I had a very interesting conversation yesterday. A concept was introduced to me that I’ve never noticed, even though it was right in front of my face. Really got my brain going, and I wondered if anyone else has had such an encounter. I’ll cut to the chase.
I was taking a long stroll, thinking about cool gear, as per usual. Sun was shining, birds singing, and I was dreaming of my next overdrive pedal. All was right with the world. I could almost hear the even order harmonics dancing in my blissful little skull.
I decided to swing by a local store to grab a nice cider (shout out to 2 Towns Ciderhouse. The Bad Apple is incredible!) It was there that I ran into an old acquaintance, a younger dude who I knew through my bass player.
I knew he dabbled in guitar, so I asked him how that was going. He was in the process of stripping his baja Telecaster down for a refin, so we talked about that briefly. Casually, I asked this delightful young chap about the rest of his rig.
He then responded with a quote that I found very strange.
“Oh, you’re one of those Tone Guys.”
I really wasn’t sure what that meant.
“Tone Guy?” I asked.
“Yeah, one of those guys who is all about the tone. All about the sound.” he replied with his usual giant smile.
“Aren’t all guitar players “Tone Guys” then?”
“Nah. Just sounds like a guitar. I gotta go. Later man.”
Needless to say, I was super confused. Now, admittedly, I am completely obsessed with gear, and constantly chasing different sounds. I have G.A.S. like nobodies business. So I am a bit on the extreme end.
But are there really regular guitarists and “Tone Guys”? Do I belong to subsection of guitar players just like there are metal shredders, blues lawyers, punk rawkers, and djenters? Do we add Tone Guy to the ever growing list? I was under the impression that we were all Tone Guys/Girls.
So, what do you think? Drop it in the comments or hit us up on Instagram.
20 responses to ““Tone Guy””
This is an interesting concept, and I have to say that it’s one that I’ve considered before; whether I’m playing guitar or tweaking my pedalboard layout/amp settings, I can never quite decide if I’m a tone guy, a guitarist, or a bit of both. After reading this article, I’ve decided that it comes down to two musician characteristics that are not mutually exclusive. So I’d say most tone-minded guitarists are a mix of tone-guy and simply a guitar player.
I have played guitar for about 6 years now and I am starting to notice G.A.S as an influence every time I play! But I do think that there are few people out there who kinda just play to play regardless of the certain tones.
This reminds me of the ongoing argument about “what actually affects your tone”. I know at least a few guys who don’t even care if they’re playing single coils or humbuckers, so I guess we aren’t all tone guys so to speak. I would think that those who truly love the guitar are interested in many aspects of it though; tone being one of the main ones.
That is exactly who the guy in the article is. I honestly do not think he would care what he was playing, just as long as he is playing. I’ve been so buried in the tone guy mindset, that I forget that some people are not as picky as me! That’s a good thing!
I guess as long as you’re enjoying yourself it’s all good. Personally, I find it easier to enjoy a guitar that has the sound I’m looking for at the time though.
I think it’s like this…
You have guitarist 1a and 1b. Both are “Tone Guys”, period. However, tone is ultimately subjective and achieved by various means. Guitarist 1a is the guy who simply plays using what he thinks sounds good. Whether it’s straight into an amp or through a million pedals. I think guitarist 1b is the tweaker. They search continuously for better tone and employ various techniques(from pedals to attack, etc.) to achieve their tone.
I know a player who is simply amazing. He has a nice pedal board and a small tube combo. Prior to that he played thru a cheap floor processor straight into the board. Both of his tones sound exactly the same. Both tones are great. I’d see him as 1a. He cares about tone, but essentially, his tone is always the same with or without pedals. 1b is like a guy I know who is always searching for a more transparent tone. Nothing seems to be transparent enough for him. His tone has evolved over the years I’ve know him and he constantly is tweaking his tone. He isn’t a plug in and play guy, he always has his effects with him. Both are great players and both have a great ear for tone. What separates the two of them is their tendency to tweak or not.
That’s my take.
Now that you mention this, I think there are differences between a “guitarist” and a “tone guy”. And I think your friend may have hit the nail on the head. To most people, guitars sound like guitars. That’s it. Heck, many music fans couldn’t tell you which guitar in a particular song was electric or acoustic (I know, hard to believe!)! So to most, I think all the searching high and low for the holy grail of tone is lost on the listeners.
What might be the key here is this:
The search for tone isn’t for the listener. It’s for the player.
Maybe the guitarist doesn’t need a boutique amp to do what he does. John Mayer does. Robert Smith doesn’t (he REALLY plays Roland Cubes on stage).
Will the couple in row 6 seats 34 & 33 notice the difference in tone between a Klon and a DS-1? Maybe not. But they will notice the emotion and feeling you pour into it.
Now, that is nicely put!
I’d definitely say there should be a category for tone guys. I know plenty of guys who are just about the style of music/playing and probably don’t even know what tone is. I pay particular attention to my tone. I want it to stand out. I would rather listen to someone less talented with killer tone than someone who shreds but has your typical tone. Tone guy for sure!
I’ve only been playing for a year, so I don’t really know a whole lot about my guitars, to be honest. That’s my fault though, since I just haven’t taken the time to learn I guess. I know I’ll definitely be a “tone guy” though as soon as I do!
Electric guitar is so rewarding because there are both musical and electronic avenues to explore. I like the challenge of learning new riffs and songs and the camaraderie of playing music with a band, but I also enjoy tweaking amps and effects to get different sounds. Heck, it is even fun to saw plywood and solder patch cables to set up THE perfect pedalboard yet again.
I feel like the best thing a guitarist can do is unlock a really great sound through his gear, whether it being amps, pedals, etc. I think I may fall under that “tone guy” category because I am always trying to find better upgrades in gear for my sound.
this is not easy to talk about, but i’ll try! tru the years i ended up having many guitars and amps, i never been a pedal guy so i just have what i call basics.
am i obseesed with tone…..i’d say no, but i tweak stuff, change pickups, speakers, make my own cables……then maybe i am.
Tone, what is Tone ?
2 me it’s basically finding that sweet spot where the instrument will RESPOND like i want, it’s all a delicate mix of everything in use and the more stuff the harder it gets. so i keep it simple LOL
i don’t even think it’s possible to understand what one means here, since the idea of Tone is so personal and everyone has his own concept about it, so bye now!! : )
Neat story. I think for a lot of people, and I mean this in the very least offensive way possible, are okay with sounding like their influences. Dudes that listen to punk all of the time, are more than likely going to want that in your face, high end, fuzzy sound, like all of the punkers before them. Dudes into psychedelic rock, are okay with sounding like Gilmour or Garcia. They have a certain sound they like, and once they achieve it, they don’t dabble too much outside of that. Which isn’t a bad thing. If they’re enjoying the guitar, music, self expression that way, I fully support that.
I think the thing with “tone guys” or people with excessive G.A.S. Like quite a few of us are, we’re searching for our own tone. Our own sound. We’re taking our influences and turning them into our own unique sound. Which is also just as great. So long as you’re doing what you’re doing because you enjoy it. Because nothing else can make you feel the way hearing your own set up, your own songs makes you feel. The problem with a lot of “tone guys” which I’ve run into quite a bit myself, is I get lost in acquiring new gear, instead of getting lost in playing my music. Too often it seems like I’m not able to play well without a big pedalboard at my feet to help me sound better? That’s when I have my moment of “I lost focus on why I do this” and go back to using a minimal set up to hear my own sound again. I think the fact that guitar has so much diversity attached to it is reason enough to be happy we all were blessed with the talent to be able to add to that list.
I feel like the more you play, the more you begin to care about tone. When I started playing, I didn’t give any thought to pedals. There was clean and overdrive on my amp, and I didn’t really pay attention to anything else. But as we grow as musicians, we develop the desire to have a unique sound, or even replicate the sound of other artists, and that leads into being a “Tone Guy.”
I’m at the other end of the spectrum. I have a Purple Peaker and a Morley volume pedal going through an old Vox head. I play with pedals at the music shop, and I swear I’m going to get a fuzz pedal. Honest. I like a basic raw sound. Old raunchy pick ups. I have a bunch of things I’d like to try out, but it seems you can never be satisfied. But here’s a toast to all of you out after the golden tone! Peace!
We are all “tone guys”, we all have our own sound.
No I don’t think you can play guitar for long without really wanting great tone no matter what style you play. I have played many styles from texas blues to metal to punk to indie rock and everything in between and even dabbled in country. I love good tone and can’t stand records or live bands with awful tone. It’s as distracting to a discerning ear as an off key singer. Granted there’s time to slum the tone deliberately for a really lofi nasty sound but for me I always like good tone. To date the best pedal purchase I got was a handwired Mad professor sweet honey overdrive because of how much it sounds and reacts like a real tube amp. I hate most pedal overdrives because they sound like a pedal not real tubes being overdriven. And my amp has me spoiled too a Mesa Roadking. If someone says they don’t care about tone, they haven’t played long enough.
Good call on the Sweet Honey! One of my favorite overdrives ever!
Love the story. My thoughts are every guitar player likes tone but there are those who all they do is seek tone. It’s all about how much you love the tone. How much you’re looking to improve. I’m constantly looking for new pedals, new guitars, new pedalboards. I always am trying to improve. Guitar Kingdom is always about the sound/tone and helping others find it. So I gues I’m just a tone head. That’s what it’s all about.