Mixing: Tips, Tricks and Techniques

for sure Brendan, I've seen stuff here that exceeds factory guitars, just look at the 2014 GOTY awards. The build quality is as good, if not better, and many of them use the same innards

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Originally Posted by stan

spot on Pabs.

True Bargey, or they have all the tone guru mods and upgrades, then throw the the whole lot through a pedal or effects rack and then it's all changed...

I think there is something to be said for quality product and tried and tested methods. I'd rather have a Gibson SG custom than a JP Luthiers one. However, you could go close to making the cheapie sound like the Gibbo, for far less $

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Agreed, there's a reason why we put upgraded electronics and hardware in out guitars and that's to enhance the reliability, playability and sound, like you say, many of these products are tried and tested.
As Pabs mentioned, the specific sound we craft from our instruments is totally subjective. I do however think the word "tone" gets bandied around far too liberally, many times without actually describing what sort of tone, or what sort of affect something has on a tone. To say this guitar, or this guitarist has a "great tone" or this specific finish "kills' tone really makes very little sense without actually qualifying the word with an adjective of some description.
I think the word "tone" as a singular needs to be banned, it's not some magical "thing" that exists, to be attained or strived after, or in some cases "killed".
Let's be a bit more descriptive ,and attempt cut through the confusion.

e.g the poly finish gave my guitar a dull, lifeless tone:-)

Hear, hear! Well said, Barge.

I don't know how many times I've sat down with someone and taken turns on the same setup and thought how do they get it to sound like that in comparison to me. Personally I think a lot of it is from the player. I've heard some super cheap guitars sound pretty damn good.

too true Bargy.
I read an article written buy a guitar journo who visited Eddie Van Halen at his home studio (sorry dont remeber his name).
Eddie asked him if he wanted to have a go on his gear.
The journo jumped at the chance , as we all would.
I'm paraphrasing here, but essentially the journo said that he sound just like himself, an nothing like EVH.
The tone of your guitar is in your own hands.