9 Non-FX parts of your guitar that affect tone

By Aditya Shukla - Guitarist & Psychologist

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Strings

The material and gauge of your strings.

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Pickups

The height of your pickup, the electrical arrangement, the pots, the wiring, and the engineering.

2

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Pick

The material and size of your pick and where you pick on the length of the string.

3

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Nut, Saddle, Bridge

The Nut and Saddle break the string's vibrations, but some still remain that rebound on the bridge, which changes the tone.

4

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Wood

While totally oversold, the guitar's wood affects how your fingers move and what frequencies get absorbed. But it contributes very little on electric guitars, mostly just playability.

5

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Cables

The cables, the insulation, the tolerance in manufacturing, the wear and tear, etc. It's not much, but is evident.

6

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Action

Action is for playabiliity, so your action affects your fingers pressure, which then changes the tone.

7

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Fingers

No cap. Fingers - how they  touch the guitar, the pressure, the stickiness, the sound absorption, the muting, release and landing, micromovements, etc.

8

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Emotions

Your emotions change how the body activates its muscles. Your emotions will modify your intention to play softly or harshly, or dig in with the pick or use more finger pressure. It may even happen subconsciously.

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Your tone is a series of small changes across everything from your mind to your FX.

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