Who's the best guitar player of all time to you and why?

OMFG! I forgot JEFF BECK. Blow by Blow has some of the most expressive guitar work, electric or otherwise, ever recorded. Dude's up there with Hendrix (and, I realize I'm in the minority here, Zappa).
 
No idea who is "the Best" even according to only me. But. Which do I prefer most:
EVH still is the first to spring to mind. Why? Shear FUN-factor. Lane is faster, Vai is quirkier and so are Jeff Beck and Zappa, Gilbert is more precise, Jimi and Jimmy are more raw, Timmons is more melodic, Yngwie is more complicated and then there's Holdsworth... The list goes on. Guthrie is more diverse and maybe better at just about everything...

Except the FUN-factor.

The way Eddie phrases just brings a smile to my face. Maybe it's the alcohol mixed with his brilliance, but the Jack-Sparrow-swagger he puts in those lines and the fall-down-and-land-on-my-feet-kind of attitude just crack me up. BTW, I don't believe he ever fell down, I think he knew very well what he's been doing. His playing (and his writing, BTW) is more complicated than it seems. Ever notice how the bridges and solo's in VH tunes really go off at a tangent in different keys and often complex time-signatures and somehow fall back into the song in the end? You can't convince me he doesn't do the due time thinking about that. And if he doesn't, he certainly is gifted to have that come to him without thinking.
 
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funny_polymath said:
Wow, your best list is just exactly my worst list - except for B.B.! Guess that's what makes the world go 'round...
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Yes, I was just reading your post and actually there are folks in your like list in mine in addition to B.B. such as Hendrix. I also had many guitarists known or unknown so there may be more overlap than it would appear.

How about a least Favorite, most over-rated list?

Mine starts with: Vai, Satch, Malmsteen, Buckethead etc. - all 'stunt guitarists': technically utterly incredible and without peer, musically pathetic: their music is totally in service to their technique, rather than the other way around.
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When you mention all "all 'stunt guitarists': technically utterly incredible and without peer, musically pathetic:," this included in a least favourites list is a bit sweeping. Obviously Frank Zappa, didn't think that about Steve Vai, for example. Now technique just purely for the sake of it is just what it is, but I never heard anyone express even the simplest of ideas without technique sufficient to do the job.

Technique is to service the music, but it doesn't always happen in a commercial world, and what one likes another does not and to discount the complete works of those artists as musically pathetic is not objective and not correct. If you don't like it, you don't like it but lots of others do.

That is the great thing or should be about art, it is varied as is the likes and dislikes of people.
 
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my favs listed in chronological order (as to when they had an influence on me and how)
Jimmy Page-- Whole Lotta Love was the first song I loearned on guitar :)
Tony Iommi- introduced me to "real heavy metal"
Robin Trower- showed me how much my vibrato sucked and that playing fast isn't always the answer.
Jeff Beck- well...because he's Jeff Beck , nuff said
Eddie Van Halen-first guy that made me really want to shred
Yngwie- kicked up the shred factor to another level
Vinnie Moore- to me a more rounded version of Yngwie
Joe Satriani-finally a shredder that had songs not just passages to solo over
Shawn Lane- amazing melodic prowness combined with crazy skill
Joe Pass- my favortie jazz guitarist, could watch videos of him all day
Greg Howe -learning Greg Howe material showed me how important it is so know how to play "modally"
Paul Gilbert-love him as a teacher and he kicked ass at the last G3 I saw.
Jeff Loomis -Nevermore changed the game for me as far as using a 7 goes.
Frank Gambale-truly a great player and teacher, I've learned a ton from his instructional DVDs.

Greg How and Joe Satch are probably my 2 fav's that never drop off of the list.
Jeff Loomis for introducing me to 7's (although I find his solo material rather boring and predictable, I love Nevermore)
I left off Petrucci and Vai because although i do really like both of them, neither has had much of an influence on my own playing.
I do love DT though :)
 
me of course. But besides me I will say ALLAN HOLDSWORTH, and JEFF BECK. Actually both are very under rated compared to say eddie van halen. But at least eddie agreed with me and many many others (thanks to Allan playing even until now in his 60s) by commenting in a guitar player mag article in the early 80s saying that, "ALAN IS THE BEST IN MY BOOK". I would have to second that. Now, though, hes finally gotten recognition but definitely not full recognition in my opinion. But its not over until...every one hears me. Hey!!.. Im only 49. So look out!! Soon you will know of me (babbling on this site, that is). So its taking me my whole life but hey, its not over until...i say its over, this thread that is. And I say its way over, so... God Bless You ALL!!
 
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Dutch said:
The way Eddie phrases just brings a smile to my face. Maybe it's the alcohol mixed with his brilliance, but the Jack-Sparrow-swagger he puts in those lines and the fall-down-and-land-on-my-feet-kind of attitude just crack me up...His playing (and his writing, BTW) is more complicated than it seems. Ever notice how the bridges and solo's in VH tunes really go off at a tangent in different keys and often complex time-signatures and somehow fall back into the song in the end? You can't convince me he doesn't do the due time thinking about that. And if he doesn't, he certainly is gifted to have that come to him without thinking.
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The more I listen to EVH, the more I get the impression that his playing—his phrasing—is mostly off-the-cuff. Check out some of his extended solos on YouTube. His playing is so conversational. He just keeps painting pictures with notes, with that goofy grin that tells you he's having fun. That's the most amazing part of it: all that complexity just rolls off his hands in one big improv, while at the same time he's handling the thythm part superbly.
 
kmanick said:
my favs listed in chronological order (as to when they had an influence on me and how)
Jimmy Page-- Whole Lotta Love was the first song I loearned on guitar :)
Tony Iommi- introduced me to "real heavy metal"
Robin Trower- showed me how much my vibrato sucked and that playing fast isn't always the answer.
Jeff Beck- well...because he's Jeff Beck , nuff said
Eddie Van Halen-first guy that made me really want to shred
Yngwie- kicked up the shred factor to another level
Vinnie Moore- to me a more rounded version of Yngwie
Joe Satriani-finally a shredder that had songs not just passages to solo over
Shawn Lane- amazing melodic prowness combined with crazy skill
Joe Pass- my favortie jazz guitarist, could watch videos of him all day
Greg Howe -learning Greg Howe material showed me how important it is so know how to play "modally"
Paul Gilbert-love him as a teacher and he kicked ass at the last G3 I saw.
Jeff Loomis -Nevermore changed the game for me as far as using a 7 goes.
Frank Gambale-truly a great player and teacher, I've learned a ton from his instructional DVDs.

Greg How and Joe Satch are probably my 2 fav's that never drop off of the list.
Jeff Loomis for introducing me to 7's (although I find his solo material rather boring and predictable, I love Nevermore)
I left off Petrucci and Vai because although i do really like both of them, neither has had much of an influence on my own playing.
I do love DT though :)
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I hear what oh mean about Petrucci not being much of an influence. I love his playing but he is just soooo far beyond my current technical ability his influence just struggles to flow from my fingers. That bent said, there are some of us more simple licks that I call on occasionally. Similar story with Vai and me. I have taken a LOT of influence from his vibrato technique which is actually several different vibrato styles in one. Some of my note choice comes from Vai. Anything obnoxious I play is laden with Vaism's.

Is he EVER. Going to release another studio album?!?! It's been 7 years and 4 months!!! I'm jonsing for some new Vai.
 
+1 on Whole Lotta Love. To this day that solo never ceases to rip my face off. So simple, yet so powerful. I dare anyone to listen to (or play) that solo without making some of the most awkward facial contortions. It simply s NOT possible. I've never been one for outstanding stage presence or expressive facial expressions, but that solo (and You Shook Me) always get me going.

This has inspired me to start another thread.
 
Personally I've always appreciated someone doing something that pushed the boundaries beyond what could have even previously been conceived. And whether it's a pianist, a saxophonist, trumpet player, mathematician, physicist, author, painter -- I always go for the guy that takes it beyond the pale.

For me, someone who plays something that could have been played 50 years ago, though very well, cannot be one of THE GREATEST. And technicality is certain one of those characteristics I look too. I also look to knowledge of his or her instrument. For me you have to build on knowledge.

I jammed with Lane on a couple of jazz tunes gone over-drive. It was a helluva lot of fun! He certainly knew his stuff more than most rock guitar players. Shawn Lane played with great feeling. Unfortunately I haven't heard any of his recordings that do him justice. I haven't listened to a lot, I must admit. What I got, I got live and in person from hanging, listening and playing. He was a TREMENDOUS musician.

Sometimes I think when people can't stand technique and speed it has to do with other things. It's like a lot of jazz pianists who can't handle or stand Oscar Peterson. Oscars technique was just beyond. I think when something is just so far behind ones reach, it becomes silly even to listen to. What use is it to you? You're not going to try sound sound like that. But I find it terrifically inspirational. A HUMAN BEING can pay that stuff on the guitar. It makes me strive to be that good. It makes me think beyond the cubicle of blues derived players. It makes me imagine what the guitar could sound like in 100 or 200 years, if it's still being played and not being replaced by some processing chip.

Technique is the ability to play and the knowledge of playing. Everyone has to have technique, great or small. You have the technique necessary to play in the manner in which you do.

Shawn Lane had too much technique? Played too fast? For who? He had the technique that was required for his substantial imagination. Maybe he had too much imagination? Shawn Lane was a great musician, period. I hate these who was better or worse than who stuff.
funny_polymath said:
I was not familar with his work, so I just looked him up. Love his slower stuff, but I'll tell ya, after 10 seconds, those rapid-fire apreggiations that seem to blow everyone's mind just bore me. It's not him in particular, it's that whole style. His more (to me) 'soulful' playing is amazing, but I just wonder: would he be on so many people's lists if he hadn't been so supernaturally fast? And if not, then does 'best guitarist' translate to 'fastest (or most dextrous) one? Dexterity's great. Wish I had more. But whether it's a classical pianist or a rock guitarist, the appreciation of technique over feeling and composition just leaves me bemued. I saw some clips of Lane doing some supernatural figured arpeggios up and down the fretboard. Wow on those facile fingers, his amazing reach, the speed of his picking, but to me, all those notes hammering away have no meaning unless used in small, thoughtful doses.
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Every guitarist is different. Trying to determine the "best" or "favorite" is a pointless endeavor. That said, here's my current short list in no particular order: ;)

Mikael Akerfeldt
Adam Jones
Fredrik Thordendal
Marten Hagstrom
Steve Von Till
Scott Kelly
Jerry Cantrell
Kirk Hammett
 
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funny_polymath said:
Clarence Gatemouth Brown - his best, most relaxed work artfully fuses jazz, Blues and Western Swing.
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@funny_polymath

If you like Gatemouth and haven't heard Snooks Eaglin, you're in for a treat. He's kind of the New Orleans counterpart to Gatemouth. A lot of shared influences. They both get labeled "blues" by some, but their ranges are much wider than players typically categorized that way. Snooks' Blacktop record label recordings of the late 80s and 90s are generally great with awesome backing bands. There's not a ton of Youtube stuff out there, but this is fun. He's got George Porter Jr. (Meter's bassist) and Jon Cleary (Bonnie Raitt pianist and great vocalist/pianist/songwriter on his own) in the band. He was sometimes called "Little Ray" for similarity to Ray Charles, I think. Both vocally and on guitar, he can cover a really wide stylistic range well. Hearing him with just bass/drums was amazing because he's got a great arrangers ear and could carry the whole thing in a way that few singer/guitarists I've ever heard could. For R & B guitar/vocals I enjoyed hearing him live probably more than anyone and I spent a lot of time in clubs listening to everyone I could get my ears on in that realm.

Check his fingers. They're like talons and he plays with no pick in a way that's totally his own.

 
Jeff Beck
Steve Lukather
Jimmy Page
Larry Carlton
David Gilmour
Joe Walsh
Lee Ritenour
Denny Dias
Jay Graydon
Michael Landau
Neal Schon
Steve Howe
George Harrison
Dean Parks
Joe Satriani

Could go on and on....these are all favourites of mine, there ae so many great players.
 
stratamania said:
When you mention all "all 'stunt guitarists': technically utterly incredible and without peer, musically pathetic:," this included in a least favourites list is a bit sweeping. Obviously Frank Zappa, didn't think that about Steve Vai, for example. ..
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This is true. I disagreed with him then, I still do. I much preferred all of his other guitarists. Frank loved having guys play almost humanly-impossible lines, and Vai fits the bill. But compared to the music he did with Frank, his own stuff just... bores me.

As to liking, oh yes, I am definitely in the minority here! It's all OK, it's what makes the world go 'round - but I wonder how many people would take notice of vai, satch, buckethead, yngwie et. al. were it not for SPEED. So, the question still remains: do people speed and dexterity most in evaluating a musician? Are those the most important attributes? Because if these guys weren't so ungodly fast and dextrous, I doubt you'd have ever heard of them. Now another 'stunt' guitarist (in terms of dexterity, though not, perhaps, speed) was Michael Hedges, who totally reimagined the guitar (and I should have put him on my list). This is a guy with INCREDIBLE technique, but to my mind, he's also incredibly MUSICAL, and not merely an egoist, as I find the mile-a-minute guys to be: their playing, on the whole, seems very self-indulgent, even masturbatory. That said, Frank could wank off at times with the best of them. Sometimes it was: Shut up an stop playin' yer guitar, Frank, when he went on too long.
 
MikeyB59 said:
@funny_polymath

If you like Gatemouth and haven't heard Snooks Eaglin, you're in for a treat. He's kind of the New Orleans counterpart to Gatemouth. A lot of shared influences. They both get labeled "blues" by some, but their ranges are much wider than players typically categorized that way. Snooks' Blacktop record label recordings of the late 80s and 90s are generally great with awesome backing bands. There's not a ton of Youtube stuff out there, but this is fun. He's got George Porter Jr. (Meter's bassist) and Jon Cleary (Bonnie Raitt pianist and great vocalist/pianist/songwriter on his own) in the band. He was sometimes called "Little Ray" for similarity to Ray Charles, I think. Both vocally and on guitar, he can cover a really wide stylistic range well. Hearing him with just bass/drums was amazing because he's got a great arrangers ear and could carry the whole thing in a way that few singer/guitarists I've ever heard could. For R & B guitar/vocals I enjoyed hearing him live probably more than anyone and I spent a lot of time in clubs listening to everyone I could get my ears on in that realm.

Check his fingers. They're like talons and he plays with no pick in a way that's totally his own.

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Thanks! He is awesome! I'd ehard the name, not sure if I'd actually hear the player. That is ONE freaky playing style! Thanks again!
 
shemihazazel said:
Every guitarist is different. Trying to determine the "best" or "favorite" is a pointless endeavor. That said, here's my current short list in no particular order: ;)

Mikael Akerfeldt
Adam Jones
Fredrik Thordendal
Marten Hagstrom
Steve Von Till
Scott Kelly
Jerry Cantrell
Kirk Hammett
Click to expand...

Damn! I only know a couple of these guys! I'd better get listening!
 
henryrobinett said:
Personally I've always appreciated someone doing something that pushed the boundaries beyond what could have even previously been conceived. And whether it's a pianist, a saxophonist, trumpet player, mathematician, physicist, author, painter -- I always go for the guy that takes it beyond the pale.

For me, someone who plays something that could have been played 50 years ago, though very well, cannot be one of THE GREATEST. And technicality is certain one of those characteristics I look too. I also look to knowledge of his or her instrument. For me you have to build on knowledge.

I jammed with Lane on a couple of jazz tunes gone over-drive. It was a helluva lot of fun! He certainly knew his stuff more than most rock guitar players. Shawn Lane played with great feeling. Unfortunately I haven't heard any of his recordings that do him justice. I haven't listened to a lot, I must admit. What I got, I got live and in person from hanging, listening and playing. He was a TREMENDOUS musician.

Sometimes I think when people can't stand technique and speed it has to do with other things. It's like a lot of jazz pianists who can't handle or stand Oscar Peterson. Oscars technique was just beyond. I think when something is just so far behind ones reach, it becomes silly even to listen to. What use is it to you? You're not going to try sound sound like that. But I find it terrifically inspirational. A HUMAN BEING can pay that stuff on the guitar. It makes me strive to be that good. It makes me think beyond the cubicle of blues derived players. It makes me imagine what the guitar could sound like in 100 or 200 years, if it's still being played and not being replaced by some processing chip.

Technique is the ability to play and the knowledge of playing. Everyone has to have technique, great or small. You have the technique necessary to play in the manner in which you do.

Shawn Lane had too much technique? Played too fast? For who? He had the technique that was required for his substantial imagination. Maybe he had too much imagination? Shawn Lane was a great musician, period. I hate these who was better or worse than who stuff.
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Well, I never said Mr. Lane had too much technique, or played too fast. I think I said that playing that fast inlarge doses leaves me nonplussed. Yes, we all need a certain amount of technique. But many of my favorite guitar players are highly idiosyncratic, self-taught and most importantly to me SOUND LIKE NO ONE ELSE. It is very probable that all those speed demons don't sound like each other too - but if a vai or satriani piece comes on the radio - I can't tell the difference. Uniqueness, breaking the boundaries, those are what I value most. And I do note that a lot of musicians who come out a place like Berklee sound alike. Somehow, their creativity can be subsumed by their technique, almost displaced by it. Now, Michael Hedges, Frank Zappa, Jeff Beck all have AMAZING technique - so I am not knocking technique. But I do not worship at the altar of shred. Sheer speed, often (it appears to me) for speed's sake, wow factor alone, doesn't impress me. I mean, it impresses me - I like to play fast, even - but after about 4 bars in hyperdrive, my eyes glaze over. God I hope these guys don't screw they way they shred - because in lovemaking, as in music, nuance and creativity matter more than sheer speed.
 
Henry, here's another example: The Kink's Dqave Davies play INCREDIBLE, raw, cave-man solos UNTIL he learned too much! Then he got trapped in his scales and the licks he'd picked up and was never the same. The sheer raw exuberance was gone. Now, he's not some paragon, in fact I've never played like him, but he is an example of someone with little 'technique' who kicked ass!
 
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