The position of the transducer (pickup) between the nut and bridge
The pickup characteristics (coil windings, wire, magnets, etc.)
Guitar construction details, including wood type
Post-processing of the guitar (e.g., the amp you use, or adding effects in the studio)
The guitar construction imparts a characteristic tone by altering the vibrating string's frequency
response. It's possible to re-create this characteristic frequency curve by using very precise equalizer
circuits; Dark Fire does this primarily by using two 4-band parametric equalizers to mold the
frequency response. (The reason for using analog technology is that digital processing requires
converting analog signals into digital streams, and then converting back to analog. This introduces a
delay that players often find disconcerting.)
The placement of the pick up coils and their construction allows Dark Fire to reproduce phase and
other tone modifying affects.
Finally, remember that the classic Chameleon sounds require that the pickup toggle switch be in the
middle (both pickups) position, with no Piezo sound blended in, and the tone controls up full. But with
so many options available to change tone in addition to the Chameleon Tones, it's possible to stray
from the original, classic sounds. This makes it easy to create useful variations on these classic
sounds for even more tonal possibilities, but if Dark Fire doesn't sound quite like the guitar you're
trying to emulate, make sure you have the pickup switch, Piezo blend, and tone controls set properly.
Also, remember that any post processing you use (i.e., anything the modifies the tone after the signal
leaves the guitar, like your amplifier) impacts the sound. Some “classic” guitar sounds result from
combining the guitar sound with a particular amplifier—for example, a Les Paul going through a
British stack will sound very different compared to going through an American combo amp.
The bottom line is that each Chameleon Tone setting is very different, and factors other than the
guitar itself can change these sounds even further.
Gibson Dark Fire 4.0 manual, page 18
