Hmmm... my take on tone...
I think it's a bit of a misleading question.
If you're talking about "sonic" tone, then that's the gear. "Musical" tone is all you.
Riffs & licks aside, tone comes from a lot of things... how hard you press the fretboard, where in the fret -closer to the fret, middle, farther back, at an angle, etc...
... where you pick -closer to the bridge, closer to the neck... every mm makes a diff, and everyone subconsciously plays in their own 'sweet spot' ... even your physical build affects how you play since it affects how your guitar is positioned to your body... the angle of your pick, the pick you choose... etc. Palm muting (or not muting) is a big factor as well, since no 2 people will mute the exact same way, with the exact same pressure, at the exact same angle.
All these things affect your tone... and why you play the way you play are the reasons behind your tone.
On a psychological level, when you play on someone else's gear, your mind tries to get the sound YOU want out of their gear... adjusting how you pick, where you pick...etc...etc... until what you hear, is as close to your 'tone' as you can get with the given rig... hence the reason for why your tone seems to follow you around.