Top 3 Guitarists.

[LDS714]

Sorry, but Les Claypool ought to be a drummer. Definitely not much of a bassist. Basically plays ....os on the bass. I've caught him at a few festivals, and quite frankly he sucked.

If you're looking for maximum skill and innovation on the instrument take a listen to Victor Wooten and Keith Horne. Those two are absolutely incredible. I've seen Keith play everything from country to blues to fusion, all with incredible musicianship. My old band used to open for the Wooten Brothers, and you never knew what was going to come out during one of their sets but you could always bet that Victor would do something amazing, and his work with Bela Fleck is nothing short of outstanding.

ETA - very aggressive filters on this board. The third sentence references a type of hand drum that starts with bon- and ends with -gos.

 

[djsvapour]

Can you not say ....os?

 

[djsvapour]

Oh... it's because of the word beginning with "B" ....



That's quite funny really.

 

[LDS714]

Can you not say ....os?

Nope, it truncates it to the phrase I say every time Les Claypool started one of his solos. "Oh Shoot. Here he goes again."

 

[DaveP]

Most any guitarist who's made the big time is worth mentioning. All who have been named here fall into that class. I'm sure everyone knows a younger guitar player who should be on the big stage. Lots of them try, but few get the contract.


I've read several books on Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers. Skynyrd used to practice in an empty house for 8 hours a day. I think some of them lived there at times for short periods. There was no air conditioning and when there was a hot headed disagreement the writer says that they would go outside and settle it and then make up and come back in and practice some more.

 

[Tom Servo]

The underlying question is a bit tricky. Do we measure a guitarist's merits on technical ability? If so, lots of boring scale-twiddlers like Malmsteen make the grade.

Do we judge them on their ability to wring emotion from the instrument? That includes guys who don't make the grade on technique. Many great blues players can't even read music.

How about the ones who don't fit either definition, but still come up with neat stuff to entertain lots of people? We'd be including people many other guitarists look down on.

So, I suppose it comes down to personal preference. For me, it's Hendrix, but not for the reasons most people think. For me, his true genius is in the man's rhythm playing. Vaughan is one of the few guitarists I actually listen to, note for note. He's also the only person I consider qualified on every level to cover Hendrix. Alex Lifeson and Pat Metheny might not be so obvious, but their genius is very subtle.

Then there are the "I don't know how they do that but they blow my mind" guys like Kevin Shields, Robert Fripp, Mark Ribot, and Ty Tabor.

 

[jameskennedy]

Randy Rhodes , Eddie Van Halen , Joe Satriani

 

[LDS714]

For me, it's Hendrix, but not for the reasons most people think. For me, his true genius is in the man's rhythm playing. Vaughan is one of the few guitarists I actually listen to, note for note. He's also the only person I consider qualified on every level to cover Hendrix.

Most Hendrix covers (and ZZTop covers as well) make me want to cover my ears and throw stuff at whoever's doing them for that very reason. They'll bash out some half-assed barre chords then do insipid copies of the solos. SRV's cover of Little Wing, OTOH was inspired.

 

[Tom Servo]

SRV's cover of Little Wing, OTOH was inspired.

I think Hendrix would have been floored by that cover. Others have not been so successful.

(I apologize in advance for the content at that link. I may have crossed a line with that.)

 

[Mowgli]

Angus Young was the most entertaining guitarist I've seen in concert.
AC/DC will never give Beethoven a run for the money but they put on a killer show with great hard rock.

 

[zoiDman]

...

Then there are the "I don't know how they do that but they blow my mind" guys like Kevin Shields, Robert Fripp, Mark Ribot, and Ty Tabor.

Robert Fripp

Now there is someone I had kinda Forget about.

 

[DaveP]

The underlying question is a bit tricky. Do we measure a guitarist's merits on technical ability? If so, lots of boring scale-twiddlers like Malmsteen make the grade.

Do we judge them on their ability to wring emotion from the instrument? That includes guys who don't make the grade on technique. Many great blues players can't even read music.

How about the ones who don't fit either definition, but still come up with neat stuff to entertain lots of people? We'd be including people many other guitarists look down on.

So, I suppose it comes down to personal preference. For me, it's Hendrix, but not for the reasons most people think. For me, his true genius is in the man's rhythm playing. Vaughan is one of the few guitarists I actually listen to, note for note. He's also the only person I consider qualified on every level to cover Hendrix. Alex Lifeson and Pat Metheny might not be so obvious, but their genius is very subtle.

Then there are the "I don't know how they do that but they blow my mind" guys like Kevin Shields, Robert Fripp, Mark Ribot, and Ty Tabor.

I'm with you there. Technical solos are interesting to listen to for about a minute at a time, but I want to hear the soulful expression more than I want 32nd and 64th notes.

I can play short riffs of 32nd notes with pulloffs and hammers, but I'm always headed into a bend, a pull, and a vibrato lick somewhere along the line to make it count. SRV did that with style, as did many other players with fast fingers.

I watched a "Flight of the Bumblebee" competition one day on a Guitar World tapper shootout. All the big names were there as well as some wannabees. The technical part was interesting, but I left with nothing I wanted to duplicate.

 

[Turbo Slaab]

An entire guitar thread and no mention of Buckethead?

 

[DaveP]

An entire guitar thread and no mention of Buckethead?

And a good thing! I actually like melodic tappers who do it like EVH. I've tried tapping over the years, but I'm not going to lower my strings just for that. It doesn't work well at all with standard string clearances.

 

[zoiDman]

The underlying question is a bit tricky. Do we measure a guitarist's merits on technical ability? If so, lots of boring scale-twiddlers like Malmsteen make the grade.

Do we judge them on their ability to wring emotion from the instrument? That includes guys who don't make the grade on technique. Many great blues players can't even read music.

...

I'm with you there. Technical solos are interesting to listen to for about a minute at a time, but I want to hear the soulful expression more than I want 32nd and 64th notes.

I can play short riffs of 32nd notes with pulloffs and hammers, but I'm always headed into a bend, a pull, and a vibrato lick somewhere along the line to make it count. SRV did that with style, as did many other players with fast fingers.

...

Maybe a Little Off Topic? Or maybe this is Right on the Money?

But Something I consider when thinking about a Musician is... "Can they Do It Live?".

I've seen a Lot of Shows. A Lot. And some of the people I really Enjoyed listening to on my stereo, just Didn't cut it when the Lights were On.

So then I sit back and Wonder? Yeah... That Guitar Solo was Wicked, but how many Times did they have to do it to Get what was on the Vinyl? Let alone, can it be done Outside of a Studio with All the Members of a Band standing on the Same Stage?

Maybe being able to do Something Live is a Different/Higher Standard than being able to Make a Something in the Studio?

 

[LDS714]

Maybe being able to do Something Live is a Different/Higher Standard than being able to Make a Something in the Studio?

Live is definitely my yardstick. Making recordings and playing live can be two different art forms.

I've made some people sound good in the studio who absolutely suck live.

But on the other hand, I've recorded some guitarists who can nail complex harmonized leads in one take per harmony, definitely something impossible to do strictly live.

 

[zoiDman]

Live is definitely my yardstick. Making recordings and playing live can be two different art forms.

...

Yeah... I think that was what I was Trying to say. Two Different Art Forms. Each to be Judged separately.

 

[nanusic]

The Top 3?

That's Kinda hard to say because Music spans such a Wide range of Genres. And Technical Expertise is Many times Trumped by whatever I'm into at the current moment.

Yeah... People like,

SRV
Hendrix
Clapton

They are the Usual Suspects. But here is someone that might not have been as Popular, but I think deserves to be Very High on any list of Guitarists.

And that would be Joe Satriani.

And here is Someone that I just Really Like to Listen to, and that is Larry Carlton.

I was gonna mention Larry C yesterday...along with soooo many other's. Lee Ritenour, Michael Hedges, AndyMcKee, Stanley Jordan.....

 

[MamaTried]

Most Hendrix covers (and ZZTop covers as well) make me want to cover my ears and throw stuff at whoever's doing them for that very reason. They'll bash out some half-assed barre chords then do insipid copies of the solos. SRV's cover of Little Wing, OTOH was inspired.

+1
........

 

[zoiDman]

I was gonna mention Larry C yesterday...along with soooo many other's. Lee Ritenour, Michael Hedges, AndyMcKee, Stanley Jordan.....

I saw Larry Carlton play with Joe Sample once at the Hollywood Bowl. I was Completely Blown away.

I think what Hit me so Hard was How Effortless they Both Played. And how Much they Both were Truly Enjoying it.

Sometimes you see people play and they Look Tired from the Road. Or from Playing the Same Song 1,000 Times before. They Both Looked like they were having More Fun Playing the Bowl then we were Watching them.