The Man.

Quoted: www.feistyb.com/stfotos/stevie2.gif The Man.

Definitely. Stevie had incredible emotion to his playing. His tone was unbelievable, IMO - one of the few strat sounds I've coveted ever since I've heard it. Would have been nice to have him around making new music.

For the here and now, though, when it comes to overall range, technique, innovation and musicianship, I'm finding it hard to beat Joe Satriani. The guy can do everything.

So how many of you play , really play guitar? Not trying to steal the thread but I've been playing for about 15 years and there are SO many absolutely mind blowing guitar players that I can't even compare myself to. Everybody mentioned has made quite an impact on music and guitar playing in general but even todays greats , Joe Satriani,Steve Vai,Pete Townsend,Eric Clapton, Steve Ray Vaughn(R.I.P.)on and on and on will say or have said that Jimi Hendricks really blew them away when he came out. The man just had and brought something to the table that enriched guitar players everywhere. He was at the time like the Michal Jordan of guitar. Who do I think is the best? Honestly I really do not believe anyone is the "BEST" . There are many I really like for one reason or another and a few who really stand out for me, but after you play guiatar for awhile , at least for me , you relize it is not a matter of who can do what. Expression,feeling and artistic approach is what makes a good guitar player "Great". On a less spiritual/zen type note one thing I remember is if people (famous or not) can make a living playing guitar, they are a whole lot better than I am. Take care. Coondog

Jeff Beck

Not electric, but I would like to see anyone keep up with Bryan Sutton.  He has contributed as a soloist for Grammy award recordings in Country, Bluegrass, Jazz, Classical and others.  He is an absolute magician on the guitar.

Fripp.  Robert Fripp.

Robin Trower: Bridge of Sighs is one of the best guitar records ever.

How do these posts (yes, there have been many before this one) get to multiple pages without ONE mention of the best, most underappreciated guitarist in all of hevy metal (and a great guy, to boot)?


Donald Roeser a.k.a. Buck Dharma




ETA:  I figured this would elicit a "cowbell" reference, but I didn't expect it to be the very next post.  Quick shootin' there, the!

Quoted: How do these posts (yes, there have been many before this one) get to multiple pages without ONE mention of the best, most underappreciated guitarist in all of hevy metal (and a great guy, to boot)? Donald Roeser a.k.a. Buck Dharma photos.ar15.com/ImageGallery/Attachments/DownloadAttach.asp?iImageUnq=29414

Because all I ever heard was the cowbell.

Quoted: Quoted: Jimmy Hendrix-overrated You can't even spell his fucking name right. And anyone who says Jimi is overrated is a complete douchebag.  The man was a pioneer.  Just ask Stevie Ray Vaughan.

+1

Quoted: So how many of you play , really play guitar? Not trying to steal the thread but I've been playing for about 15 years and there are SO many absolutely mind blowing guitar players that I can't even compare myself to. Everybody mentioned has made quite an impact on music and guitar playing in general but even todays greats , Joe Satriani,Steve Vai,Pete Townsend,Eric Clapton, Steve Ray Vaughn(R.I.P.)on and on and on will say or have said that Jimi Hendricks really blew them away when he came out. The man just had and brought something to the table that enriched guitar players everywhere. He was at the time like the Michal Jordan of guitar. Who do I think is the best? Honestly I really do not believe anyone is the "BEST" . There are many I really like for one reason or another and a few who really stand out for me, but after you play guiatar for awhile , at least for me , you relize it is not a matter of who can do what. Expression,feeling and artistic approach is what makes a good guitar player "Great".

Been playing 18 years, and the above is pretty much right on. It's about personal tastes, not athletics. What you like, you like, and it ends there.

 Satriani is probably my all-time favorite, as his stuff shows real range - from catchy melodicism to experimental that I always find interesting. He's not afraid to light up the fretboard, and when he does, there's actually a point to it. He's got all the melodicism and feel of Knopfler or Gary Moore, the spontanaiety of Van Halen and Hendrix, and of course some of the same roots as Vai. That's a scary combination. He's even done some halfway decent electronic stuff.

Quoted: So how many of you play , really play guitar?

I traded in my trumpet for a guitar in 1984, I was 15 yrs old. I have been playing ever since, at one time professionally.

~ s0ulzer0

WHAT THE!?...  what about Jimmy Page, Alan Collins and Gary Rossington!!?

p.s.  I play too.  my usual setup is my Les Paul Studio on a Peavey Bandit 112.  niiiiice

There are SO many good ones already listed. Dunno if I saw Gary Moore's name mentioned or not. Put him in there.

At this point in my 20+ year career as a paid professional lead guitarist, I have been back into Fender Stratocasters for a couple of years. I started out on them, then went to all the pointy heavy metal guitars (like Ibanez, Jackson, Kramer, etc), and then went to Les Pauls. After that, I ended up with Paul Reed Smiths. Build quality, aesthetics, playability -- all TOP notch. LOVED my PRS's. But alas, here I am again playing on these plain jane hunks of wood and metal called Strats. There is just nothing better to channel the Gods of guitar than this instrument -- just ask Jimi, SRV, Clapton, Knopfler, Gilmore, Yngwie, and some of the other greatest guitarists of all time what brought out their souls. And that's the way I play when I pick up my Strats. So I have no vote for
"the best" or "most overated" guitarist, but I can vote for THE FENDER STRAT as THE ELECTRIC GUITAR. Les Paul put his name on a fine instrument. But Leo Fender was one up on him...

Quoted: Quoted: So how many of you play , really play guitar? Not trying to steal the thread but I've been playing for about 15 years and there are SO many absolutely mind blowing guitar players that I can't even compare myself to. Everybody mentioned has made quite an impact on music and guitar playing in general but even todays greats , Joe Satriani,Steve Vai,Pete Townsend,Eric Clapton, Steve Ray Vaughn(R.I.P.)on and on and on will say or have said that Jimi Hendricks really blew them away when he came out. The man just had and brought something to the table that enriched guitar players everywhere. He was at the time like the Michal Jordan of guitar. Who do I think is the best? Honestly I really do not believe anyone is the "BEST" . There are many I really like for one reason or another and a few who really stand out for me, but after you play guiatar for awhile , at least for me , you relize it is not a matter of who can do what. Expression,feeling and artistic approach is what makes a good guitar player "Great". Been playing 18 years, and the above is pretty much right on. It's about personal tastes, not athletics. What you like, you like, and it ends there.  Satriani is probably my all-time favorite, as his stuff shows real range - from catchy melodicism to experimental that I always find interesting. He's not afraid to light up the fretboard, and when he does, there's actually a point to it. He's got all the melodicism and feel of Knopfler or Gary Moore, the spontanaiety of Van Halen and Hendrix, and of course some of the same roots as Vai. That's a scary combination. He's even done some halfway decent electronic stuff.

Damn, you should write for guitar magazine or something like that man.


I have been "playing" guitar for the last 2 weeks as I just bought one, I have my first lesson today.

Quoted: Quoted: So how many of you play , really play guitar? I traded in my trumpet for a guitar in 1984, I was 15 yrs old. I have been playing ever since, at one time professionally. ~ s0ulzer0

I made exactly the same trade a few years later.

PS Hey, do you have any pod XT recordings to share? I really want one of these things, but would like to hear a little more of what they can do.

Their are only 3,

Fredrik Thordendal - MeshuggaH

"Dimebag" Darrell - Pantera & now damage plan

And of course

James Hetfield - MetallicA

Honurable mention goes out to ,
Björn Gelotte & Jesper Strömblad of In Flames

Yes I do play (poorly) A little guitar.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: So how many of you play , really play guitar? I traded in my trumpet for a guitar in 1984, I was 15 yrs old. I have been playing ever since, at one time professionally. ~ s0ulzer0 I made exactly the same trade a few years later. PS Hey, do you have any pod XT recordings to share? I really want one of these things, but would like to hear a little more of what they can do.

I don't have any recordings with the PODxt yet. I've had it a year now, but haven't done any recording with it yet
other than some testing with it as a USB device in my SONAR 2.2 software.
It has latency real bad via USB and I am saving fora MOTU interface and card.
You can here the XT here: www.line6.com/podxt/listen.html and on musician's friend's website here: www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=guitar/search/detail/base_pid/482197/
(Scroll down to the "Real Audio Bytes")

That's cool you played trumpet too! I also filled in on French Horn at times, but I hated that instrument.

~ s0ulzer0

Quoted: Please allow me to retort: Jimi Hendrix- Most innovative guitarist in the world.  Excellent player (maybe a bit sloppy live) and on of the most musical people ever to pick up a guitar. Carlos Santana- Good player, not great, but good. Knopfler, Harrison, Frey, Felder, and Clapton- Rock SRV- Mastered that one tone.  Not a bad tone, but still just one. Les Paul- A famous guy that Gibson decided would do a good job selling guitars. PS: I am 17, hate nearly all music made in the last 20 years, and think the Les Paul was the best guitar in the world, until they screwed up and put humbuckers in it.  Like Ted McCarty (the guy who, among others, deseigned the Les Paul) once said, "The best pickups in the world are single coils, and the P-90 is the ultimate single coil."

Son, you just made my day.  All hope is not lost.  I would agree whloeheartedly with your entire post, only to add a couple of names from the top of my list.  

Terry Kath- Founding member and original guitar player for chicago.  Once refered to by Jimi Hendrix as a better guitar player than he, I believe at the Troubador in LA.



Jan Akkerman- one of the most innovative improvisational players with a true sense of theme and variation while maintaining absolute groove.  Jan's roots come from jazz, classical, R&B, and Rock'n'Roll.  His ability to use these influences and create a cohesive style without ever having that "retread effect" like SRV did with Albert King and Jimi Hendrix.

Quoted: So how many of you play , really play guitar? Not trying to steal the thread but I've been playing for about 15 years and there are SO many absolutely mind blowing guitar players that I can't even compare myself to. Everybody mentioned has made quite an impact on music and guitar playing in general but even todays greats , Joe Satriani,Steve Vai,Pete Townsend,Eric Clapton, Steve Ray Vaughn(R.I.P.)on and on and on will say or have said that Jimi Hendricks really blew them away when he came out. The man just had and brought something to the table that enriched guitar players everywhere. He was at the time like the Michal Jordan of guitar. Who do I think is the best? Honestly I really do not believe anyone is the "BEST" . There are many I really like for one reason or another and a few who really stand out for me, but after you play guiatar for awhile , at least for me , you relize it is not a matter of who can do what. Expression,feeling and artistic approach is what makes a good guitar player "Great". On a less spiritual/zen type note one thing I remember is if people (famous or not) can make a living playing guitar, they are a whole lot better than I am. Take care. Coondog

Exactly.

I've been playing since I was 13, I'm 31 now.  

Everytime I listen to one of these greats, I realize how much I still suck.

Quoted: Quoted:  Satriani is probably my all-time favorite, as his stuff shows real range - from catchy melodicism to experimental that I always find interesting. He's not afraid to light up the fretboard, and when he does, there's actually a point to it. He's got all the melodicism and feel of Knopfler or Gary Moore, the spontanaiety of Van Halen and Hendrix, and of course some of the same roots as Vai.

Of course, since at one time he was Vai's teacher.

Quoted: www.feistyb.com/stfotos/stevie2.gif The Man.

+1

SRV went from a shy guy off stage to a damn beast on.  Hell, most guitarists would have a hard time playing with those thick ass strings he used to get that  "Texas Blues" sound.  I have the DVD "Live at the El Mocambo", he puts on a guitar clinic in it.  You can see his bass player in Double Trouble looking over at SRV and you can tell the expression in his face like " Stevie is on a farking tear tonight".  Voodoo Chile and Texas Flood are brilliant, the emotion this guy could put into his music is unbelievable.