In my guitar lifetime, I've had 6 or 7 major tone events.
The first was late 80s. Gibson Les Paul Custom through a Mesa Boogie Mark III. Game changing and it carried me through most of a decade.
Second was the Millennium Dragon. Most of you probably know the guitar, and a few of you know how one of them came to be mine. That big chunk of Brazilian rosewood made me weak in the knees. I'm the only owner, and it was so special that I vowed only to play original music on it. I felt that it deserved it, and still do. I've mentioned before that I didn't even look at other guitars for a decade after getting this, because what was the point.
Next was Paul's Dirty 100. After having been fully seduced by Brazilian rosewood, it was eye (ear?) opening to play this package. The dirty top is amazing, and I trust that Paul really did choose it for its tonal properties. Peruvian Mahogany neck with a Dalbergia board is a treat - to much so that I got a spare, granted with a glossy top. One of my acoustics also goes the Peruvian route.
Next was my Laskin: old growth Brazilian with a cedar top (classical) or spruce (steel) shaped by a master is bloody magic. Notes just don't ring any truer.
Then through a slightly unusual set of circumstances, a Pernambuco bodied acoustic found its way into my hands. Its tone is unlike any acoustic I've played. There aren't many of them around made by any builder, so don't miss a chance to see what it is about. Not too long ago I posted a cheesy video of me playing a song on five acoustics - this and the Laskins were among them. Just picture yourself in the bell tower of an ancient cathedral - that's the ring you will get from this guitar.
And then there is the violin prototype. For this guitar, the prototype is very different from the guitars in the run. On the surface, you might expect it to be much like the Dragon, and it does have gobs of that stereotypical Brazilian neck flavour. But it has a lot of other stuff going on. Most notable to me was how well balanced the electronics are - more than any other guitar I've spent a reasonable amount of time with. You plug this sucker in and let it roar.
I have other guitars that suit certain tonal spaces, but these are the tone machines.