Who's Your Favorite Guitar Player?
 

If you have one?

And I don't mean your favorite artist overall, or the one that you think has the best technical skills, although that can (and probably will) come into play. But I think style and feeling are just as, if not more important, than technical skill. I'd like to know who you most like to watch and/ or listen to, and why? And give me an example of what you consider to be some of their best work.

For example, I think Eddie Van Halen has (had?) fantastic skills- he's (was) amazingly fast, but there's not much melody to his playing. Eric Clapton is just sublime to listen to, IMO, but kind of boring to watch - he mostly just stands and plays.

My favorite guitarist at the present is Keith Urban. This guy is a rocker in a country singer's body, though I'd consider his music more pop/rock than country. I love his solos- there's an "atmospheric" quality about them that reminds me of David Gilmour. I've seen him live twice, most recently last Friday night, and I think he's just amazing. I had a hard time picking just one song of his to post- I like them all! lol So, I picked a couple:

'Til Summer Comes Around- The song that got me hooked on Keith when I first heard him play it live. I think the treadmill's kind of corny and totally unnecessary, but if anything, the fact that he can walk and play at the same time is kind of impressive: :lol:

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Raining on Sunday- I love the slower pace on this one, the bluesy intro, and I like the melody on the closing solo: (skip the end with him reading the signs, unless you really want to watch. lol)

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He's no slouch on the acoustic, either, and I do love his singing voice:

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Another little factoid to mention here is that Randy Flowers' brother, Jerry, plays bass (and other instruments) in Keith's band. You can see him in the ROS video- he's the bald guy on Keith's left (right side of video).


So, who's your guitar hero? :D

That's an easy one - Ritchie Blackmore. Only saw him once with Rainbow when Doogie White was singer. Then again with his Merry Men. I know he doesn't ever talk to the audience or run about the stage but he so mesmerisng to watch.

There are so many to choose from ... and no time right now to find some great examples on youtube.

On Acoustic guitar Nils Lofgren is hard to beat IMO, his solo shows are mesmerising.

Randy Flowers is no slouch either, the perfect on stage foil for Paul's Metal antics, much as I respect Mr Crook I much prefer Randy's playing.

Keth Richards and Ronnie Wood are the perfect guitar duo for me, the way they weave their two guitar parts together is stunning.

Rory Gallagher - check out his solos. :cool: I like his passion and versatility.

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Acoustic:

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Jan Akkerman is worth mentioning, too.

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P.S.: Nice thread, Julie. Thank you! :D

Eddie Van Halen, Bob Kulick, and Paul crook :))

How could I forget these two guys??? Slash is just cool and Brian May has a very distinctive style of playing.

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Paul and Randy, obviously! Brian May also.

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Randy Flowers & Paul Crook :-)

I've never seen Nils' solo show, but I have seen him numerous times with the E Street Band. My favorite solo of his is the one on Because the Night, but I think The Ghost of Tom Joad is pretty sweet, too. :cool: May I?

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I've gotta agree- some nice work there.

Awesome vids- I especially like the first one. :D

You're welcome- thanks for replying. ;) And also to everyone else who replied!

What do you like about them? I think Eddie is one of the reasons I have hearing loss these days. :shock: Van Halen was hands-down the LOUDEST band I have ever seen! :lol:

I love Slash and Brian May, also. :cool:

I think I'll also add a couple of other guys, who unfortunately aren't with us anymore. :(

Stevie Ray Vaughn- The one musician I am most sorry I never got to see live. I just love a great blues player. He took on Hendrix and knocked it out of the park, IMO:

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And Frank Zappa, who is one of my favorite artists, as well. Some of his stuff is admittedly not for everyone, but he could do some amazing things with a guitar.

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Anybody have any more? :D

SRV was awesome! I'm glad I recorded the concert that clip is from when it was broadcasted on TV years ago. Fastastic!

David Wilcox (us) look him up - www.davidwilcox.com

On his last few solo tours (certainly in the UK anyway) we've been treated to a solo electric verison of Because The Night, complete with extended solo that almost makes the solo performed with the ESB sound like amateur. Last time out we were also treated to Nils on harp and tap dancing! Both of which worked far far better than they read! He seems really strict about cameras at his solo shows though, so viedo clips are few and far between.

Ohh Nils was amazing live! Really wasn't sure what to expect as I was so used to seeing him in stadiums with the E Street Band but as Andy says, completely mesmerising. Because The Night in stadiums is amazing, such a big production, but to see it done by one man alone on a stage just a few feet away was something else.

Regardless of the Meat Loaf link I would honestly choose Randy as my favourite, technically he's probably the best guitarist I've seen and I'd happily pay to see him with other people if he ever wasn't in the NLE (plus, I dunno if anyone's noticed but he's not bad to look at either! :lol: )

Carols Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton, Paul Crook, Randy Flowers ~ not necessarily in that order. :D

Sue

the guitarist i've seen the most live, is rab mccullough.. he was the first person i saw play guitar with his teeth, play behind his head and do slide guitar with a mop lol

im also a fan of paul pilot... loved his bowed guitar playing and of course, he's pretty good on the banjo.

and foy vance is awesome on acoustic guitar :D

Rab...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tJC50rFIK0

For me its a hard choice but it has to be either Joe Satriani with what else but Surfing with the Alien

http://youtu.be/e-OK7sS855M

Or a man you should know by the name of Steve Vai, Here is one of his slower more emotional tracks, Whispering a prayer

http://youtu.be/8KUSkGeaUPU

Cool- I might have to check Nils out if I get the chance, especially for the tap dancing. ;) lol

Oh yeah, I love Santana, too- he's a very expressive player. Supernatural is one of my favorite albums, especially Corazon Espinado:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otwtS...eature=related

And I think Samba Pa Ti is just beautiful:

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Awesome. lol Like I said, I like a great blues guitarist. :cool: I'm dying to see Buddy Guy live; somehow I keep missing him.

Wow, that was great! :D Steve Vai used to play "stunt guitar" for Frank Zappa years ago. Apparently, Zappa was extremely impressed with him, which, from what I've read, wasn't easy to do, as Zappa was very demanding of his musicians.

These are great, guys! :cool: Any more?

I think the girls have been neglected so far, so I'm adding a couple of female guitarists.

Her clothes and hairstyle are not that wild anymore but she still rocks - the awesome Jennifer Batten :metal::

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Joan Armatrading: cool solos at 1:29 and 3:31.

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Jo Ann Kelly - great British blues lady:

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Zakk Wylde is amazing. Here he is tearing it up acoustic style.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om2YwwybpEE

The riff master Tony Iommi, solo from 2009 Heaven and Hell tour

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9jqcgnpGKw

Michael Jennings singing the old classic "Red Hot Gal" accompanied by some ukelele playing.

Love it, He is my uncle, mind :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6EBhjoZOoI

Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Paul Crook, all excellent in different ways.

I just watched Patti's Q&A and she mentioned someone I admire for her guitar skills, so here's Bonnie Raitt - together with Keb' Mo' :cool: (I named my first electric guitar after her, LOL):

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Awesome! Let's hear it for the ladies! :cheer: I love Bonnie Raitt, especially. :cool:

An interesting thing- in the background of the Joan Armatrading video, there is a banner for the Nils Lofgren Band. lol

Ah, yes- the Godfather of heavy metal. :metal: He almost had to quit when he lost the tips of two fingers on his fretting hand. He tried to learn to play right-handed, but it didn't work. Then, he invented those thimbles that he uses on his right hand. I saw him with Black Sabbath back in the day. :cool:


Very nice! :lol:

I think I would be remiss if I didn't mention my first childhood guitar hero, whom I have come to respect even more these days. I think he's been kind of forgotten by people, which I think is a crime, because I think he's as good, if not better, than he ever was. I give you- Mr. Peter Frampton! :cool:

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(I actually like this version even better, but unfortunately the video, which was just posted a few days ago, was shot mostly from behind Pete's back. He's a funny guy, too - he cracks me up! :lol: )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nETFd_zk53U

Joe Perry and Brad Whitford

I get the feeling I'm spamming this thread but Popa Chubby belongs here, too. One of the most amazing musicians I know.

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So many good ones. Mick Mars from Motley Crue would probably be my #1. Slash, Santana, Randy, Paul, Brian May, Jimi Hendrix...

David Gilmour.

The guitar solo in Comfortably Numb is probably one of the best in rock (IMO):

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As a side note, I just read that Roger Waters is supposedly bringing The Wall to stadiums next year, including Wrigley Field in Chicago. I think that's awesome- I'd love to see it again. :cool: I read they are going to triple the size of the wall! :shock:

Come on, guys- let's see some more. Video, too! :D

Here's a pretty nice video of Nils doing the tap dance- pretty interesting!

Dream Big

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And Shine Silently from the same show- I love the spin! :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FXmZ...eature=related

I've never seen anybody dance while playing harp. Cool. :cool:

ive never seen a harp quite that shape, and never seen one played from that side ;)

Considering the guy has had two hip replacements it's incredible!

I thought I might post this here again, as I think it's relevant to this thread. I'd planned on posting it here originally, but Wario beat me to it.

Here's Rolling Stone's current list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Players of all time. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/li...rists-20111123

Now, these things are always somewhat subjective, but I thought it would be interesting to see where some of our favorites ended up, if they were on the list at all.

1) Jimi Hendrix (naturally)
2) Eric Clapton
3) Jimmy Page
4) Keith Richards
5) Jeff Beck
6) B.B. King
8 ) Eddie Van Halen
12) Stevie Ray Vaughan
14) David Gilmour
20) Carlos Santana
22) Frank Zappa
23) Buddy Guy
25) Tony Iommi
26) Brian May
33) Prince
36) Randy Rhoads
57) Rory Gallagher
65) Slash

Only 2 ladies made the list: Joni Mitchell at #75, and Bonnie Raitt at #89.

I can't argue with some on the list, especially the top ten, but some choices I'd beg to differ with, as we all would, I suppose.

No Nils Lofgren, Peter Frampton, or Steve Vai, surprisingly. I was also surprised that Springsteen made the list this time, albeit at #96, because he's usually overlooked on these things.

Thoughts?

Pretty impressive lol :D I'm quite surprised that Slash is that low on the list. I'll have to go to the link and have a proper look, as I do love Richie Sambora from Bon Jovi, so before making any other judgement lol, I shall look at the link :) Thanks for the great post too :D

Quite surprised by the list. A lot there that I didn't know, then others there that I do, but aren't as ranked high as I thought. Hehehe, some of the older generation ones I remember learning about back in high school in the 1990's.

I'm quite surprised though, and I can't remember his name either, but the other guitarist from Metallica isn't listed at all. Ritchie Sambora didn't get a mention, but I didn't think he really would either. Great to see my hero, Eric Clapton up at No.2 :D That is where he belongs, if not No.1 :) AC/DC's Angus, well it was good to see him in the position he was in, but could of been a bit higher imo. I kinda hoped an Aussie guitarist by the name of Tommy Emmanuel may of been in the top 100, but didn't hold my breath as I thought he wouldn't be. Willie Nelson, well it was great to see he got in the hundred :) Brian May probably could have been shot up the list a bit more as he is quite a talent. Lead man off Metallica, well he is great but he too could have been bumped up a bit higher on the list due to his ability.

Overall, the top 100 is quite impressive, and I agree with most of the ones that have been posted. Quite a shame to not see more females there, but I suppose that is how it goes with the industry.

Awwww, now you're talking lol :) Keith Urban is really great too, and not saying that to be biased or anything. But I do love his style :)

Yeah, it's an interesting selection. There are many that I don't know, either. As I said, these lists are always somewhat subjective, and we could all make a case for our favorites. ;)

High school in the '90's? Oy, I feel old! :doh: :lol:

Angus Young, Randy Flowers, Paul Crook & Brian May

My favourite guitar player is Joe Satriani. It is the great Guitarist in our country . I love his bands song and his style of guitar. He makes awesome tunes.

Yeah I didn't think there'd be such a variety there, but I suppose they had to make it that way. Hey, your not old lol ;), just wise ;) :)

Gosh, how embarressed am I to say that I haven't listen to him much at all I think I need to broaden my horizon a bit when it comes to guitarists mate


Aw yes Paul Crook and Brian May are great :D :D :D

In no particular order:

Pete Townshend - This guy is to guitar what Jim Steinman is to piano. Thunderous power chords, and a fervent style of playing, though whilst not the most technical, has an amazing effect on the listener. And I've ben lucky enough to see The Who a few times now.

Brian May - The most instantly recognisable sound of any guitarist. Rightly lauded as one of the world's greatest, in my opinion.

George Harrison - I don't suppose I need to say much about this choice!

Prince - Seriously awesome. Should rank much higher in this sort of poll in my opinion. Saw him perform at the O2 Arena a few years back, and was absolutely blown away by his musicianship!

David Gilmour - Again, not much that needs saying.

Chuck Berry - If it wasn't for this guy... etc etc

Mark Knoplfler - Again, seems like an obvious choice, but rightly so in my opinion.

Eric Clapton - As above.

Joe Perry - Was fortunate enough to see him live last year when he was support to Bad Company. Very very good. Also helps that I'm a huge Aerosmith fan too, of course!

Albert Lee - Again, another I've been fortunate enough to see live, this time as part of Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings. Incredible talent.

Joe Walsh - In my opinion, his joining the Eagles was a masterstroke. Life In The Fast Lane is one of my all-time favourite songs, and without Joe's guitar who knows what it might have been? Life's Been Good, In The City, Pretty Maids all in a Row. The 'duel' with Don Felder at the end of Hotel California is sublime. And yes, I've seen him live too (as part of The Eagles)

Gary Moore - Even if just for Parisienne Walkways and Still Got the Blues!

I'm sure I'll think of about twenty more once I click 'submit reply' :cool:

edit: here's a couple...

Slash - Sweet Child O' Mine has been my ringtone since phones first had the capacity to use sound files. It's still one of THE best intros to a song EVER, in my opinion. Anything from Appetite or Use Your Illusion 1/2 is head and shoulders above anything else in their genre.

Robert Johnson - same reason as Chuck Berry

edit 2: and a couple more...

Jimi Hendrix - Electrifying

Jimmy Page - Self explanatory, really :-)

can we have a thread about worst guitarists? No. 1 - The Edge :twisted:

Yep; he's not a name that I think many people immediately think of as a great guitarist, but I agree he's fantastic. This solo just blew ne away the first time I saw it (love his exit, lol):

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Absolutely- the guy practically invented Rock'n Roll ;) Still performs, too.

I love this performance from a few years back when he played with the E Street Band. Check out the grin on Bruce's face. :D lol

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That wasn't the first time they had played together- great story here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGkQk5BuASM

Yep- saw Joe with the Eagles as well, and he pretty much made the show, IMO. In the City was a goosebump moment for me that night. :cool:

Forgot to add Steve Lukather

i'd never heard of this guy until today...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLKgO3ZiQH0

i think he's pretty good, what do you guitar lovers reckon??

Wow, he's awesome! He looks pretty young, too; he reminds me of this kid- I think he's about 12 here:

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I wish I could read all those sigs on his guitar. :-)

that kids guitar is very like mine... only he can play it better :lol:

Do you have autographs on yours, too? If so, who have ya got? :-)

Speaking of guitars, I thought this story was totally cool:

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/20...fter-31-years/

I just had to bump this thread to add this video- a dream pretty much came true for me last Friday night. :D Bruce used to play this song with this long intro back in 1978, and the first time I heard it on a bootleg, I was absolutely floored. :cool: I always wished he'd do it this way again, but didn't think it would ever happen, especially after Bruce himself said he probably never would. Well, something made him change his mind, and he started playing it again this tour, so I had hopes he would play it at one of the shows I saw last week. Not only did he play it, he opened with it, and it was pretty incredible! I'm still pinching myself. ;)

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