Some people say that tone doesn't matter as much as performance. I think performance is
important, but who wants to listen to a great performance that has an underlying tone that
is unpleasant? Not me.
As someone who has obsessed about guitar and music (like a lot of others here) I believe that
tone is paramount. I can count on less than my 10 fingers the players (local or national) that
I felt had amazing tone live. That's not many.
Seen a lot of great performances, but those with a tone that was loud, present,. and also fit the
context of the music, but was dialed in to be just perfectly balanced (neither tubby, hollow in the mids,
nor shrill) are few and far between.
I'd rather listen to someone with amazing tone, than someone with just fleet fingers.