TOP GUITARISTS OF ALL TIME,ONE"S OPINION

Eargasm · Post by **Eargasm** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 12:46 am

Edited

yngwie308 · Post by **yngwie308** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 1:11 am

Some great comments here,Eargasm welcome to the forum.
I have always had guitar heroes,first was George Harrison with the early Beatles,my dad said watch the Ed Sullivan show,this new British group is coming on,and I had the first two Beatles lps.I traced my dad's Martin guitar on a large piece of cardboard,to get the overall scale and drew a Gretsch Country Gentleman black guitar with all the pickups and tone controls and bridge,I was 10 years old,I played this cutout cardboard guitar,and would sneak a play on my dad's Martin when he was away,he forbade me to touch it!
Then when I was 11 we moved to London, and Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck,Pete Townshend,Quicksilver,Robin Trower,were early heroes of mine.
Also F1 racing drivers,Jim Clark who was killed in 1968,was my first heroe to die.
Then in the seventies,Tommy Bolin was a great inspiration to me,I loved his rhythmic sense and his wild abandon when he played inspired me greatly,I would jam to Come Taste The Band with my Strat and Marshall stack in my bedroom,plus of course Hendrix.
Earlier in Connecticut,ny dad had reel to reel tapes of Segovia,Chet Atkins,Wes Montgomery,Django Herb Ellis,Joe Pass,I was exposed to many varied guitarists,but actually played drums in elementary school first.
Then in 1984 Rebel Yell and Steve Stevens was big in my list,his technique and flash I loved.Of course I heard Van Halen and loved the overall bands sound,not so much was I into Van Halen as a guitar hero.
Then Gary Moore who hugely influenced me as far as being the consumate professional,who was always in tune,had perfect pitch and his interesting leads and great mastery of the instrument inspired me.
In 1966-7 in London,I had my Fuzz Face and my Italian made Cry baby,this started me into electronics,which I found through music.I strated as a wireman/solderer.Gary was always trying the latest equipment,I copied his string guages,type of strings,ect and always read guitar magazines,being interested in the electronics technical side,and Gary lead me to using DiMarzio cliplock straps,which I stll use to this day.
Of course I was heavily into Marshalls since my first years in London,buying my first Super Lead stack at J&T Marshalls Hanwell shop,taking the train and the bus,there and taking a cab back when I bought my first stack.
I had worked summers on the US Airforce bases between school years to save for my Marshalls.
I had a tobacco tin with the pound notes in it,I bought a stack that had belonged to the Bee Gees touring guitarist,who had traded his equipment for a red Marshall set up.
I had a 1967 late Plexi Super Lead and a 1982A 30H salt and pepper,we always called it basketweave anyway!.I had a rare tall straight cab,with salt and pepper grillcloth and metal handles and G12M 25's in it.The mixture of the tall 25's and the angled 30's made a beautiful sound.
I am rambling on here,but I was sort of burned out on gary Moore after his successful blues period and only in around 2000 did I first listen to Yngwie,although I had bought Marching Out as an LP,cause it had cool Marshall's on the cover with a wicked looking Strat.But it was to widdly and busy sounding

for my pentatonic based ears at the time!!
But Yngwie is a big hero of mine,I met him in 2005,shook his hand,saw him again outside the gig that afternoon,llistening to the souncheck.I shook his hand and it was magical,I was so excited and I got his autograph.
My last racing F1 hero was Gilles Villenueve,who was killed in 1982,while i lived in London,so after Hendrix,Bolin all my hero drivers,death was following close at hand,as Gary Moore says.
After going to nursing school and graduating in 1996,I moved to Arizona afte a broken engagement,during which I had to sell my Marshalls that I had bought from Music Ground,as I had flown to England searching for a Super Lead in the eighties and found by default my amazing 1967 JTM Super Bass,which was so clean and an amazing 1966 JTM 45,that I hand carried on the plane back to Philadelphia.
So when I bought my HW stack hoping to relive my past tonal glories,the problems I had with the heads,led me here to Metro,my home away from home.
George helped me so much and things became better,I only have had my first computer for two years and was immediately wowed by meeting musicians all over the world electronically.I do enjoy writing about music as much as playing it sometimes,so I like to follow all the guitar/amp news and of course I am on a Gary Moore and Yngwie official forums as well.
So heroes are a great inspiration,they are all human like us,but inspiration leads to creation for me and Yngwie has inspired me,as perhaps no other living guitarist as he seems from another era,where he made the fast shredding/neo-classical guitar playing live and breath,it burns with a passionate fury for me.I do love Steve Vai's DLR era as well.
Everybody will have their own lists,but as time moves on,you develop newer heroes,not forgetting the previous ones though

yngwie308

toner · Post by **toner** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 3:10 am

I never was a fan of the Nirvana/Seattle "grunge" stuff but...

In their defense, I believe they got so popular because they showed so little respect for previous music. You have to consider the target audience: angry teens who were sick of the music their parents listened to (sound familiar?).

In retrospect, were they really so different than The Beatles, Kiss, punk or any other band/style that came out with something new? (I can't believe I just mentioned The Beatles and Kiss in the same sentence! Sorry

)

Anyway, we all have our favorites and influences and that's great. I may not like yours and you may not like mine. So what?

zaphod777 · Post by **zaphod777** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 11:06 am

By 1990 I was burned out by it too, but I think that is because it was so overdone in one decade. It was great while I was into it though. These days I can handle about three or four songs of total full-on shredding before I have to put in Beck (Jeff, that is).

Everybody will have their own lists,but as time moves on,you develop newer heroes,not forgetting the previous ones though

Anyway, we all have our favorites and influences and that's great. I may not like yours and you may not like mine. So what?

I couldnt agree more

Leader · Post by **Leader** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 11:39 am

That list is funny. lol
What about Hendrix, SRV, Slash, Gilmour, Young, R. Johnson, Page just to name a few.

The list should be renamed "Best hair from the 80's".

mightymike · Post by **mightymike** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 7:34 pm

I like something from almost every style. I loved the way the lead evolved 80's, but what happened in the 80's was that it became too much of a speed contest wank fest. People focused so much on lead that they forgot everything else. Things that got lost were tone,song writing, and great rhythm. Even people who formally had great tone go lost in the endless processor sound. So as much as I missed the leads during the Grunge era, I understood what brought it about. Those Nirvana and Pearl Jam songs didn't have the most technical leads, but had a rawness to the tone, that got lost in the 80s Hair band era. It got people to start thinking of a more organic tone, and a rhythm that was more than just background for a lead. A rhythm that could be a song by itself.

EVH is a great rhythm player, and had great tone, before he went all processed out, but a lot of those old 80s songs really had some cheesy rhythms, and buzzy tone. EVH was more the exception to the rule.

I think that's why SRV was such a hit.

To me a complete player plays dynamic rhythm and lead tone, and blends them together seamlessly. SRV, HENDRIX, and Van Halen really stand out if this is the criterion.

chad · Post by **chad** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 9:33 pm

mightymike wrote: To me a complete player plays dynamic rhythm and lead tone, and blends them together seamlessly. SRV, HENDRIX, and Van Halen really stand out if this is the criterion.

I agree 100% !!! Chad

jbzoso2002 · Post by **jbzoso2002** » Sun Jul 08, 2007 6:21 pm

jimi hendrix
evh
jimmy page
page is my personal fave but evh is why i picked up a
guitar in the first place, and the best i have ever seen live.
but its alot of opinion more than anything else.

jimmy

tonejones · Post by **tonejones** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 2:26 am

On the subject of Guitar Center....a little gem from YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDF_8-21SUQ

Tone Slinger · Post by **Tone Slinger** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 9:09 am

Well, hopefully, we all go through stages of likeing certain people/styles, that can change as quickly as we pick up a Les Paul after playing Strats for long periods of time. I often go between what I call "Musical vs. Technical" phases. Like, I'll see Michael Angelo Batio and think "Man, I gotta practice my scales and picking", without ever thinking about the MUSIC that he's playing (If thats what you wanna call it). Then, I'll play some Hendrix (oddly enough, Carlgtr's version of 1983 in his soundclicks titled Electric Ladyland, I think) and not think technique at all, cause its so sonically enjoyable. I like what Robert Fripp said, which was, "The fault is generally to look at Jimi Hendrix as a guitarist. His function had little to do with the guitar. His technique was inefficient and, as an example, misled many young guitarists. The point for a young guitar player is how to try to tap the spirit of music, which Hendrix undoubtedly did, not ape his playing. It is very easy to be misled by forms, and inevitably a lot of young players are ".

NY Chief · Post by **NY Chief** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 10:06 am

Tone Slinger wrote:Well, hopefully, we all go through stages of likeing certain people/styles, that can change as quickly as we pick up a Les Paul after playing Strats for long periods of time. I often go between what I call "Musical vs. Technical" phases. Like, I'll see Michael Angelo Batio and think "Man, I gotta practice my scales and picking", without ever thinking about the MUSIC that he's playing (If thats what you wanna call it). Then, I'll play some Hendrix (oddly enough, Carlgtr's version of 1983 in his soundclicks titled Electric Ladyland, I think) and not think technique at all, cause its so sonically enjoyable. I like what Robert Fripp said, which was, "The fault is generally to look at Jimi Hendrix as a guitarist. His function had little to do with the guitar. His technique was inefficient and, as an example, misled many young guitarists. The point for a young guitar player is how to try to tap the spirit of music, which Hendrix undubtedly did, not ape his playing. It is very easy to be misled by forms, and inevitably a lot of young players are ".

As good and innovative as Fripp is I daresay anyone would argue that Hendrix is a much bigger influence exactly because Jimi wasn't a very "efficient techinician". Sorry, I'll still listen to a guy that can get more emotion out of a single note or bend that anybody that play a billion notes a second and be "technically profficeint". Jimi was way more in touch with the "common" folk than Fripp will ever be.

Tone Slinger · Post by **Tone Slinger** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 10:25 am

Oh, I agree, I just found it odd that Fripp would have that sort of insight and respect for a guitarist (Hendrix) who was so different stylistically from his own. Whenever I hear all the "Technique Snobs" putting down Hendrix, I always think of Fripps analogy and smile

.

toner · Post by **toner** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 5:39 pm

NY Chief wrote:As good and innovative as Fripp is I daresay anyone would argue that Hendrix is a much bigger influence exactly because Jimi wasn't a very "efficient techinician". Sorry, I'll still listen to a guy that can get more emotion out of a single note or bend that anybody that play a billion notes a second and be "technically profficeint". Jimi was way more in touch with the "common" folk than Fripp will ever be.

I think you are actually agreeing with Fripp's comments about Hendrix more than you may have thought at first glance. ?

As Tone Slinger said (quite eloquently, IMO), a lot depends on what you are influenced by at the moment. Even more so, *how* you are influenced (as a guitarist or as a human being) plays a big part. Unfortunately, they can be two different things a lot of the time. We all struggle with that at times, I think.

NY Chief · Post by **NY Chief** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 7:28 pm

No, I think this part of Fripp's statement is arrogant bullshit...

"The fault is generally to look at Jimi Hendrix as a guitarist. His function had little to do with the guitar. His technique was inefficient and, as an example, misled many young guitarists."

There is no fault in looking at Hendrix as a guitarist. Hell, he blazed a whole new trail. His function had everything to do with the guitar. And, the GENERATIONS of young guitarists he influenced are doing quite OK. Is Fripp looking down on Hendrix' roots because he came from the "less technical" more heart felt styles of blues and R&B?

fillmore nyc · Post by **fillmore nyc** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 8:52 pm

Right on, chief... Fripps comment "The fault is generally to look at Jimi Hendrix as a guitarist. His function had little to do with the guitar. His technique was inefficient and, as an example, misled many young guitarists." Well, what the f**k are people SUPPOSED to look at Hendrix as, the f**king postman???? The fault would be to look at FRIPP as a guitarist, cause he's a pin-head that managed to get peoples attention by picking up a guitar and intellectualizing it to the point of making you wanna puke. "Inefficient technique" my ass--all his "efficient technique" aint qualified to shine Jimi's (or about 100 other guitarists) boots.