Trying to analyze my own clip now I'd say the way one holds and attacks the pick makes a big difference.
Overall, it makes even bigger a difference how much and how consistently/evenly the player plays other strings, I mean, it sounds entirely different if you, no matter how quickly, strum through, say 4 strings like here - the string's mutual harmonics aren't very much apparent, but if you kind of make them all sound at once and stress the first ones so they all ring through at once, it makes a big difference too. Even when you do play the same notes in either case.
I can kind of understand why our other guitarist says he can't play with my rig unless he turns the gain to at least three times as high as I keep it...if I play it differently, my rig has very little drive to speak of, and especially for leads, it needs to be really dug into the strings or they sound quite clean and not sustaining at all. Conversely, when I play his rig I feel it's just atonal buzz whatever I do with it.
I think those alone do have a huge difference in sound, BUT I suppose that along with even slight changes in gain, tone, or such, can exaggerate this kind of differences very much...so I don't know if one can say the player really changes the fundamental tone as much, but the player, combined with even small changes in EQ or, pedal setting, guitar volume/tone, hell, even the proximity to the speaker when playing etc...it all makes for different players sounding way different on the very same rig.
Dee
"When life's a biatch, be a horny dog"
Amps: Marshall JVM 410H w/ Plexi Cap mod, Choke Mod & Negative Feedback Removal mod, 4x12", Behringer GMX110, Amplitube 3/StealthPedal
Half a dozen custom built/bastardized guitars all with EMG's, mostly 85's, Ibanez Artwood acoustic & Yamaha SGR bass, Epiphone Prophecy SG, Vox Wah, Pitchblack tuner plus assorted pedals, rack gear etc. for home studio use.