And a lot of it is personal style and technique. Someone I know sounds completely shrill and whinny no matter what gear he uses because he's a no-talent tone deaf phuck, whereas I almost always sound gentle and melancholy because I have a light touch and I'm smart enough not to tear through the strings with my pick like I don't care about them breaking. Which they don't for me.

It could just be that the person you heard playing it that sounded bad just plain sucked. It happens.