6STRINGS 9LIVES said:
Tone is what seperates the greats from the wanna bees, tone is what makes the hair stand up on your arms, tone is essential element in all great recordings and performances
My, my. Didn't this turn out to be an interesting little thread? A little off center - but
very interesting.
First off, I don't recall Moshe equating co$t to tone in his original post. Just that it was overrated. From that point on, it certainly didn't take long for it to spiral . . . well, off topic. Again, nothing more than a casual observation.
As for the point of tone being
overrated - I guess that would all depend on who you'd ask . . . or, whether you're in the process of painting your living room. Any way that you decide look at it, you'll come up with a million different answers, because after all - - we are all unique individuals. Generally speaking, there are a lot of ways to break down the various components of what we guitarists like to call "tone" - and for the most part, it is a direct result of a lot of the things that have already been discussed - playing skill, gear, mixing / production, and of course - something we call emotion. All are integral building blocks of great tone. But then again, these are all
subjective opinions, irregardless of how much we decide to include of each, or how we choose to put them together. Whatever the end-result, there is really just one thing that determines whether or not tone is valid as a point of consideration (or contention, for that matter.) And that, my friends, is
perception. Let me explain.
When we guitarists are talking tone - it is easy to drop names. Berry, Moore, Lennon / Harrison, Clapton, Hendrix, Page, Beck, Gilmour, Richards, Townshend, etc., are usually at the headwaters, and in most cases - rightfully so. However, if you're a guitar player who's into the Sex Pistols, or Ramones, or something to that effect, it's likely that none of those guys are even on your list. Ask a jazz afficianado who he thinks has the best tone - - and he'll probably drop names like Charlie Christian, Joe Pass, or Wes Montgomery on you. What I'm saying is this: there are no right or wrong answers when it comes to tone. My ears don't hear what yours do. Whether you think good music does / does not requrie good tone - it makes no difference at all. Your perception is what lends as little, or as much importance to it. The same goes for gear.
It might also be interesting to note that in its fledgling years, rock music really had no predacessors on which to base tone - - only an
idea of using what they had to create something new and different. Had they chosen to emulate tones from the players of the 30's and 40's, rock music might have evolved as an entirely different animal. Now that we've had 50+ years of rock n' roll under our wheels, however, it's getting harder and harder to find sounds that haven't been widely used or copied - - something which could very well have been at the crux of Moshe's original post. I mean really - it's pretty tough to find a modern blues player these days who isn't pulling something out of the SRV bag of tricks (*me included!)
Now as far as tone being "overrated" is concerned, we all have our own ideas about what that statement constitutes. Logically speaking, one way to assess its overall importance in that equation is to remove it entirely, and see what's left. For instance, try to imagine
Purple Haze without its psychedically-tinged, gargantuan Stratocaster / Marshall fuzz tone. Ain't the same, is it? Or Gilmour's methodic, expansively haunting solo in
Comfortably Numb. A little empty, huh? And the boogie-infused wrangling of SRV's
Scuttlebuttin' sans it's .13 / .58 gauge phone cables being stretched into divine submission? Hey, I'm just throwin' this stuff out there - but I think you catch my drift. Anyway you slice it, tone is not just an
essential ingredient - it's
THE ingredient. It's what separates good music from great music - just like 69SL said. To say that its overrated is like saying the chocolate chips are an overrated part of a chocolate chip cookie.
The last point I'd like to make goes back to something I said awhile ago in another thread (although I forget where), but I think bears mentioning. Folks - this is a
public forum. We all have opinions, some of which might incite some rather heated debate. This is what a forum is all about - - not to mention what makes it
great. I might be a minority here, but I think this thread is exactly the kind of thing that the Fret.Net needs. Posts and discussion that evoke opinion, stir emotions, and make you look at the bigger picture. If I want sunshine and rainbows, I'll watch Brady Bunch re-runs.
And lastly, a tip of the hat to 69SL for having the wherewithal to stir up a little "commotion" right here on FN. Like it, hate it, whatever - it's
real.
R
In English?
