Who do you think is the greatest guitarist, and why?

[Lorraine]

LABT, I see you are on holiday in Cambodia. Send me a postcard so I can add it to my collection.

 

:)

 

;)

Edited September 30, 2019 by Lorraine

[Nova Carmina]

 

 

Oh, and when Michael Jackson was putting a somewhat heavier song on a little known album of his from the early 80s, who did he go to for the lead break?

Pffffft. King of Pop. Let me know when Amon Duul II solicits a contribution

 

Well, when The Beastie Boys wanted a guitarist, they got Kerry King! (or at least Rick Rubin did . . . )

 

(No, I do not think Kerry King is a better guitarist than EVH; I'm just having fun with the "featuring" idea . . .)

[Lorraine]

As long as I have your ear, LAB, I didn't know you were such a Mao fan either. :)

 

 

lol

[laughedatbytime]

As long as I have your ear, LAB, I didn't know you were such a Mao fan either. :)

 

 

lol

freedom is slavery, and vice versa (the commutative property of government)

Edited September 30, 2019 by laughedatbytime

[Lorraine]

As long as I have your ear, LAB, I didn't know you were such a Mao fan either. :)

 

 

lol

freedom is slavery, and vice versa (the commutative property of government)

Amen brother

[Nova Carmina]

Send me a postcard so I can add it to my collection.

 

Do you want postcards from interesting places, or just places you probably haven't been to?

 

Er, not trying to hijack the thread!

 

So, guitarists . . . I get all the arguments about EVH and Somebody-Who's-Not-EVH, but isn't somebody like Clapton the godfather of rock guitar? Surely all the rest are somewhat in his debt? Was Eddie such a reset as to validate B.E. (before Eddie) and A.E. (anno Eddie) dating?

Edited September 30, 2019 by Nova Carmina

[Lorraine]

Send me a postcard so I can add it to my collection.

 

Do you want postcards from interesting places, or just places you probably haven't been to?

 

Er, not trying to hijack the thread!

 

So, guitarists . . . I get all the arguments about EVH and Somebody-Who's-Not-EVH, but isn't somebody like Clapton the godfather of rock guitar? Surely all the rest are somewhat in his debt? Was Eddie such a reset as to validate B.E. (before Eddie) and A.E. (anno Eddie) dating?

I was just teasing him.

 

When Clapton was all we had in the sixties, he was the god. Personally, I never thought he was that good, but what do I know?

 

Then came Hendrix.

 

Then came Page.

 

Then came Eddie.

[ReRushed]

Send me a postcard so I can add it to my collection.

 

Do you want postcards from interesting places, or just places you probably haven't been to?

 

Er, not trying to hijack the thread!

 

So, guitarists . . . I get all the arguments about EVH and Somebody-Who's-Not-EVH, but isn't somebody like Clapton the godfather of rock guitar? Surely all the rest are somewhat in his debt? Was Eddie such a reset as to validate B.E. (before Eddie) and A.E. (anno Eddie) dating?

Yes.

[Rick N. Backer]

Perhaps to no one's suprise, I think it's Edward Van Halen. Eruption is still the bench mark for mind blowing lead work, and every heavy guitarist from about 1982 to 1989 was a clone of his. Add to that the fact that guitarists will routinely tell you it's his rhythm playing, and his "brown sound" that is truly the best part of his body of work.

 

Oh, and when Michael Jackson was putting a somewhat heavier song on a little known album of his from the early 80s, who did he go to for the lead break?

 

To listen to Eddie tell the story, he happened to be in the studio when they were recording Thriller. Eddie was there for something else but over heard some of what they were doing with Beat It and he more or less suggested some ideas and they let him get in and lay down some tracks. in other words, he jumped in. They didn't seek him out.

 

At least according to Eddie.

 

I’ve heard him say Quincy Jones called and asked him to do it. He didn’t believe it was Jones initially and told him to f*ck off. Now I’m wondering what the truth is.

[Rick N. Backer]

Perhaps to no one's suprise, I think it's Edward Van Halen. Eruption is still the bench mark for mind blowing lead work, and every heavy guitarist from about 1982 to 1989 was a clone of his. Add to that the fact that guitarists will routinely tell you it's his rhythm playing, and his "brown sound" that is truly the best part of his body of work.

 

Oh, and when Michael Jackson was putting a somewhat heavier song on a little known album of his from the early 80s, who did he go to for the lead break?

Pffffft. King of Pop. Let me know when Amon Duul II solicits a contribution

 

Amon Duul II? LMFAO. You may as well have said Tiffany.

[Lorraine]

lol

[Nova Carmina]

Yes.

 

"Brevity is . . . wit" -- Reading Digest

Edited October 1, 2019 by Nova Carmina

[stoopid]

There's just so many styles, and subtle differences between one great player and another.

 

It would be hard to create a top 10, let alone pick ONE.

 

If I had to though (and for the sake of this thread I will), I'd pick Steve Vai. Mostly because there's few players as competent in so many genres/styles. EVH has always been a 'one trick pony'. It's a great trick, but I couldn't see him playing convincing blues, prog or jazz. Vai has literally run the gamut over the course of his career.

 

Fwiw, I don't LIKE much of what Vai does. I rarely listen to solo artists, but appreciate them nonetheless. I'm mostly interested and spending my music listening time with bands, where the sum of the whole is the only result that matters (not individual accomplishments). But not liking something and being objectively self aware enough to realize the brilliance anyway is certainly not something we seem willing to do very often. I mean, I still listen to Jimi and he would not be my second choice.

[Entre_Perpetuo]

Send me a postcard so I can add it to my collection.

 

Do you want postcards from interesting places, or just places you probably haven't been to?

 

Er, not trying to hijack the thread!

 

So, guitarists . . . I get all the arguments about EVH and Somebody-Who's-Not-EVH, but isn't somebody like Clapton the godfather of rock guitar? Surely all the rest are somewhat in his debt? Was Eddie such a reset as to validate B.E. (before Eddie) and A.E. (anno Eddie) dating?

 

Eddie wasn't a reset as much as a turning point. Tapping had been done before, heavy tones had been done before, super fast playing had been done before....but no one before him and combined those elements of his playing in such a provocative way. He wrote the new testament of rock guitar in less than 2 minutes with Eruption. So I'd say he's worthy of the B.E. and A.E., but that doesn't mean some other guitarists weren't just as great or better, just that he had the most immediate, profound, and long lasting impact on the way people play guitar out of anyone else. Hendrix, as innovative as he was, didn't spawn so many direct imitators as he did inspire people to find their own way in tones and pedals and virtuous playing. And Cobain, while he had a similar effect on the music landscape that EVH did, only did so by going back to the basics of guitar playing. Any decent punk band from the 70s could play his parts and did play very similar things, he just made it cool again after a decade of EVH and Randy Rhodes imitators.

[JohnRogers]

[treeduck]

For those looking for someone they may not of heard of try this dude in the Simon Phillips band:

 

[blueschica]

I have been thinking about this a lot; I love Van Halen and have to admit Eddie would probably be at my top, although Steve Vai is really close for his versatility. I can't help but have a soft spot, though, for guys that brought their own flavor to it.

 

Keith Richards, for the great sound he brought to the guitar chords on Satisfaction. Duane Allman- I love his slide guitar and his work on Layla. Carlos Santana, he always sounded unique to me; and Stevie Ray Vaughan for his blues playing. In some ways it's like comparing apples and oranges as they were not going after the same sound as Eddie but I thought they were worth a mention.

Edited October 1, 2019 by blueschica

[Todem]

My Mount Rushmore is

 

Alex Lifeson

 

Eddie Van Halen

 

Dave Gilmore

 

Jimmy Page

[goose]

"Why does he think Jeff Beck is better? Jeff Beck must be ancient by now. I was buying his albums through the Columbia Record Club when I was 14!! :codger:"

 

Last we talked about that he was waxing eloquently on sublime technique and feel and... so on and so on. I can't follow after a point.

You sound as knowledgeable about these things as me, if you don't mind me saying. ;)

 

When it comes to guitar, I'm like the non-expert wine drinker; I like what I like :). And what I like best is David Gilmour, our Alex, and Johnny Marr. So I guess I enjoy good phrasing over blazing technical ability.

Tone and phrasing for me too. That's actually why I love Eddie VH so much...as a rhythm guitarist.

 

But for solos, Gilmour is tough to beat. Prince, too.

[Syrinx]

Hendrix changed the guitar. He was doing things that no one else could imagine at a time when gear was much more basic.

[RushFanForever]

Michael Hedges revolutionized 'acoustic guitar' in the 80's.

 

I discovered Michael Hedges from Eric Johnson in a 1996 interview with Wolf Marshall's Guitar One magazine about favorite guitarists and their signature recordings.

 

To quote this Guitar Player article here, Hedges "kinetic use of chord hammer-ons, customized altered tunings, and fretboard tapping/slapping make it sound like there are several guitars playing at once, but mostly because his chops never overshadow his brilliant compositional skills."

 

Here's Hedges signature song 'Aerial Boundaries' below.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6pbzD4sRos

Edited October 1, 2019 by RushFanForever

[JARG]

My Mount Rushmore is

 

Alex Lifeson

 

Eddie Van Halen

 

Dave Gilmore

 

Jimmy Page

 

I like this idea.

 

Mine would be

Lifeson

Van Halen

Gilmour

SRV

[thesweetscience]

Perhaps to no one's suprise, I think it's Edward Van Halen. Eruption is still the bench mark for mind blowing lead work, and every heavy guitarist from about 1982 to 1989 was a clone of his. Add to that the fact that guitarists will routinely tell you it's his rhythm playing, and his "brown sound" that is truly the best part of his body of work.

 

Oh, and when Michael Jackson was putting a somewhat heavier song on a little known album of his from the early 80s, who did he go to for the lead break?

 

To listen to Eddie tell the story, he happened to be in the studio when they were recording Thriller. Eddie was there for something else but over heard some of what they were doing with Beat It and he more or less suggested some ideas and they let him get in and lay down some tracks. in other words, he jumped in. They didn't seek him out.

 

At least according to Eddie.

 

I’ve heard him say Quincy Jones called and asked him to do it. He didn’t believe it was Jones initially and told him to f*ck off. Now I’m wondering what the truth is.

let me see if I can find the interview where he talked about it. He made it sound like he just happened to be there and he wasn't sure he should even do it because the band had an agreement about not doing side projects or something to that effect.

 

If I can find it I will post it.

[JARG]

I think it's somewhat hard to accurately quantify what makes a guitarist great. Guitar playing is about note selection, phrasing, and technique, all of which when combined would be considered "style". Emotion comes from how those three ingredients are weighted and executed. SRV was fairly low on the technique side of things, but the notes he played (note selection) and how he played them (phrasing) tend to produce a strong emotional response in his listeners (me included). Gilmour is much the same, he's not much of a technical player, but his phrasing is to die for. Lifeson's strength is that he has a fairly well-balanced distribution of all three attributes. EVH is much the same as LIfeson, but with larger emphasis on technique. They're all great players, but for different reasons. Edited October 1, 2019 by JARG

[JARG]

For those looking for someone they may not of heard of try this dude in the Simon Phillips band:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyZc384w8Tc

 

Man, he's got that Eric Johnson tone down pat!