Is it possible to put them in order?

[jamhandy]

!) The ability of the person playing the guitar
2) The ability of the person playing the guitar
3) The ability of the person playing the guitar

- Tone is in the musician not in the gear.
- If you don't even know how to tune a guitar yet, its all gonna sound like crap regardless of buying a $5,000 PRS. You can't buy ability, but you can pay for lessons. The only way to get anything out of lessons is to practice. If the guitar sits in the case every week you're gonna wonder why its sounds like crap. At that point its not gonna help to swap pickups, etc...
- The more you play, the better you get. Just because you paid a lot for the guitar, amp or pedals does not give you ability.
- Someone with the ability can take a $100 guitar and make it sing. It might need the action set up, the intonation set (if possible) or a trussrod tweak. But if it has 6 strings and holds a tune, someone with the ability can make it sing.
- Tone is in the musician not in the gear.

 

[jamhandy]

No one's mentioned 'Record Producer' yet?

Ahhh... the old "fix it in the mix" remedy to off key vocalists and whimpy handed guitar players... LOL

 

[01GT Eibach]

I think a lot of it is in the fretboard/neck and the setup. For instance, that is what often separates a factory Gibson from, say, a guitar that someone "put together" himself with nice components. This is the interface with the player.

 

[Cjsinla]

No, not possible.

 

[mudface]

Don’t care much about what the guitar sounds like by itself...... I care about the sound I can make WITH it.... even the crappiest parts nailed to a 2x4 strung with bail wire and ran through Pignose can be awesome.

Some bodies and necks aren’t made of wood.... that list doesn’t really work for me... though it contains plenty of what I have but not limited to.

I don’t want to sound egotistical,.. the most important part is missing...... Me.

 

[zamdrang]

Hands