Regarding that first sentence. I totally agree.
“Touch, technique, phrasing etc”—do you usually refer to those things as tone? Just curious.
Yeah, of course. I think you've amalgamated your own peculiar definition of 'tone,' but if you consider the actual defintion of it then you'd see it's centered on technique and quality of expression more so than the frequencies, clipping, etc. You can even infer the same concepts as it concerns it's definition related to color. Check out the definition below and you'll see.
Consider this: just to play a single note that sounds good, technique is required. Anyone can pick a note, but not everyone can pick one note and sound good. You have to put the right pressure, the right pick attack, make the note without moving the string, and be able to sustain it. If there are flaws in any of those things, it will affect the quality of tone... Granted, certain nuances are inherent characteristics of individual styles, but still must be done right to put forth a note that sounds right.
Have you ever noticed how many players always do a vibrato when they sustain a note? It doesn't sound good when there's a vibrato on every note they hold. Yet, many players do that because they can't really strike a good sounding note and let it sing on it's own.
Not only is it technique, phrasing, touch, etc., there are many factors contributing to tone such as guitar setup, electronics, cables, tuning, etc. Yet all of those things are in the standard skill set of guitarists. Therefore, those things are also a significant factor of an amps input. You can't play a nice sounding, plain note if there's string buzz or if the intonation is off. Thus, in addition to playing technique, there are instrument skills that contribute to an amps input.
An amp simply amplifies input. It doesn't 'produce' tone necessarily, rather, it imparts whatever qualities and characteristics particular to it's electronic make up in the amplification of the input signal. This isn't a technical explanation but a very simple, practical perspective for the sake of explanation.
The players who are going to have the best tone are the ones who can sustain a good sounding, individual note without any manipulation other than letting it ring; or players who can play a series of notes or chords with articulation, even dynamics, without making any extra noise, etc. A lot of people compensate for certain features of their technique with work-around techniques. They too are capable of conveying good tone if they have the right recipe.
I understand what you're trying to say but you can't isolate electrical output characteristic to a piece of gear as 'tone' because it's inextricable from the physical actions and properties that create the input. The phrase, "tone is in the fingers" is indisputable even though the quality of amplification contributes to the ultimate product of amp input.
Honestly, (this is not directed at anyone) a lot of the people making arguments against such a sayings have resigned to limitations in skill or have become suspended in a rather underdeveloped playing ability. They see their skill set as being adequate to a minimal degree and don't see the value of continuous development. The truth is that anyone that improves their technique improves their tone.
Therefore, we each need to honestly acknowledge our own technique and technical ability in order to evolve. David Gilmour doesn't have great tone because he uses $200 instrument cableso, nor does Eric Johnson have great tone because he plays a $40,000 Dumble.
I tell you this: bad technique sounds worse as you go from a low quality amplifier to a higher quality one because that's the nature of boutique amps. Not only that, a player’s tone can improve with a better guitar setup. No one in the world is going to be able to distinguish between Alpha and CTS pots, so it's certainly not always the quality of components. You can try to argue with people who say, "tone is in the fingers," but it's futile.
1 : vocal or musical sound of a specific quality
spoke in low tones
masculine tones
especially : musical sound with respect to timbre and manner of expression
2
a : a sound of definite pitch and vibration
b : whole step
3 : accent or inflection expressive of a mood or emotion
4 : style or manner of expression in speaking or writing
seemed wise to adopt a conciliatory tone
5 : a particular pitch or change of pitch constituting an element in the intonation of a phrase or sentence
high tone
low tone
mid tone
low-rising tone
falling tone
6 : the pitch of a word often used to express differences of meaning
7
a(1)
: color quality or value
(2)
a : a tint or shade of color
b : the color that appreciably modifies a hue or white or black
gray walls of greenish tone
8 : the effect in painting of light and shade together with color
