Spend enough time around guitarist and their gear, particularly guitar amps & pedals, and the topic of Tone is sure to pop up.
You hear stuff like, "Tone is in the hands." Or "Getting the ultimate Rock & Metal tones." But what do they really mean?
Tone basically is the desired sound you'd want to have coming out your amplifier. It is subjective, and may vary based on the music you are trying express or create.
For a long while in my earlier years of playing, I've wrestled tirelessly with this beast, and can now impart knowledge of the things which helped me and made the task a whole lot easier.
- Learn About Frequencies And Their Parameter Ranges.
Guitar amplifiers, especially ones with presence & resonance controls are awesome, as they allow for tighter or looser control over the bass & treble frequencies, manufactures usually give general guidelines as to which EQ settings sounds best with their product for particular genres of music, but it is as they say, " General guidelines," and should be viewed as such. You are better off tweaking those amp settings as it can yield more precise sounds.
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- Buy Or Try Pedals With Concentric Knobs.
Pedals like the Mod Tone Extreme Metal and DOD Boneshaker, sport parametric boost or cut controls that help acclimate your ears in deciding which tonal ranges in application sounds best, and allows the option of further sculpting your tone, more so than the simpler control sets of more conventional styled effect pedals.
- Pay Attention To What You Hear.
Listening to music is one thing, but we don't all listen the same way.
Based on what peaks your interest, someone's ears might be perked for the lyrics, drums, bass or electric guitar. Don't stray, try focusing on the tone you're trying to emulate, listen to the nuances and try capturing the dynamics of that sound, first by EQ'ing, as best possible, then adding any effect type you may be hearing.
Done right, these techniques will transform your tone into anything you want it to be; transposing what's in your head out to the audience.