Whos The Greatest Guitarist?

brianlux

OffSheGoes35 said:

brianlux said:

I have to ask:

Was Andrés Segovia the greatest classical guitarist or did he just have more name recognition than, say, Christopher Parkening?  

That's a damn good question. Segovia had sausage fingers, it's kind of hard to believe he would be hailed as the greatest, but he had so much confidence with that guitar in his hands. Same thing with Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli on the piano, I know he isn't considered the greatest pianist, but I LOVE watching his live performances on YouTube. He plays as if he believes he's the greatest! 

Michelangeli -- oh man, yeah!  Great pianist!

brianlux

ed243421 said:

When you take everything into consideration, there is only one answer.

Pete Townshend.

No one has EVER topped the original windmill, that's for sure!  Also the first guitarist to successfully launch a guitar out of Atwood Stadium.

ed243421

brianlux

Larry Coryell.  Certainly one of the most inventive and brilliant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6q_VTmJLMQ

Spiritual_Chaos

Isn't James Hetfield famous for him only downpicking?

brianlux

Spiritual_Chaos said:

Isn't James Hetfield famous for him only downpicking?

"Extremely fast eighth-note downstroke picking was used in the mid 70's and beyond by famous punk guitarist Johnny Ramone,  who used the technique to play full live shows at fast tempos (usually around 180 to 200 bpm). This required extreme levels of stamina, but produced a very high-energy, aggressive sound. This extremely demanding, then-uncommon and somewhat innovative style contributed to Johnny Ramone's reputation as a legendary guitar player, and it influenced many now-famous rock guitarists."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downpicking

tempo_n_groove

I would think that Ledbelly and Robert Johnson would have to be in the conversation.

Jimi Hendrix, Van Halen and SRV are also innovators that could be in there.

Buckethead is the most technical guitar player I have ever seen.

Morello is a modern innovator as is JW, hell even DR. Know from Bad Brains was.

Dick Dale was another legend that started a genre.

Bill Haley played faster than anyone during his time?

Chuck Berry was always regarded as a great.

Then there is Bo Diddley and the King's in BB, Albert and Freddie.

I'd even throw Charro in the mix.  Yes, the Spanish actress Charro can play some mean damn guitar.

ed243421

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/04/how-the-marshall-amp-changed-rock-and-the-meaning-of-loud/255705/

ed243421

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k8fsAe-htOw

brianlux

tempo_n_groove said:

I would think that Ledbelly and Robert Johnson would have to be in the conversation.

Jimi Hendrix, Van Halen and SRV are also innovators that could be in there.

Buckethead is the most technical guitar player I have ever seen.

Morello is a modern innovator as is JW, hell even DR. Know from Bad Brains was.

Dick Dale was another legend that started a genre.

Bill Haley played faster than anyone during his time?

Chuck Berry was always regarded as a great.

Then there is Bo Diddley and the King's in BB, Albert and Freddie.

I'd even throw Charro in the mix.  Yes, the Spanish actress Charro can play some mean damn guitar.

Good choices, all.  I would add to that list of innovators Charlie Christian as a musician who helped develop bebop and cool jazz and was one of the first guitarists to be spotlighted as a soloist in big band jazz, and Larry Coryell as one of the founders of jazz/rock fusion.

Spiritual_Chaos

brianlux said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

Isn't James Hetfield famous for him only downpicking?

"Extremely fast eighth-note downstroke picking was used in the mid 70's and beyond by famous punk guitarist Johnny Ramone,  who used the technique to play full live shows at fast tempos (usually around 180 to 200 bpm). This required extreme levels of stamina, but produced a very high-energy, aggressive sound. This extremely demanding, then-uncommon and somewhat innovative style contributed to Johnny Ramone's reputation as a legendary guitar player, and it influenced many now-famous rock guitarists."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downpicking

https://youtu.be/WPps1iighjs

tempo_n_groove

brianlux said:

tempo_n_groove said:

I would think that Ledbelly and Robert Johnson would have to be in the conversation.

Jimi Hendrix, Van Halen and SRV are also innovators that could be in there.

Buckethead is the most technical guitar player I have ever seen.

Morello is a modern innovator as is JW, hell even DR. Know from Bad Brains was.

Dick Dale was another legend that started a genre.

Bill Haley played faster than anyone during his time?

Chuck Berry was always regarded as a great.

Then there is Bo Diddley and the King's in BB, Albert and Freddie.

I'd even throw Charro in the mix.  Yes, the Spanish actress Charro can play some mean damn guitar.

Good choices, all.  I would add to that list of innovators Charlie Christian as a musician who helped develop bebop and cool jazz and was one of the first guitarists to be spotlighted as a soloist in big band jazz, and Larry Coryell as one of the founders of jazz/rock fusion.

Nice one.

I didn't include any of the late 60's early 70's guitarists because they were all known to have "borrowed" from most of the earlier guitarists that I mentioned.

Spiritual_Chaos

Ace Frehley looks funny playing. If that counts for something. It's like he never learned proper technique and it feels like it can go off the rails at any time. He also looks at his neck/chords a lot, but I guess that is more a "tick". But he is obviously a legend.

tempo_n_groove

Spiritual_Chaos said:

Ace Frehley looks funny playing. If that counts for something. It's like he never learned proper technique and it feels like it can go off the rails at any time. He also looks at his neck/chords a lot, but I guess that is more a "tick". But he is obviously a legend.

Watch Janick Gers from Iron Maiden.  He is entertaining.

rgambs

I have to go against the Jimi love and claim Jimmy (Page, obviously) superior.
There is no comparison to be made between the two when it comes to variety, and Jimi wasn't NEARLY as original as he is usually considered to be.  He didn't reinvent or change the blues at all, he openly admitted to borrowing a major portion of both playing style and stage presence from the great Buddy Guy.
Not hating on him, but I do think that he gets a bias due to his untimely end.

Page maybe never established himself as the greatest of virtuosos (among a very crowded field...Blackmore, Clapton, Beck, Hendrix, etc) but he did establish himself as virtuoso and he had a range that none of them can touch.
Neither Clapton nor Hendrix can boast of a body of work that encompasses a range like that which separates The Rain Song from Rock n Roll.

brianlux

rgambs said:

I have to go against the Jimi love and claim Jimmy (Page, obviously) superior.
There is no comparison to be made between the two when it comes to variety, and Jimi wasn't NEARLY as original as he is usually considered to be.  He didn't reinvent or change the blues at all, he openly admitted to borrowing a major portion of both playing style and stage presence from the great Buddy Guy.
Not hating on him, but I do think that he gets a bias due to his untimely end.

Page maybe never established himself as the greatest of virtuosos (among a very crowded field...Blackmore, Clapton, Beck, Hendrix, etc) but he did establish himself as virtuoso and he had a range that none of them can touch.
Neither Clapton nor Hendrix can boast of a body of work that encompasses a range like that which separates The Rain Song from Rock n Roll.

What you've mentioned is an excellent example of why this is an impossible question. 

Hendrix came from an R&B and blues background (and of course he never would have made any claim about reinventing the blues), paid his dues on the "Chitlin Circuit" and melded that base with his new found psychedelia.  And sorry, but I cringe at the mention his greatness having anything to do with his untimely demise.  There are those who believed Hendrix had already reached his pinnacle prior to his death (and I think that is a real possibility), so his death is a moot point.  And anyone who worships Hendrix at all for dying young is musically uneducated.

Page developed his chops as a studio musician playing music based primarily on music that originated in the US- again, blues and R&B.  So in a way, his training was second hand and more derivative than practical.  Nevertheless, he too developed a unique sound- a beautiful and complex sound- more studied and with more technical virtuosity than Hendrix, only without the same kind of intense fiery feel Hendrix had. 

Is one better than the other?  And who gets to make that call?  I would say, better to give them both their due and don't bother trying to place one above the other.  To me they are both guitar gods that stand on the same level, only with different styles.  And I would say the same about Larry Coryell.  He didn't achieve the same status, but mainly because his jazz influences aren't appreciated by people who are mostly into popular music.

tempo_n_groove

rgambs said:

I have to go against the Jimi love and claim Jimmy (Page, obviously) superior.
There is no comparison to be made between the two when it comes to variety, and Jimi wasn't NEARLY as original as he is usually considered to be.  He didn't reinvent or change the blues at all, he openly admitted to borrowing a major portion of both playing style and stage presence from the great Buddy Guy.
Not hating on him, but I do think that he gets a bias due to his untimely end.

Page maybe never established himself as the greatest of virtuosos (among a very crowded field...Blackmore, Clapton, Beck, Hendrix, etc) but he did establish himself as virtuoso and he had a range that none of them can touch.
Neither Clapton nor Hendrix can boast of a body of work that encompasses a range like that which separates The Rain Song from Rock n Roll.

Not the greatest to me but what I think defines a "great guitarist" is having his own style.

If you play anything by Adam Jones you know it's him, Van Halen, Morello, anyone I mentioned.  All the greats have a distinct sound.

To me that is what separates the greats from the good.

brianlux

Sometimes the greatest is what's greatest at the moment-- those times where you're playing a record and you think, "Damn!  Does it get any better than this?"  Like last night when I was listening to some Tom Petty and I thought, "Mike Campbell, man, he's the greatest!"  Well, he may not be, but Campbell surely is one of the best.

hrd2imgn

Not my pick, but Eric Clapton is as good as anyone.  SRV made Hendrix sound better when he covered him...go by sheer impact Jimi.....so many great ones we never even think of
Jeff Beck
Eddie van Halen
Eddie Hazel
Keith Urban 
Brad Paisley
Randy Rhodes
Brian May
David Gilmour
PRINCE

njnancy

Eddie Van Halen's  main influence was Eric Clapton, but Jimmy Page inspired his two handed tapping. He loved the 'reckless abandon' in Page's playing. His own unique mind inspired taking guitars apart and putting them back together so he could get the sound he wanted. What he was doing in the late 70's was completely new and awe inspiring. He didn't care if he fucked up because it was all an experiment with what a guitar was capable of producing. 

He is considered to probably be the fastest strummer and his finger span is ridiculous, probably because of his years of taking piano lessons. But he was born to play, you don't learn how to change how a guitar is played, that is just inside of you. And he has gotten better with age, through all of his problems, he still has it. 

He is a fantastic song writer,he wrote the majority of of the songs that Van Halen performs. 

He also is an awesome rhythm guitarist, since Van Halen only had one guitar player he had to play both roles. That is overlooked when people consider his talent.So he would be playing the shit out of the song as the rhythm player, but then his solo's would be mind blowing. I was lucky enough to see them 9 times in the 70's and 80's and although I love Van Halen, I am always watching Eddie no matter what role he is playing, even his organ playing was first class.

His talent could have been used in a much better way if he had been a solo player or if had played with equally talented guitar players instead of pop metal, but playing in a band with his brother was what he wanted.  

There are many fantastic guitar players - I got to see Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton, Townsend, etc...but no one has grabbed my soul as much as Eddie Van Halen. He uses his guitar as if it is a part of him, or an intimate partner and it is so compelling. He is always finding new ways to make his guitar sing in a unique way and he looks like he isn't even trying. He can also not go crazy and just play some awesome blues. 

There are so many great guitarists, he just happens to be the one who has captured my interest since 1978. 


https://youtu.be/uDOFIttS69I