The Mt. Rushmore of Rock Guitar

[LedRush]

So in the "unpopular opinions" thread Lucas made the observation that Eddie Van Halen belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of Rock Guitar. And I agree. In fact, here is my Mt. Rushmore of rock guitar:

 

Eddie Van Halen

 

Tony Iommi

 

Jimi Hendrix

 

Saul Hudson (Slash)

 

I wrestled with Jimmy Page, Angus Young, Randy Rhoads and Keith Richards.

 

Yours?

 

How do you justify Slash? He doesn't seem to belong either in skill or influence...and I considered GNR as my favorite band for the majority of my childhood and still love them.

[Rick N. Backer]

So in the "unpopular opinions" thread Lucas made the observation that Eddie Van Halen belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of Rock Guitar. And I agree. In fact, here is my Mt. Rushmore of rock guitar:

 

Eddie Van Halen

 

Tony Iommi

 

Jimi Hendrix

 

Saul Hudson (Slash)

 

I wrestled with Jimmy Page, Angus Young, Randy Rhoads and Keith Richards.

 

Yours?

 

How do you justify Slash? He doesn't seem to belong either in skill or influence...and I considered GNR as my favorite band for the majority of my childhood and still love them.

 

Because with Iommi, I consider him to be one of the most incredible riff writers of all time. And as far as influence is concerned, he's pretty high up on the list of guitarists that other artists look to work with.

[custom55]

My justification for putting Mr. Townshend on my list.

 

http://youtu.be/9TAp_p4oSV4

Edited July 29, 2015 by custom55

[goose]

Chuck Berry

Jimi Hendrix

Jimmy Page

EVH

I went back and forth between Clapton and Eddie VH. Decided on Clapton...more statesman-like.

 

 

Although Berry was a bathroom peeper...

Edited July 29, 2015 by goose

[LedRush]

Chuck Berry

Jimi Hendrix

Jimmy Page

EVH

I went back and forth between Clapton and Eddie VH. Decided on Clapton...more statesman-like.

 

 

Although Berry was a bathroom peeper...

 

I tried for about 10 minutes to justify not putting EVH on my list, and I just couldn't do it. I love Clapton, but I'm not sure he has the versatility and chops as the others, and I felt that Blues-based guitar was already adequately covered. Having said that, I can't fault anyone for choosing Clapton. Slash, on the other hand...

[LedRush]

So in the "unpopular opinions" thread Lucas made the observation that Eddie Van Halen belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of Rock Guitar. And I agree. In fact, here is my Mt. Rushmore of rock guitar:

 

Eddie Van Halen

 

Tony Iommi

 

Jimi Hendrix

 

Saul Hudson (Slash)

 

I wrestled with Jimmy Page, Angus Young, Randy Rhoads and Keith Richards.

 

Yours?

 

How do you justify Slash? He doesn't seem to belong either in skill or influence...and I considered GNR as my favorite band for the majority of my childhood and still love them.

 

Because with Iommi, I consider him to be one of the most incredible riff writers of all time. And as far as influence is concerned, he's pretty high up on the list of guitarists that other artists look to work with.

.

 

Page mastered riffs so wel that I'm surprised any were left to write, and his influence is far more widespread than Slash's. Plus he has a far shorter peak-period.

 

I went to my 20th high school reunion last year and my faculty resident showed a video of my floor mates and me watching the Super Bowl in January 1991. He asked on camera to another student who played guitar, "who is the greatest guitarist of all time?" I jumped in and answered that it was Slash. I got an "are you crazy" look from my classmate.

[JohnRogers]

Wow, only one Alex Lifeson mention. How'd that happen?

[LedRush]

Wow, only one Alex Lifeson mention. How'd that happen?

 

Objective posters?

[JohnRogers]

At The Rush Forum? Again how'd that happen?

 

I don't play guitar so I know nothing but Alex has been in my top three *forever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*note Alex Lifeson and I are not immortal.

[Union 5-3992]

Jimi Hendrix

Jimmy Page

George Harrison

BB King

[LedRush]

At The Rush Forum? Again how'd that happen?

 

I don't play guitar so I know nothing but Alex has been in my top three *forever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*note Alex Lifeson and I are not immortal.

 

I will say that I would put Lifeson in over Slash or George Harrison. He is more versatile, influential, and technically proficient than either.

[JARG]

At The Rush Forum? Again how'd that happen?

 

I don't play guitar so I know nothing but Alex has been in my top three *forever.

 

Alex is my favorite guitarist and if I weren't a player I'd probably have put him on my list, but because I'm a player I can't bring myself to put him there.

[Union 5-3992]

I didn't base my list on my favorite players but players that influenced others to pick up a guitar.

[Rick N. Backer]

At The Rush Forum? Again how'd that happen?

 

I don't play guitar so I know nothing but Alex has been in my top three *forever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*note Alex Lifeson and I are not immortal.

 

I will say that I would put Lifeson in over Slash or George Harrison. He is more versatile, influential, and technically proficient than either.

 

I love Alex too. We all do. But he's actually none of those things.

[Bard]

Alex is his own animal. A class unto himself. :)

 

But the all time 5 greats are what they are.

[toymaker]

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Film/Pix/pictures/2009/8/20/1250777043578/Jimi-Hendrix-001.jpghttp://ninahuryn.prod.cgalvin.com/graphics/brian_may.jpghttp://assets.rollingstone.com/assets/images/list/a465291cbf0f055f225a24e8369792eb1b8cdd84.jpg

[custom55]

If there’s a Mount Rushmore of rock ’n’ roll, Keith’s face is surely on it. He has always represented the soul of rock music

 

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/07/28/keith-richards-netflix-documentary-under-the-influence?hootPostID=428e0169bb9a74c4cc0a8923bb71fdaa

[Blue J]

Alas, such male mountains. Does anyone have any favorite female guitarists?

 

Joni Mitchell

 

She was never a rocker, but one of the best ever. She was a queen of alternate tunings- she did lots of unconventional things...and made them sound so simple and easy. But they are far from simple or easy.

[sitboaf]

I'm trying to think of guys who not only were great, but that can't really be faulted for anything. In other words, they were in successful bands, wrote great songs, and were ground-breaking or massively influential.

It's really hard to argue with

 

Jimi Hendrix

Jimmy Page

Keith Richards

Eddie Van Halen

 

as much as I love some other guys (and Joni Mitchell) to death. So that's my list.

[bathory]

I don't play guitar, so can someone explain the "big deal" about SRV? I mean, sure, he was playing blues when other people had moved on to different styles of music...but to the untrained ear, it just sounds like he's playing a cleaner version of any other blues rock band.

[bathory]

At The Rush Forum? Again how'd that happen?

 

I don't play guitar so I know nothing but Alex has been in my top three *forever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*note Alex Lifeson and I are not immortal.

 

I will say that I would put Lifeson in over Slash or George Harrison. He is more versatile, influential, and technically proficient than either.

 

george harrison's a big deal, man. I think he probably influenced more people in the 60s than alex did in the 70s, although I'd have no way of knowing that.

 

slash, he's good at what he used to do (take aerosmith riffs, beef it up with some punk and metal influence), but I think the best thing you can say about slash is that he's really famous. he's probably the most influential guitarist for people who were teenagers from 1989-1991 though!

[Blue J]

I don't play guitar, so can someone explain the "big deal" about SRV? I mean, sure, he was playing blues when other people had moved on to different styles of music...but to the untrained ear, it just sounds like he's playing a cleaner version of any other blues rock band.

 

Have you listened to some of his early instrumental stuff, like Rude Mood, and Scuttle Buttin'? Those are two tunes that stand out in my mind that definitely set him apart from any other standard blues or blues-rock player. I think it's also amazing the kind of fret-work he was able to do considering how large his hands were.

 

Better than just listening to him, to watch him play was a sight to behold. Hit up YouTube and look for a full-length concert of his; there are several on there.

 

He could take your standard twelve-bar blues structure, and explode it out with fills flourishes and soloing...a lot of little things that were so quick you couldn't even tell how he did what he was doing.

 

There was only one Stevie Ray Vaughan. There's been no one else like him before or since, in my opinion.

[bathory]

I don't play guitar, so can someone explain the "big deal" about SRV? I mean, sure, he was playing blues when other people had moved on to different styles of music...but to the untrained ear, it just sounds like he's playing a cleaner version of any other blues rock band.

 

Have you listened to some of his early instrumental stuff, like Rude Mood, and Scuttle Buttin'? Those are two tunes that stand out in my mind that definitely set him apart from any other standard blues or blues-rock player. I think it's also amazing the kind of fret-work he was able to do considering how large his hands were.

 

Better than just listening to him, to watch him play was a sight to behold. Hit up YouTube and look for a full-length concert of his; there are several on there.

 

He could take your standard twelve-bar blues structure, and explode it out with fills flourishes and soloing...a lot of little things that were so quick you couldn't even tell how he did what he was doing.

 

There was only one Stevie Ray Vaughan. There's been no one else like him before or since, in my opinion.

 

I think his live stuff's sweet and much better than his studio stuff. I was just wondering like, what exactly he does ability-wise that makes people put him above, say, duane allman or billy gibbons or johnny winter or other "blues rock heroes"?

 

I think with something like the blues it might be harder for the untrained ear (me) to pick up on certain things since the differences might be more subtle, whereas with guys like allan holdsworth or david gilmour it's pretty obvious what those dudes are doing that makes people go crazy because there aren't many guitarists who sound like those dudes.

[Xanadoood]

I don't play guitar, so can someone explain the "big deal" about SRV? I mean, sure, he was playing blues when other people had moved on to different styles of music...but to the untrained ear, it just sounds like he's playing a cleaner version of any other blues rock band.

 

Have you listened to some of his early instrumental stuff, like Rude Mood, and Scuttle Buttin'? Those are two tunes that stand out in my mind that definitely set him apart from any other standard blues or blues-rock player. I think it's also amazing the kind of fret-work he was able to do considering how large his hands were.

 

Better than just listening to him, to watch him play was a sight to behold. Hit up YouTube and look for a full-length concert of his; there are several on there.

 

He could take your standard twelve-bar blues structure, and explode it out with fills flourishes and soloing...a lot of little things that were so quick you couldn't even tell how he did what he was doing.

 

There was only one Stevie Ray Vaughan. There's been no one else like him before or since, in my opinion.

 

I think his live stuff's sweet and much better than his studio stuff. I was just wondering like, what exactly he does ability-wise that makes people put him above, say, duane allman or billy gibbons or johnny winter or other "blues rock heroes"?

 

I think with something like the blues it might be harder for the untrained ear (me) to pick up on certain things since the differences might be more subtle, whereas with guys like allan holdsworth or david gilmour it's pretty obvious what those dudes are doing that makes people go crazy because there aren't many guitarists who sound like those dudes.

 

For myself, SRV was a lot more aggressive in his blues approach to the classic guys we know. He almost had a metal approach to blues soloing..he just tore into his guitar. And he used massive strings. He really was a unique blues man.

[Tony R]

Hendrix

Page

Gilmour

EVH