Hey all, I just recently joined here at TL, but I have been visiting here for probably over 2 months, but....anyways,
I'm sure there are plenty of musicians here, especially because there was some kind of BotB thread somewhere around here at one point in time.
I was just wondering who is your favorite/who do you think is the most influential guitarist in your life?
Personally my guitar hero is hands down: Stevie Ray Vaughan
I think he has just got to be the best. He is the perfect combination of all the great guitarist of his time like: B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix, ect.
Throughout my own journey to play guitar I would say he has influenced my playing the most. Every time he bends a string you can tell he just pouring his frickin' soul into it, y'know?
It would also be interesting to know (When you were first starting out) which guitarist got you into playing.
When I first started I was REALLY into Black Sabbath. For some reason when I found that the guitarist, Tony Iommi, lost the tips of 2 of his fingers but could STILL play fantastic guitar, I was encouraged to try harder. (If he can do it with 2 tips missing, why can't I do it with all of mine?)
So, Sorry if this is a lame thread or anything, delete if you desire it so. But anyways, Discuss!
It's a pretty hard choice given all of the exceptional guitarists!
1. Dave Mustaine - Yeah, he isn't the best shredder, but he is so goddamn creative with his riffs and how he uses them. His leads are good, and the riffs are just amazing.
2. Trey Azagthoth - I don't know if it's just his guitar playing or himself, but the man is just insanely awesome.
3. Joe Satriani - NO EXPLANATION NEEDED.
Some others like Marty Friedman, Steve Vai, and John Petrucci pop up too.
If you include bass too, probably Digiorgio. The man's bass in Sadus is amazing. Fretless bass in thrash metal? Hell yeah.
u know, this has to be like the most viewed video on youtube, and is the first result if u search for guitar, but i fuckin love this song on guitar like this and im gonna post the video anyways
Ugh, I actually don't really like that video. Okay I am the only one who doesn't like it and yeah I guess being a guitar freak puts another point to pick at.
Here, I think people should watch this uli video though.
On June 25 2009 11:09 HooHa! wrote: Ugh, I actually don't really like that video. Okay I am the only one who doesn't like it and yeah I guess being a guitar freak puts another point to pick at.
which one, the funtwo video? yeah i imagined some people don't like it, and it may not be the best guitar playing or whatever. but I think it sounds amazingly great hehe
On June 25 2009 11:09 HooHa! wrote: Ugh, I actually don't really like that video. Okay I am the only one who doesn't like it and yeah I guess being a guitar freak puts another point to pick at.
which one, the funtwo video? yeah i imagined some people don't like it, and it may not be the best guitar playing or whatever. but I think it sounds amazingly great hehe
Yeah that canon in D one.
Hey this is a great yngwie acoustic solo.
I know some people think yngwie plays the same things all the time or whatever, but he is a master improvisational guitar player without a doubt, I wish I could have the command over the instrument like he does.
On June 25 2009 11:11 IntoTheWow wrote: So many to name, so ill just name someone who hasnt been mentioned yet
Kiko Loureiro
YEAH! someone sent me some of his stuff, he's good for sure! Angra right?
SRV is the first guitarist I really started to learn and I think helped me a ton in developing my style. His tone was just really strong, every vibrato was good, and yeah like you said in the OP he just pours out his soul every note because he is completely honest. I miss him, he was a wonderful person for the world but I guess he has work to do upstairs if you know what I mean?
But I am saving up to get a MIM strat and put the Texas Special Pickups in it.
Now Just slap some .13 gauge strings and a tube amp and I can pull off some SRV.
There's very little difference. I bought a MIA last year and the only differences as far as I can tell are SLIGHTLY better neck quality, and a little better sounding (but still not so sexy) pickups.
For me it's a tough contest between Joe Pass, Django Reinhart, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, SRV, Mark Knopfler and Jerry Garcia.
If it was a question about the best guitar solo ever, then I would certainly go with the last, since the solo in Sultans of Swing transcends any other rock solo that comes to mind..(if we want to consider Dire Straits strictly rock, which we may not).
But all of them have such powerful strengths that make their brilliance to some degree incommensurable. These are merely my favorite, however, and although my list of favorite guitarists maps closely onto those I consider the best, in the latter category I would definitely beef up this list with several other names. But on any given day were I to think to myself "I want to listen to some great guitar work" these are the names that would come to mind.
On June 25 2009 10:26 fanatacist wrote: Jeff Beck.
Jimmy Page.
Brian May.
Roger Waters.
Jimi Hendrix.
The end.
Hrm, i imagine you mean David Gilmour?
anywho Jimi Hendrix Eric Clapton (I just saw him live with Steve Winwood...oh...my...god) Stevie Ray Vaughn Joe Bonnamassa David Gilmour Jeff Beck Jimmy Page Frank Zappa (don't listen to him too much...too...strange...>.>) Buddy Guy I'm probably missing a lot...but those are some of the most important on my list.
Gotta echo the Jimi Hendrix sentiments. He was the only one that touched me enough to put down the bass and try electric sixer, but goddamn did he move me. Every single note he played was a piece of his soul escaping its cage and possessing his fingers to preach the sermon in his electric church house. Up until the first time I heard some of his live cuts, only Jaco, James Jamerson, Bird and maybe a few other musicians had changed me like he did. Since there's already electric above I'll post something acoustic
And to do some brief justice to a handful of the other fine folks in my heart: Eddie Hazel, Catfish Collins, SRV, Django, Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery, Bireli Lagrene, John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker, BB King, Kottke, Curtis Mayfield, Steve Cropper, Frank Zappa, Derek Trucks, Doyle Bramhall II, John Scofield, John Frusciante, East Bay Ray, Buckethead, Adrian Belew
On June 25 2009 13:05 OMin wrote: mikael akerfeldt.... just cuz opeth is sick and mostly what i listen to (others between the buried and me, circus maximus)
My favorite guitarist has to be David Gilmour - I love all of his work and comfortably numb is by far my favorite solo. I also have a lot of love for Randy Rhoads , the man was a beast and there's no telling how much better he could have been if only he had lived a little longer. Like others in the thread I like SRV, EVH, and Hendrix. Gary Moore is also pretty good but fairly unknown in the states.
my favorite guitarists are: Robert Fripp - king crimson Steve Howe - Yes Dave Gilmour - floyd Adrian Belew - zappa, bowie, krimson Hendrix John McLaughlin - mahavishnu orchestra jimmy page (although all his riffs before 3 were stolen from black men) Frank Zappa Mikael Akerfeldt - opeth tim mahoney - 311
At first I got motivated into guitar by guitarist like Malmsteen, Laiho, Becker, etc.
But what playing really got into me, tearing me all inside, are solo's and playing by Dan Mongrain from MARTYR and Michael Romeo from SYMPHONY X.
I can't find any video of quality of Martyr so I'll just link one of their song. Listen to the awesome legato and ''river flow'' playing of this. Solo at 3:05.
Wow i've never heard of Kottke before. Thanks! He's good. And what mrgerry posted
My favourite is Juan Carlos Allende (Nylon guitarist). I only have his mp3s. Can't find any of his videos on youtube
I thought Andy Mckee would be mentioned, though he is kinda repetitive, a lot of people never seen a guitar played like this before, with all the drumming and stuff.
Peter Green. He was the guitarist who took Claptons place in John Mayell's Bluesbreakers and founded fleetwood mac (who became a pussy chick band after he left). His style is so subtle and his tone was perfect . Much of Santanas sound was inspired by him and B.B King said "he's the only white guy to ever make me sweat".
perfect example of his tone.( this is where santana got his style and the name for his comeback album)
green manalishi (later covered by Judas Priest. Also one of the first songs to do that muted E string thing that became so popular)
albatross (inspiration for the beatles "sun king")
i could go on and on but this post is getting a bit lengthy so enjoy.
On June 25 2009 15:10 JieXian wrote: Wow i've never heard of Kottke before. Thanks! He's good. And what mrgerry posted
My favourite is Juan Carlos Allende (Nylon guitarist). I only have his mp3s. Can't find any of his videos on youtube
I thought Andy Mckee would be mentioned, though he is kinda repetitive, a lot of people never seen a guitar played like this before, with all the drumming and stuff.
antione dufour is cooler D: Guthrie Govan sounded pretty nice, and holyy shitt syu o_o cool. I always hear that same note progression in asian songs ~! 3;15-3;40 , and the end. (2nd video)
He plays so many different styles, from psychedelic, to electronica, to shred metal, to funk, to hard rock, to just acoustic relaxing stuff. I think there is so much emotion and thought in his songs. The guy is a great great player, and I think get's put into the shred category way more than he should be.
Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine. He uses the instrument in ways noone else does to make strange but cool sounds. And he can even reproduce that live!
Heres a video showcasing two good metal guitartists, Jesper Stormblad from In flames and Mark Morton from Lamb of God. I prefer In Flames myself but cause they are a bit more melodic but Lamb of God is pretty nice too never the less.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd4q0Xx-u1Y i hate it when people star praising someone just because he died. however this is not the case, Chuck Schuldiner is god
My favorite guitar player (including electric guitar players) is, by far, Paco de Lucia.
And regarding electric guitar players, I have to go with "the tone king" Andy Timmons. In terms of technique, he can challenge most of the guitar players mentioned in this thread. But in terms of feeling....Well, just listen to this song
On June 25 2009 20:45 Flicky wrote: This probably way too opinionated for a thread like this, but Marty Friedman's play in Megadeth is nothing compared to his solo stuff.
Marty says much the same himself. Describing life in Megadeth he said (and I'm paraphrasing)
"Thrash metal really has only one colour, and that's gunmetal grey."
He talked about how Megadeth was fun, but how he also wanted to branch out and flex his creativity in ways that really didn't fit with the Megadeth mold.
All about (more or less traditional) jazz for me. Django Reinhardt and Freddie Green at the top, then Marty Grosz, Stochelo Rosenberg, Joe Pass, Bucky Pizzarelli, etc.
On June 25 2009 20:45 Flicky wrote: This probably way too opinionated for a thread like this, but Marty Friedman's play in Megadeth is nothing compared to his solo stuff. Case in point: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWkGXF3cH_s
Finally someone with taste =] I mentioned Marty on like page 3, and was shocked no one mentioned him at all thruout pretty much the whole thread. He is the most underrated guitarist in the world by far.
Some other great mentions, Alex Skolnick, Jeff Loomis, GREG HOWE.. Tony MacAlpine, hide from X Japan. Jason Becker of course.
Just about all my favorite guitarists have been mentioned already but I think John Mayer is great. He's more famous for his pop-ish stuff but he's actually a really great guitarist. He also has a bunch of really good guitars in his collection.
On June 25 2009 20:45 Flicky wrote: This probably way too opinionated for a thread like this, but Marty Friedman's play in Megadeth is nothing compared to his solo stuff. Case in point: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWkGXF3cH_s
Finally someone with taste =] I mentioned Marty on like page 3, and was shocked no one mentioned him at all thruout pretty much the whole thread. He is the most underrated guitarist in the world by far.
Some other great mentions, Alex Skolnick, Jeff Loomis, GREG HOWE.. Tony MacAlpine, hide from X Japan. Jason Becker of course.
Yeah, Marty and Becker are so underrated for their work in Cacophony ><
Also tom morello and buckethead help me see guitar differently. All music is just a language and before you begin to write you must have an idea or a feeling to communicate.
I'd never heard of Steve Vai before Halo 2 (lol) but he is unbelievable. It's not just the techincal ability; tons of guitarists have it. It's his ear for beautiful music AND the technique. He's truly mindblowing to listen to.
I am actually a drummer, but nonetheless, Vai rocks.
On June 25 2009 12:33 hellhawk123 wrote: MICHAEL ANGELO BATIO
hahahahahah
i don't get it
Batio is ambidextrous and can play guitars either lefty or righty, but the hilarious bit are the guitars themselves. Multiple necks but coming out on opposing sides, which is fucking funny to watch him actually play.
I think he has also has one with four necks, two on each side.
Jimmy Page Jeff Beck (going to see him in the Royal Albert Hall next week, I can die a happy man afterwards) Pete Townshend Donald Roeser Jimi Hendrix Neil Young Robbie Krieger Jerry Garcia
On June 26 2009 05:05 milkshakespeare wrote: Can't decide for only one
Jimmy Page Jeff Beck (going to see him in the Royal Albert Hall next week, I can die a happy man afterwards) Pete Townshend Donald Roeser Jimi Hendrix Neil Young Robbie Krieger Jerry Garcia
I saw Jeff Beck twice, once with Terry Bozzio. Fucking incredible live performances.
On June 26 2009 09:35 Kyuki wrote: No mention of Angus Young? Seriously he might not be the best in the sense of pure skill, but he really has the touch. Imo
On June 26 2009 05:05 milkshakespeare wrote: Can't decide for only one
Jimmy Page Jeff Beck (going to see him in the Royal Albert Hall next week, I can die a happy man afterwards) Pete Townshend Donald Roeser Jimi Hendrix Neil Young Robbie Krieger Jerry Garcia
I saw Jeff Beck twice, once with Terry Bozzio. Fucking incredible live performances.
I saw Jeff Beck once at Eric Clapton's guitar festival in Chicago. Seriously, that whole concert was ridiculously amazing.
I don't care if that has been posted yet, it's good enough to be reposted. Most moving performance I have ever seen.
My personal favourite would have to be Clapton, but there's so many awesome guitar players out there...Petrucci, Mustaine, Buckethead, Dimebag. Just a small sample. Favourite metal guitarist would have to be Hammett, for me.
I don't care if that has been posted yet, it's good enough to be reposted. Most moving performance I have ever seen.
My personal favourite would have to be Clapton, but there's so many awesome guitar players out there...Petrucci, Mustaine, Buckethead, Dimebag. Just a small sample. Favourite metal guitarist would have to be Hammett, for me.
There's also a version where Jake plays this song with Tommy Emmanuel. Really amazing.
This at least is a smile for these past days, he's a great musician, great composer, really tries to achieve perfection in what he does. Great inspiration from coming to america with just a guitar and an extra pair of pants. How about it?
I go to school for composition, so my perspective may be a bit different (judging by all the metal/blues votes), but I'm gonna have to say Khaki King. One of the most creative writers out there imo. If I were to go on technical skill, Andres Segovia.....or some random-ass guy in the south that noones ever heard of.
Honestly, I find it semi(very loose usage of the word here)-admirable that he even picks up a guitar. A lot of people in that industry don't even recognize a minor key when they hear one. But, fuck, don't put it on youtube :[.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Shawn Lane, especially you buckhethead fans seeing as one of Bucketheads main influences are Shawn lane.:D But yeah this guy has it all imo, such an amazing feel, never heard phrasing like this in any other player. It's quite unique really, and you can't really complain on his technique either, he was faster than most people out there right now. There's an interesting video where paul gilbert talks about shawn lane and demonstrates some of his stuff with tapping but in reality shawn lane does it with one hand.:D
Anyways, probably putting him up on alittle bit of a too high horse cus I dig him so much (music is subjective:D) but he's definitely worth checking out. The solo in the end on this one is just so sick, it's shredding but still sounds so melodic.:D
Also yeah Guthrie Govan is probably the most virtuoso guitarist out there right now, he can really play every single style of music that is out there, it's quite astonishing. Btw other names you want to check out that aren't as big as Paul Gilbert and the likes but are just as good and melodic would be Marco Sfogli and Muris Varajic. There are a few more I'd like to mention but this post is getting too long. :D
Marco Sfogli - Still Hurts (perfectly) covered by Rick Graham(check this guy out too, he's just insane).
Muris Varajic - Final Dance, love the exotic feel this has to it.:D
Axel Rudi Pell - I like his slow, emotional play. It's the type of guitar play you can just close your eyes and get lost in. He's been at it for 20+ years now.
John Petrucci - The man has soul and passion and one of the most technically gifted.
Gus G. of Firewind - Simply put the best guitarist in Power metal, just like Petrucci is the best in the Prog scene.
Those are my three favorite guitarists each play different and each put so much soul into their music. Personally I find myself in the mood for the slower tempo guitar play more often, as I just love to sit down and close my eyes and get lost something you can't really do with the faster guitar play.
Yes, M.A.B. is the most gifted technical player ever to grace the guitar, but I prefer the three I listed.
Oh, might as well add in the legend:
Chuck Schuldiner of Death. Without this virtuoso Death Metal would not be around in its incarnation today.
On April 21 2012 20:11 Foogazi wrote: Adrian Belew
I met Belew once, got an autograph. I was afraid to shake his hand because he is such a little guy and the last thing I wanted was to ruin his performance that night. Saw him with King Crimson two nights in a row...it was epic.
Best metal guitarist hands down imo is Jari Mäenpää. So fast and technical, but still flows with the song so well.. And he also does vocals, like what?? Dude's insane! xD
Start at 9:59. I don't like the song as a whole, but that fucking guitar solo. He mixes up emotion with shred perfectly, and the result is my favorite guitar part.
On April 21 2012 21:20 kafkaesque wrote: John Frusciante needs much, much more attention in this thread.
Frusciante was the first who came to mind when I saw the topic on the sidebar, one of the most distinguishable guitarists of the past 20 years. He is instantly recognizable on any record he plays and on top of that a great songwriter.
I also really like Tony Iommi because the amount of awesome riffs he wrote is ridiculous.
On April 21 2012 21:20 kafkaesque wrote: John Frusciante needs much, much more attention in this thread.
Frusciante was the first who came to mind when I saw the topic on the sidebar, one of the most distinguishable guitarists of the past 20 years. He is instantly recognizable on any record he plays and on top of that a great songwriter.
I also really like Tony Iommi because the amount of awesome riffs he wrote is ridiculous.
Admittedly he was like 4th or 5th that came to mind for me. but like I said already, this thread brings at least 50 names to mind so 4th or 5th isnt bad.
This thread has a serious lack of early blues musicians, the best of which still alive is in my opinion Buddy Guy. He played a lot of guitar for such names as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Koko Taylor, among others. Buddy is one of those few musicians for whom, when I find an opportunity to go to his concert, I'll drop basically anything I'm doing and save whatever money I have to save in order to get myself a ticket. He's 75 years old, still owns and appears frequently at his own blues club in Chicago, and still plays as well as he ever did. He's also a fantastic showman. His guitar style owes a lot to John Lee Hooker (also completely worth checking out if you're curious about blues) with the Delta/Louisiana sound, and it's something I can listen to all day, every day.
This whole video, and just about anything else by him, is worth watching in its entirety, but if you're only interested in what he can do with a guitar, skip ahead to 4:00.
I'm glad this is a favourite guitarist thread rather than greatest guitarist. Mine is Mick Taylor, of the Rolling Stones (1969-1974).
I've always admired his combination of speed and precision, and of course all his solos are perfectly composed (and I don't mean speed in the silly tapping sense). Check out his solos at the end of Sympathy for the Devil, live on the Get Your Ya Yas out album to see what I really mean. Plus the fact that he was with one of the best bands of all time during their most productive period (how much of it had to do with him is up for debate). Presumably he added at least something in the way of musical professionalism. He was a great foil for Keith.
I didn't read the whole thread, did anyone mention Michael Romeo from Symphony X yet? Incredible speed, technique and precision coupled with playing in nonstandard time signatures got me gripped on this band so much I pretty much listened to them exclusively for about a year.
On April 21 2012 21:54 Soulriser wrote: as a bassist: Les Claypool, Flea, and John Myung. those 3 are definitely some of the best bassists ever, im not sure what else you could ask for!
Jimi Hendrix wins for me hands down its like he is one with the guitar, also i love RHCP but only the RHCP with Frusciante hes a absolute beast and without John they aint rhcp to me >.> slane castles a good gig to see them at there best.
My current favorite guitarist is julian lage. at only 24 years old, he has such an incredible hold of the instrument and is more than capable of playing literally any style. He's just so happy and having such a good time when he's playing... it's great. Of course there are others, but he's my favorite at the moment.
Also, I hope no one is mistaking this thread for a list of "best" guitarists instead of your favorite. otherwise it would be amazing how many people are reciting lists of most famous guitarists as though that has a significant bearing on talent.
Well there is so many musical genres where guitar is involved, that you can't really compare.
However the ones that i listen to the most right now and kick ass in the instrumental rock / metal genre : Jason Becker Paul Gilbert John Petrucci Joe Satriani (I know there are like 30 more that i love just as much in thi specific genre so...)
Of course there are a lot of great guitarists in metal, rock, blues, jazz, classical as well. Try listening to them all.
I think there's too many guitar wankers out there. I generally don't like lead guitarists, unless they have rhythm play that makes up for it. Randy Rhoads and Uli Jon Roth (early Scorpions) are probably my favorite soloers.
I tend to appreciate rhytm guitarists a lot more, and my favorites are Josh Homme (Kyuss days), Rudolf Schenker (Scorpions, especially the early days), Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Jim Martin (Faith No More), Dave Mustaine (Megadeth), Robert Fripp (King Crimson), Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (The Mars Volta mainly).
And of course I have an immense appreciation for Hendrix, Blackmore, Page and Iommi.
Hi this is my first post ever on TL. Im sure most of you guys have seen this, but its relevant cause wtf... koreans dominating the guitar scene too??? (dominating is not a good choice of word.. but sc2 forum... i just wanted it to relate.. anywayyy)
oh and my favorite guitarists are satriani, hendrix, page, john frusciante, dimebag darrel, slash, jonh scofield... uhh well its difficult cause there are so many brilliant musicians in the universe and its kinda difficult to narrow it down to a few favorite ones.
Im a bass player and my favorite ones are Flea, John Paul Jones & Paul McCartney
I like a lot of guitarists with weird but fascinating styles such as: Guthrie Govan Steve Vai Joe Satriani Gustavo Guerra Alexandre Therriene MattRach Halcyon John Petrucci Marco Sfogli Jørn Viggo Lofstad from "Pagan's Mind" (his tone is absolutely incredible and he never does anything to compromise his flowing melody. Bulb Misha Mansoor from Periphery (polyrythmic guitarist) Animals as Leaders guitarist That's all I can remember right now.
This man is responsible for my love of bass, rock, and of course Jack Daniels. Not even close to the best technical bass player, but its his passion that enthralls me.
Above impeccable technical skill, I value beautifully phrased notes.. so I particularly enjoy David Gilmour, George Harrison, Brian May.. I like their stuff a lot... and stuff like that I guess... Jimi hendrix is really awesome too.. Can't really go wrong with his style.. i also really, really love Wes Montgomery... I loooove good jazz..
On April 22 2012 02:51 AC3 wrote: This man is responsible for my love of bass, rock, and of course Jack Daniels. Not even close to the best technical bass player, but its his passion that enthralls me.
Nice stuff! Really good bass is seriously under appreciated. People don't understand what goes into writing a good bass line, and of course, playing it.
This vid got me hooked to this guy. He's my personal hero right now. However when I first started playing guitar, it was Jimmy Page. He's still the greatest rock guitaritst of all time hands down in my opinion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrvfMSYNqBg
Frank Zappa and Steve Vai, the greatest guitarists to ever live, if you play guitar you understand that these 2 guitarist's compositions are nearly impossible to play properly.
He wasn't the most technically proficient guitarist, but I get most of my inspirado from David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) simply for his tone and style. I think he gets more musical expression from less, compared to a lot of other guitarists.
As far as pure talent, Paco de Lucia, Django Reinhardt, John Williams... but I'm aware enough of my limitations to know I'm not going to ever play anywhere near their level.
-BB King -Eric Clapton -SRV -John Mayer -John Frusciante -Jimi Hendrix -Paul Gilbert -Robert Johnson -Buddy Guy -Jeff Beck -Duane Allman / Dickey Betts / Derek Trucks And today I discovered an really cool Blues Musician who has been round for a long time, but apparently not many know about him:
On April 22 2012 04:28 Ethic wrote: Frank Zappa and Steve Vai, the greatest guitarists to ever live, if you play guitar you understand that these 2 guitarist's compositions are nearly impossible to play properly.
So glad somebody posted Watermelon in Easter Hay! Definitely a one of the most prime examples of how much feeling Zappa could put into the guitar. On the note of what you mentioned about Frank and Steve, here is a video I hope everyone enjoys. It's one of my favorites if not for Steve Vai's hilarious outfit alone.
Another favorite of mine would definitely be Al Di Meola. Elegant Gypsy Suite was already posted which is one I would post but here is an equally enjoyable tune =).
On an ending note, I can always appreciate the speed of a guitarist but personally I find most of my favorite guitarists are not the fastest(although by no means are they slow) but the ones who show the greatest range of emotion in their playing. I am also a huge fan of guitarists who can improvise amazingly fitting riffs on the spot, which is probably why Zappa is one of my favorites by far.
Michael Hedges - Two Days Old/ The First Cutting with Leo Kottke Jimmy Page - Babe I'm Gonna Leave Ya David Gilmour - Echoes Tommy Emmanuel - Lewis & Clark
As a musician probably Mikael Akerfeldt, Opeth is easily my favorite band...though I don't like their new album
As for just guitar skills probably marty friedmann or david gilmour or whatever. They're all pretty much the same in my book. I know technically the more famous guitarists may not be better technically but they just seem to write better in my opinion. As far as guitar music goes I really enjoy like new and innovative writing as opposed to playing.
He's awesome and knows the way of the musician (kekek). He gave me lots of advice and is really helpful. He does music for a living, recording/composing songs for games and a mix of a bunch of other stuff! I hope I can have a life like him someday :D
He's just the ideal type of guitarist for me. He's got great tones, can play such a broad array of genres, plays melodies and he just honours his craft like no other guitarist I've seen. :D
I might catch some flack for this... but Reverend Peyton, imo, is the best guitar player on the planet at this moment. He's not rock so most people probably won't like it, but I think he rivals Jimi Hendrix and the other greats (surpassing most- if not all- of them).
Just skip to 1:40 if you get bored... it's pretty amazing. At the end he plays two songs at once.
And something more interesting.
and
aaaaand
He doesn't really do solos... but that's fine because most of his basic riffs are complicated enough to be solos.
Stevie Ray Vaughn's rendition of Little Wing is the best guitar solo ever done, hands down. Even though Jimmy Page is kinda sloppy, I still like his style quite a bit.
Also it really irritates me when people say Steve Vai. That guy is so overrated.
On July 07 2009 06:48 Tenox wrote: I'm surprised no one has mentioned Shawn Lane, especially you buckhethead fans seeing as one of Bucketheads main influences are Shawn lane.:D But yeah this guy has it all imo, such an amazing feel, never heard phrasing like this in any other player. It's quite unique really, and you can't really complain on his technique either, he was faster than most people out there right now. There's an interesting video where paul gilbert talks about shawn lane and demonstrates some of his stuff with tapping but in reality shawn lane does it with one hand.:D
Shawn Lane is my favourite guitarist of all time! I could listen to powers of ten for the rest of time. Such a crying shame he died as young as he did. He had a lot offer musically.
Ps. if you just like pure shredding, watch the last 3 minutes -_-; but this guy played beautiful music
On April 22 2012 15:45 ohsea.toc wrote: George Harrison. Humble, so good melodically, all round a great musician (and he can sing).
This is true, but it always cracks me up that on "While My Guitar Gently Sleeps" it was Eric Clapton playing the solo, the only Beatles song with guitar accompaniment.
On April 22 2012 11:02 Brotatoes23 wrote: Michael Hedges - Two Days Old/ The First Cutting with Leo Kottke Jimmy Page - Babe I'm Gonna Leave Ya David Gilmour - Echoes Tommy Emmanuel - Lewis & Clark
THANK YOU! Seriously, went through this whole thread and you are the only one who mentioned Michael Hedges.
I remember the first time I heard this, I was in the other room when my dad put it on, I swore two people were playing
On April 22 2012 05:43 itkovian wrote: Jason Richardson He's been a member in two of my favorite bands, and made some great songs. But now he's leaving for a third band, bah! + Show Spoiler +
Best guitarists are Shawn Lane and Allan Holdsworth. Close third may be Pat Metheny. Then there are a whole bunch of people at the top but all very comparable in skill and talent. I would put people like Petrucci, Vai, Gambale and many jazz players in that group. Just mentioning a few famous ones. It's hard to put one over the other but surely these people are top tier. Then there is another huge group of skilled ones that are kinda so-so like Yngwie Malmsteen and Zakk Wylde.
Then everyone else is just inferior in technique and musicality and in that group come most players most people know. This group includes both good players like Jimi Hendrix and bad ones like Kirk Hammett. Still, there's 2 tiers above them and then the elite 3.
Ritchie Blackmore. He might not be the most likeable person in the world but I just enjoy his music so much. Gillan / Blackmore / Paice / Glover / Lord in Deep Purple is my favorite band ever.
Steve Howe is a guitarist for musicians. He's not a shredder, bopper, bluesy, country, or metalhead -- he's all of the above when the music calls for it. And he does it so well that, as it turns out, he's a guitarist for everyone.
On April 22 2012 15:45 ohsea.toc wrote: George Harrison. Humble, so good melodically, all round a great musician (and he can sing).
This is true, but it always cracks me up that on "While My Guitar Gently Sleeps" it was Eric Clapton playing the solo, the only Beatles song with guitar accompaniment.
I don't know what you mean by "guitar accompaniment". You mean guitar played by someone not in the band? Almost all of their songs have multiple guitars, rhythm and a lead. I look at your post and I see it needs revising.
I think Tosin Abasi and/or Guthrie Govan... There's probably a lot of videos from both of them in here, so I won't bother posting one if you guys don't mind :p
On April 22 2012 11:02 Brotatoes23 wrote: Michael Hedges - Two Days Old/ The First Cutting with Leo Kottke Jimmy Page - Babe I'm Gonna Leave Ya David Gilmour - Echoes Tommy Emmanuel - Lewis & Clark
THANK YOU! Seriously, went through this whole thread and you are the only one who mentioned Michael Hedges.
I remember the first time I heard this, I was in the other room when my dad put it on, I swore two people were playing
On April 22 2012 05:43 itkovian wrote: Jason Richardson He's been a member in two of my favorite bands, and made some great songs. But now he's leaving for a third band, bah! + Show Spoiler +
He's alright. I think BoO was very stupid to have kicked him out though, and I'm not all that into that chelsea something anyhow.
Yeah, I've never listened to Chelsea Smile, but there name seems to point to them being a little too macabre for my tastes. Regardless, I'll probably have to give them a listen now that they have Jason as their guitarist.
Just had to share this. Look at his face...it's just pure emotion...pure emotion wrought by one of the finest and most in-tune with his instrument people ever to have lived...written for his sister who died following a car accident...JUST WATCH HIS FACE T_T...
I didn't know how to embed, but yeah Loomis is amazing and relatively unkown considering the face melting awesomeness that is his guitar playing ability
Mark Morton/Willie Adler, Brent Hinds/Bill Kelliher, John Petrucci, Mikael Akerfeldt, Marten Hagstrom/Fredrik Thordendal, Jimmy Page Jerry Cantrell, Adam Jones, Joe Duplantier, Dime, Matt Pike, Devin Townsend, Robb Flynn, Dean Deleo, James Hetfield, Dave Mustaine, Kerry King/Jeff Hanneman!
On May 29 2012 05:08 Trowa127 wrote: No mention of Mike Cooley? Lol. Teamliquid is pretty hilarious for anything that isn't Starcraft related, see the 'liquid dubstep' thread haha.
Too many metal guitarists.
Oh god, people have different taste than you! How abhorrent!
Percussive finger style all the way! As much as I like, kinda, "shredding" guitar, it is pure mechanical work. Not saying that it is something to scoff at, but if you can play a very mechanically complex piece that also has emotional content, then *that* makes you great.
I love these subjective threads <3 Peoples influences feel so great to read!
For me, my favourite, and most influencial guitarist is no doubt James Hetfield! He is as awesome now as he were when he started, he has a sick awesome playstyle, and he is a fucking machine when it comes to awesome riffs.
And regarding his playstyle. How is this not awesome?
But the guitarist i listened to and learned of when i started playing was Angus Young!
Fantastic guitarist with just an all round awesome attitude!
YES that is EXACTLY the song that most influences me to vote Jimi Hendrix as my personal fave. Was extremely difficult but I was finally able to find that song in high quality after searching high and low lol. That song is soooo good.
For all you Tommy Emmanuel fans, check out his daughter, what a legendary guitar player, probably better than his dad, damn, those chord progressions, and I'm sure I saw a bit of fingerstyle in there too, just pure amazing deep meaningful music with lyrics that will touch your heart:
Dave Mustaine in my opinion for sure. He was voted 1 in Joel Mciver's 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists of all time. Most guitarists excel in either rhythm or lead guitar, but Dave Mustaine from Megadeth and early Metallica excelled in riffs and has to this day some of the most kick-ass guitar solos known to music. Not to mention he was the fundamental song writer for Megadeth and the founder and heart of the band.
what got me started interested in playing guitar was a long journey that started way back when an old friend of mine from middle school started learning guitar... he shared all his then growing list of musical interests with me, first with linkin park back when they first hit the scene, all the way to old In Flames (everything pre-Reroute to Remain), and somewhere along the way he introduced me to progressive rock/metal in the form of Dream Theater and their side project Liquid Tension Experiment. names like Jesper Stromblad and John Petrucci i can still remember my friend telling me about. Michael Romeo of Symphony X has also been a big favorite of mine (had the pleasure of seeing Symphony X live in concert last year around this time)
In addition to a lot of already popular metal guitarists from various popular metal and subgenre powermetal bands, I really like a lot of the instrumental virtuoso shred guitarists of the 80s because of the combination of both technical skill in execution but also the way they compose their songs. I don't think they are as obvious as some of the more mainstream names, but these are some of my favorite guitar heroes: Tony MacAlpine, Vinnie Moore, Paul Gilbert, etc
I was just wondering who is your favorite/who do you think is the most influential guitarist in your life? Personally my guitar hero is hands down: Stevie Ray Vaughan
Amen brother
Whenever I jam it always comes out like some space blues mixture between Stevie and Gilmour. I also much love Jerry Garcia but made a point of not copying his licks / style as id love to keep him as a guitar god in my mind
Jason Becker. Not just because of his guitar playing. God bless his soul: Altitudes- + Show Spoiler +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wFoSbjXB68
EDIT: It's so hard to leave it at one... I enjoy most of what people have posted in here as well... but to expand a little more: Jon Gomm: Passionflower- + Show Spoiler +
There's not enough Slash in this thread. November Rain has some of the most awesome, moving guitar solos ever written -- the ending being particularly epic. There are too many epic riffs from GnR, Velvet Revolver, and Slash's solo work to count and name here that everyone knows. Nighttrain is probably my favorite of these.
Best of all, Slash is still writing new stuff. His newest album, Apocalyptic Love, is very, very good, and the kind of rock that just isn't made much anymore. Go buy it.
Apocalyptic Love (the riff at 0:17 is so sweet)
Other songs to check out are Anastasia and Not for Me (neither of which I can find on youtube [at least the album versions]).
EDIT: Here's an acoustic version of Not for Me, but it's not as good as the album version because Myles wimps out on the vocals at the end.
1. Dimebag Darrell (Pantera) 2. Randy Rhoads (Ozzy Osbourne, Blizzard of Oz and Diary of a Madman era) 3. Phil Demmel (Machine Head) 4. Paul Masvidal (Cynic) 5. Adam Jones (Tool) 6. Matthew Bachand (Shadows Fall)
Here's the song that's from. "Eat 'em and Smile" is a legendary album. It combined Sheehan with Steve Vai and ends up being absolutely amazing. Plus the cover art is neat. I absolutely adore all of Roth's solo stuff he did with Vai and Sheehan.
My favourite guitar player will always be Jason Becker, but my favourite instrumental will always be Scarified. Such a sweet song. The sound quality is garbage but it's the only live version that's remotely near the speed of the recorded version. Gilbert seems to play it slower now.
I haven't looked through this entire thread so far but no one.....and I mean no one compares to this man.
Micheal Angelo Batio IS the guitar god. That V double guitar from PoD is of his design(I am told not 100%) and the only one on earth I am aware of that can play it.
Edit: Steve Vai and Tommy Emmanuel are honorable mentions. <3 Guitar soloists <3
My favorite guitarist has to be Jason Becker, and Marty Friedman too (but not because they played together, I just think Marty has a very unique style and phrasing)
On January 16 2013 10:09 MetalPanda wrote: My favorite guitarist has to be Jason Becker, and Marty Friedman too (but not because they played together, I just think Marty has a very unique style and phrasing)
Yeah it's pretty crazy two of the greatest ever played together in the same band. Can't think of many other guitar examples of that at all. Steve Vai played in Zappa's band but I wouldn't really call Zappa a guitar god although many would disagree.
On January 16 2013 10:09 MetalPanda wrote: My favorite guitarist has to be Jason Becker, and Marty Friedman too (but not because they played together, I just think Marty has a very unique style and phrasing)
Yeah it's pretty crazy two of the greatest ever played together in the same band. Can't think of many other guitar examples of that at all. Steve Vai played in Zappa's band but I wouldn't really call Zappa a guitar god although many would disagree.
you COULD say that Eddie VH, Steve Vai and Jason Becker were all in the same band, but at different times; ie as David Lee Roth's guitarist
On January 16 2013 10:09 MetalPanda wrote: My favorite guitarist has to be Jason Becker, and Marty Friedman too (but not because they played together, I just think Marty has a very unique style and phrasing)
Yeah it's pretty crazy two of the greatest ever played together in the same band. Can't think of many other guitar examples of that at all. Steve Vai played in Zappa's band but I wouldn't really call Zappa a guitar god although many would disagree.
you COULD say that Eddie VH, Steve Vai and Jason Becker were all in the same band, but at different times; ie as David Lee Roth's guitarist
Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck played together in the Yardbirds.
by far my most favorite guitarist of all time. sings/plays for the fall of troy. he won alternative press guitarist of the year for 2007, so he does have some recognition.
he's my favorite both in his execution, stage presence, and also the extremely entertaining music he writes. he's the king of non metal progressive rock.
Guthrie Govan is probably the most well rounded and complete guitar player of all time. Sadly, he's probably one of the least well known 'virtuosos'. Musicians of the future will look back and wonder how such a talented player slipped under the radar for most guitarists.
On January 16 2013 19:37 Absentia wrote: Guthrie Govan is probably the most well rounded and complete guitar player of all time. Sadly, he's probably one of the least well known 'virtuosos'. Musicians of the future will look back and wonder how such a talented player slipped under the radar for most guitarists.
This discussion is pointless in many ways, by the way. It's like asking: who is the better piano player, Sviatoslav Richter, Ludwig van Beethoven, Thelonious Monk, Keith Emerson or [random virtuoso player from China]. Let's say in this example it's Beethoven that composed a piece, Richter that set the standard for interpretation, the random person from China will be unknown but technically flawless, and then Keith Emerson and Thelonious Monk play in completely different genres where they are the only ones that compose and perform a certain piece, meaning there is no good comparison. Maybe you could compare Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman and prefer one, but even then you're comparing if you prefer Yes or ELP.
On January 16 2013 21:44 Grumbels wrote: This discussion is pointless in many ways, by the way. It's like asking: who is the better piano player, Sviatoslav Richter, Ludwig van Beethoven, Thelonious Monk, Keith Emerson or [random virtuoso player from China]. Let's say in this example it's Beethoven that composed a piece, Richter that set the standard for interpretation, the random person from China will be unknown but technically flawless, and then Keith Emerson and Thelonious Monk play in completely different genres where they are the only ones that compose and perform a certain piece, meaning there is no good comparison. Maybe you could compare Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman and prefer one, but even then you're comparing if you prefer Yes or ELP.
ahh great to see some recognition for Thomas Erak and Fall of Troy. Great music. Weird/Different. Nontheless awesome.
I love progressive music. Music that always changes and is in constant motion. Like a controlled and systematic chaos. You never know where is going to end. Its just a dramatic turn of events that will rock your world. It doesnt always stays on the same train of thought and by listening to it you learn that not everything its just images and words. Its also music.
John Petrucci from Dream Theater and Liquid Tension Experiment. I also love Paul Waggoner from Between the Buried And Me. Listen to them. They speka for themselves. You wont regret it.
And while Jordan Rudess isnt a guitarist (pianist), I consider him one of the best musicians of the modern times.
For electric they are. When it comes to acoustic I don't know enough. But I rate Al di Meola and Bireli Lagrene highly there.
Some players I really like to go back to a lot are Yngwie Malmsteen and Paul Gilbert. I also think Steve Morse and Tony MacAlpine are underrated and musically very intelligent players with a strong own style but diverse abilities.
I've been listening to alot of Little Tybee with Josh Martin lately he has really unique techniques that I've never seen before, he just does his own thing I guess.
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