"Tone is in your fingers" cliche'

[some_dude]

Tone - noun - The distinctive property of a complex sound (a voice or noise or musical sound); "the timbre of her soprano was rich and lovely"; "the muffled tones of the broken bell summoned them to meet".

http://www.websters-online-dictionar...efinition/tone

Timbre - noun - The distinctive property of a complex sound (a voice or noise or musical sound); "the timbre of her soprano was rich and lovely"; "the muffled tones of the broken bell summoned them to meet".

http://www.websters-online-dictionar...inition/timbre


Like I said....they're interchangeable and they mean the same thing. The tone vs timbre thing is internet forum crap and debating the two terms like they mean something different is silly.

[JB_From_Hell]

Exactly, thank you. It's just a way to break it to a kid more easily that spending money won't make him sound like his guitar hero.

Besides, you can use a cliche, or spell it out, but nobody ever understands it until they've spent years chasing somebody's tone.

[FretFire]

Tone - noun - The distinctive property of a complex sound (a voice or noise or musical sound); "the timbre of her soprano was rich and lovely"; "the muffled tones of the broken bell summoned them to meet".

http://www.websters-online-dictionar...efinition/tone

Timbre - noun - The distinctive property of a complex sound (a voice or noise or musical sound); "the timbre of her soprano was rich and lovely"; "the muffled tones of the broken bell summoned them to meet".

http://www.websters-online-dictionar...inition/timbre


Like I said....they're interchangeable, and they mean the same thing. The tone vs timbre thing is internet forum crap.

I think it's being taken too literally.

Seriously dude, relax.

[some_dude]

I think it's being taken too literally. It's easier to say "tone is in the fingers" than "You can aquire all of Zakk's gear, but you will not sound exactly like him, as the eccentricities of the player play a large role in determining the overall sound."

That's why I think it's a cop out. Instead of saying something useful and actually helping some kid out, all he gets is "tone is in the fingers" and half a page of "+1s".

[FretFire]

That's why I think it's a cop out. Instead of saying something useful and actually helping some kid out, all he gets is "tone is in the fingers" and half a page of "+1s".

It gets the point across though, that's why I don't see why it's such a big deal. The two things JB typed out both said the same thing to me, and we all know that the interweb is a place of people who feel shorter = better. Or else we wuldnt have ppl typing like this 2 ech uthr.

[JB_From_Hell]

That's why I think it's a cop out. Instead of saying something useful and actually helping some kid out, all he gets is "tone is in the fingers" and half a page of "+1s".

Does it really make any difference whether it's explained or not? No matter if people spell it out, say "tone is in the fingers", or blue ducks taste like peppermint, he's gonna spend a few years buying different stuff until he realizes it.

[some_dude]

Does it really make any difference whether it's explained or not? No matter if people spell it out, say "tone is in the fingers", or blue ducks taste like peppermint, he's gonna spend a few years buying different stuff until he realizes it.

It would save half a page of +1 posts before someone finally tells him to get a Les Paul and a JCM800, and the ensuing debate over the fact that gear alone won't make him sound like Zakk, which will eventually include a comment about someone who played through three different amps just to realize that they still play (though not neccissarily sound) the same, which will eventually devolve into either some random guitar player playing through Eddie's rig, or Eddie playing through A) a Pignose, or B) a solid state Crate with a blown speaker.

Is it important? No. Does it irritate me? A little. My view? Stop answering "what gear did so and so use" questions with a "tone" cop out. Just answer the f*kin question and be ready to explain why he can't get his JCM800 to sound like Zakk's.

[kneadmomunny]

i have to say, the tone is in you fingers is crap, the notes come from your fingers but you tone is your guitar and your amp and the effects.

if tone is in your fingers then you can play master of puppets on an acoustic. right you can play the notes, but it would sound like a completely different song.

but tone is mostly in your fingers, unless you do what i do and turn the knobs on my amp with your toes.

my tone is in my toes!

[bungalowbill]

Have a few players play the same acoustic guitar....will they all sound the same?

It is gear and touch....I've heard players play crap gear and sound good...I've also heard good gear sound like poo.

[viewaskew2k5]

I Sound the same on most guitars/amps i play. I get comments alot. Just the way my fingers are, how i hold the guitar, and how i 'make love' to the guitar with the pick. ATTACKING GUITARS IS A NO NO, THINK OF IT AS YOUR CHILD. oh no wait. THINK OF IT AS LIKE ANGELINA JOLIE. Would you hit her? Hell no.

[Beer$]

I Sound the same on most guitars/amps i play. I get comments alot. Just the way my fingers are, how i hold the guitar, and how i 'make love' to the guitar with the pick. ATTACKING GUITARS IS A NO NO, THINK OF IT AS YOUR CHILD. oh no wait. THINK OF IT AS LIKE ANGELINA JOLIE. Would you hit her? Hell no.

I would!

Anyway, one thing that makes the difference with your fingers is where you pick on the strings,, abovethe pickup would be quite tinny. SRV used to pick right above the bridge pickup (turned on) and his guitar would sound quite tinny (I think he liked it like that) but a lot of good sustain due to the equipment he was using.

I like to pick between the pickups

[Beer$]

Tone is in my graphic equilizer

[Mr. B]

Ok I, for one, give in. Its hurting my brain too much to continue reading. I admit it. I have heard guys over the years that can play an Eddie Van Halen cover or a SRV cover and sound almost exactly like the original. I confess!!! It made no difference that the studio player had sought out the exact same rig that Eddie and SRV were using to cop their sound, what had actually happened was.... THEY HAD STOLEN THEIR FINGERS !!!!!!

Boy am I ashamed about having kept that a secret so long.

[Beer$]

Ok I, for one, give in. Its hurting my brain too much to continue reading. I admit it. I have heard guys over the years that can play an Eddie Van Halen cover or a SRV cover and sound almost exactly like the original. I confess!!! It made no difference that the studio player had sought out the exact same rig that Eddie and SRV were using to cop their sound, what had actually happened was.... THEY HAD STOLEN THEIR FINGERS !!!!!!

Boy am I ashamed about having kept that a secret so long.

wouldn't they be all crusty and leave corpse crumbsall over the fretobard form being buried so long?

and what if Mr. Van Halen demands his fingers back?

That's not a bad idea! stealing rockstars fingers just to get their sound.

Well, I'd better start collecting.

[viewaskew2k5]

But did they really 'sound' like SRV/EVH, or just the 'studio version' of the songs. I mean studio vs live is where it counts.
Sure you can sound like the stuff from the cd. But can you pull off the tricks they do live? Doubt it!
Its like...when i play a cover, people notice, it sounds more like 'me' then 'them' ( the artist ).
But, sometimes i'll change itup a bit, and they will say ' hey it sounds like them..play it like you do jes!!'
wich is nice!

[JB_From_Hell]

Is it important? No. Does it irritate me? A little. My view? Stop answering "what gear did so and so use" questions with a "tone" cop out. Just answer the f*kin question and be ready to explain why he can't get his JCM800 to sound like Zakk's.

I agree.

[Beer$]

I suppose a guitar sound is like a fingerprint and noone has the same sound. With the same equipment you can sound pretty damn close. But noone has the same distance between the strings and the pickups or the same string height. If you really did your homework you could completley replicate someones sound (unlike fingerprints) But as a musician I would much prefer to adopt my own sound.

[JB_From_Hell]

i have to say, the tone is in you fingers is crap, the notes come from your fingers but you tone is your guitar and your amp and the effects.

if tone is in your fingers then you can play master of puppets on an acoustic. right you can play the notes, but it would sound like a completely different song.

but tone is mostly in your fingers, unless you do what i do and turn the knobs on my amp with your toes.

my tone is in my toes!

Did you read anything in this thread? Nobody thinks Eric Clapton could pick up a Jackson Soloist with EMG pickups, plug into a Krank Revolution and have the tone come out like his Layla tone. The point is, it would still sound like Eric Clapton.

How many times must this be explained? Would it help if I used Duane Allman, Tony Iommi, James Hetfield, Dimebag Darrel, Kerry King, Andreas Kisser, Carlos Santana, etc.... as an example?

Here's my last try.... a Les Paul into a Marshall will sound like a Les Paul into a Marshall, regardless of who's playing it. At the same time, James Hetfield will sound like James Hetfield regardless of what guitar/amp he's using.

[Beer$]

Did you read anything in this thread? Nobody thinks Eric Clapton could pick up a Jackson Soloist with EMG pickups, plug into a Krank Revolution and have the tone come out like his Layla tone. The point is, it would still sound like Eric Clapton.

How many times must this be explained? Would it help if I used Duane Allman, Tony Iommi, James Hetfield, Dimebag Darrel, Kerry King, Andreas Kisser, Carlos Santana, etc.... as an example?

Here's my last try.... a Les Paul into a Marshall will sound like a Les Paul into a Marshall, regardless of who's playing it. At the same time, James Hetfield will sound like James Hetfield regardless of what guitar/amp he's using.

That would be reffering to the person playing it. Like James hetfield playing a $200 Squier and it sounding like James hetfield purely because he's the one behind the the guitar and then Clapton picks up that same guitar and sounds like Eric Clapton for the same reason. However I think the person you quoted was referring to trademark tones on trademark instruments

[fretburner]

whenever i say "tone is in your fingers" i always mean that tone is MORE in your fingers than your gear. hence, the marty friedman example.