensive guitar with same pickups + strings it won't be that noticable; but if its a different type of guitar e.g. Strat -> Les Paul with the same pickups and strings it would be more noticable and I would put it above cables in that instance.

tomjackson

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Re: Gear elements and order of impact on pure guitar tone?
« Reply #6 on: July 06, 2009, 08:09:37 PM »
Do you mean the quality of the gear, i.e. a squire Telecaster V a Custom shop Telecaster.

Or the type of gear, say a Vintage Tele v a BC Rich.

If it's the latter guitar would definitely be top, if it's the quality I'll have to have a think.....

MDV

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Re: Gear elements and order of impact on pure guitar tone?
« Reply #7 on: July 06, 2009, 08:14:11 PM »
Oh, and room and location in the room, both the amp/cab and you with respect to it. Put that above guitar on my list. Maybe above cab too.

ailean

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Re: Gear elements and order of impact on pure guitar tone?
« Reply #8 on: July 06, 2009, 08:39:12 PM »
I'd say:

Amp
(Pickup choice of humbucker or single coil)
Speakers / cab (i think they are equal)
Pickups
Guitar type (LP/strat etc)
(I'll put in a 'quality of guitar' here, but in brackets, as I'm not sure it's in the spirit of the original question)
picks
cables
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dave_mc

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Re: Gear elements and order of impact on pure guitar tone?
« Reply #9 on: July 06, 2009, 08:40:48 PM »
What I do know is that the most important thing is how they all work together.

agreed. i think it's really too hard to say how big a difference each specific thing will make, and it also depends on if you're trying to get the natural voice of the instrument and amp, or trying to persuade it to sound like a different instrument.

Slightly off-tangent, but i really hate all those threads you see on forums where some smart-alec records a classic guitar and amp and tries to disguise what it really is, then when all the wrong answers come back says superciliously that gear doesn't matter... :evil: Not to mention, a lot of the differences are more apparent to the player than the listener- you can "feel" them, more than hear them.

Twinfan

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Re: Gear elements and order of impact on pure guitar tone?
« Reply #10 on: July 06, 2009, 09:34:37 PM »
a lot of the differences are more apparent to the player than the listener- you can "feel" them, more than hear them.

I couldn't agree more Dave.  This has been my experience, and that of Joe Bonamassa!

To answer Hunter's question, this is the order I would place things in their importance to me.  I've also grouped a couple as I treat them as one thing:

1. Amp
2. Speakers and cab (the combination of)
3. Guitar and pickups (the combination of)
4. Picks / strings / cable quality

It doesn't matter what the guitar is, I still sound like me.  I can play Enter Sandman on a Tele and you'd tell it was me, and it wouldn't sound that different to me playing it on a PRS to most people.  It would feel really odd though!!!

jpfamps

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Re: Gear elements and order of impact on pure guitar tone?
« Reply #11 on: July 06, 2009, 09:42:15 PM »
I think

Amp
Cab
Pickups and guitar I think of as rather inextricable, and they go here.
Strings
Speakers
Valves in the amp
cables
Pick

Subject to revision. Some things I'm not too sure about.

What I do know is that the most important thing is how they all work together.

That is of course assuming you are using a valve amp............

MDV

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Re: Gear elements and order of impact on pure guitar tone?
« Reply #12 on: July 06, 2009, 09:45:19 PM »
I think

Amp
Cab
Pickups and guitar I think of as rather inextricable, and they go here.
Strings
Speakers
Valves in the amp
cables
Pick

Subject to revision. Some things I'm not too sure about.

What I do know is that the most important thing is how they all work together.

That is of course assuming you are using a valve amp............

Theres another kind? I'd forgotten.

Twinfan

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Re: Gear elements and order of impact on pure guitar tone?
« Reply #13 on: July 06, 2009, 09:57:54 PM »
:lol:

There's only one kind worth having  :)

( Oops!  Apologies for the valve snobbery  :oops: )

Matt77

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Re: Gear elements and order of impact on pure guitar tone?
« Reply #14 on: July 06, 2009, 09:59:53 PM »
Amp
then if you put enough gain on it nothing makes a difference. :)

Seriously though it depends on the gain and tone you go for.
With less gain I would say:
amp
fingers or plectrum attack
pickups and guitar equal

The rest make a less significant difference to me