Eric Clapton has been famously quoted (or misquoted) as saying "'tone'...is all in the trousers" or something to that effect. I wholeheartedly agree that it is the player's unique perspective and character that creates 'tone'. My goal as an amp builder/designer is to produce the most responsive guitar amplifier possible. From my point of view, an amplifier should be an extension of how one plays the guitar and not just a louder, tacked-on sound that the speakers emit. Everything, from the angle of your pick/fingernail to the dynamics you feel, should be coming out of the speaker and reaching your audience. Nothing of the character that a player puts into a note should be lost. It's what I call the TrouserTone™ standard.