The best Rock Guitarist

Lenny the Guitarist · April-19th-2003, 06:27 PM

ClaptonPageBeckSantanaBuchananHendrixEricJohnson

What's up in Jazzcorner?

HenryMc · April-19th-2003, 07:14 PM

clapton ..puts out one good album in every three

page...shouldda stayed in the studio rather than actually talk to anyone

beck.....twenty minutes of tasteful playing in the 70's doesn't make up for all the bombast that we've endured

carlos....just a richie valens for the 60's (and I guesss the 90's) man

buchanan ...musta been sad in the shadows

hendrix....take away the effects and you got a guy who mighta got a gig with ...oh I don't know..say the Isley Brothers

eric johnson...the blues has a lot to answer for

really just kidding- all great musicians

whaddabout

cliff gallup

hank marvin

danny gatton

April-19th-2003, 07:23 PM

that guy from Big Lazy, (Stephen Ulrich, something like that).

Cem · April-19th-2003, 07:30 PM

few personal faves: David Lindley, Frank Zappa, Jerry Garcia, Richard Thompson

you may wanna check out Nels Cline's site http://www.nelscline.com

great site and on the lists page you'll find 200 of his favourite guitarists http://www.nelscline.com/top200.html

Captain Hate · April-19th-2003, 07:38 PM

Tom Verlaine, baby!!!

willy · April-19th-2003, 07:38 PM

If I had to pick just one it would be Jeff Beck. Santana is a close second.

willy · April-19th-2003, 07:43 PM

This reminds me of the time Conan had a thread going at JCS asking who was the better "jazz" guitarist. Jimmy Hendrix or Carlos Santana. Conan's a big Santana fan and hated Hendrix (if I remember correctly).

I don't consider either one a jazz guitarist, since neither is known for his jazz playing. For some reason Conan must have thought that if music had any sort of improvisation going on at all that it should be considered jazz.

BFrank · April-19th-2003, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by achilles
that guy from Big Lazy, (Stephen Ulrich, something like that).

Cool! A plug for "Big Lazy". I thought I was the only one who ever heard of them.

Continuing in the surf/instro vein:
Dave Arnson "Insect Surfers"
Miles Corbin "Aqua Velvets"
Jim Thomas "The Mermen"

I would agree with most of the others mentioned, too. Bottom line, though - Jimi is the MAN.

Tanager · April-19th-2003, 09:53 PM

Personally, I like Beck in the top spot. I never thought Carlos was that great a *guitarist* so much as a *bandleader*, especially in the early days. Don't get me wrong, he could play, but when they shifted the band's focus (circa Caravanserai and Borboletta) to make his guitar playing the real focus, instead of the great ensemble grooves that marked the first three albums, Santana's output went downhill in quality for my $$$, and it did so precipitously. When Carlos attempted to play "fusion," the results were laughable, b/c he just didn't have the chops IMHO. I love him as long as he sticks with the whole Latin-soul-groove-rock thing.

Beck can and has played just about every style imaginable, and I think he does it all well. Page I can take or leave, especially when he starts his blues-noodling thing. Clapton hasn't made anything that's interested me since the mid-70s, and I never thought he was that great (or varied) a guitarist in the first place.

Someone mentioned Roy Buchanan - a vastly underrated and underrecognized player, IMHO. Jeff Beck loved his playing, too. When a Guitar Plays the Blues on Alligator is well worth picking up, if you haven't heard his stuff before. The material isn't that great, but he's got tons of chops and inventiveness.

moneyp · April-19th-2003, 11:06 PM

Isn't this like the eighth time we've had this thread?

Tanager · April-19th-2003, 11:08 PM

First time this month, though.

Gary Sisco · April-20th-2003, 09:40 AM

Richard Thompson

Mingus · April-20th-2003, 10:00 AM

Brinsley Schwartz!

Dr Dave · April-20th-2003, 03:06 PM

Not again! Chuck Berry and Link Wray invented rock guitar. Everyone else is just elaborating on their ideas.

Tanager · April-20th-2003, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dr Dave
Not again! Chuck Berry and Link Wray invented rock guitar. Everyone else is just elaborating on their ideas.

Except for those elaborating on John Lee Hooker (Billy Gibbons and his ilk).

Seriously, so what if the above-cited folks didn't "invent" rock guitar to your satisfaction? By that criterion, we'd have stopped with Robert Johnson. I dare say that Hendrix did a little more than "elaborate" on their ideas, but maybe that's just me.

April-20th-2003, 06:31 PM

Andy Gill
Joe Strummer
Michael Rother
Ron Asheton
Mark Mothersbaugh/Bob Casale

Fuck virtuosity. It's whether you've got something to *say* with your guitar that counts.

Tanager · April-20th-2003, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Alex
Andy Gill
Joe Strummer
Michael Rother
Ron Asheton
Mark Mothersbaugh/Bob Casale

Fuck virtuosity. It's whether you've got something to *say* with your guitar that counts.

I agree to the extent that I dismiss the bach-and-roller speed crowd (Malmstein and his ilk), but I don't think that virtuosity in the service of good music is to be dismissed, either - I love the Clash as much as the next guy, but I'm not sure that Strummer ever really "said" anything with his guitar, per se. Again, by this test, then surely every angry kid who cranked power chords to piss off his elders "said" enough to be considered. Maybe that's the right approach, maybe not, but it doesn't really work for me - I like some skill (okay, maybe lots of skill) to go with the message.

Dr Dave · April-20th-2003, 10:34 PM

Tanager, c'mon! Billy Gibbons is a blues guitarist who plays loud. Of course he comes out of John Lee Hooker. Who before Chuck played rock'n'roll guitar? Who before Link played with distortion? How does my citation of these two connect to Robert Johnson? It isn't as though my choices are eccentric. Hell, Clapton himself says Chuck invented it.

April-20th-2003, 11:25 PM

Hmmmmm, I don't know who they were, but my buddy had an old comp from some old Blues label(Alligator or something like that?)and it had all these guys from 40's, and 50's and they had all kinds of nasty distortion in their playing. Must of been those cheap little amp's they had.

But back to the question at hand: Zappa. Period. No others even come close in my book.

Tanager · April-21st-2003, 06:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dr Dave
Tanager, c'mon! Billy Gibbons is a blues guitarist who plays loud. Of course he comes out of John Lee Hooker. Who before Chuck played rock'n'roll guitar? Who before Link played with distortion? How does my citation of these two connect to Robert Johnson? It isn't as though my choices are eccentric. Hell, Clapton himself says Chuck invented it.

Maybe I misunderstood - it seemed to me that you were dismissing those who came after Chuck/Link because...they came after them, as if that made their claims to "greatest ever" meritricious. Did I misunderstand your point completely?

Besides that, I was needlessly cranky because my vacation is over.

Tanager · April-21st-2003, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Scott Dolan
But back to the question at hand: Zappa. Period. No others even come close in my book.

I like Zappa, but for me he's another of those "the band sounds great, but when he solos he sounds like he's noodling to me" guitarists. I won't argue with his genius, I just find his solos a little...repetitive at times?

April-21st-2003, 10:14 AM

Tanager,

Virtuosity in the service of artistry is indeed no vice. Song structure is what counts for me.

's why I named Andy Gill. Not just for the trebly, reverb-saturated rhythm playing. My favorite Gang of Four guitar solos are the ones that subvert expectations. Like playing one menacing chord over and over in a solo to build tension, or just muting the strings and not playing at all. It just works.

We agree to disagree in our assessment of Joe Strummer.

I just can't abide by Zappa and some of the other stuff on this list. Fodder for guitar-magazine reading geeks.

Agree with the Doc on Chuck Berry. Dunno who the other guy is he named.

Clay Fink · April-21st-2003, 10:19 AM

Nigel Tufnel!

Tanager · April-21st-2003, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Alex
We agree to disagree in our assessment of Joe Strummer.

I just can't abide by Zappa and some of the other stuff on this list. Fodder for guitar-magazine reading geeks.

I can buy into a truce on Strummer.

I like Zappa lots as a musician/writer/bandleader...he's like Santana for me, keep the solos short and sweet, don't try and go off on extended flights, b/c it loses me entirely.

I would contend that Andy Summers is a versatile and interesting player who incorporated a lot of influences, did so tastefully, and never really got the notice he deserved. I hear he's now making some decent jazz recordings...?

john williams · April-21st-2003, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Tanager
I like Zappa, but for me he's another of those "the band sounds great, but when he solos he sounds like he's noodling to me" guitarists. I won't argue with his genius, I just find his solos a little...repetitive at times?

Sorry, I am with Scott - Zappa is it. I think Zappa's solos are the least repetitive of any rock guitarist. In fact they have a cohesiveness distinctly lacking in most rock guitar soloing. Moreover, his 'style'evolved unlike most who seem to get stuck in a big rut and sound the same for years. Eric Clapton is one who is definitely in this category - what a fucking bore he is.

Steve Vai said of Zappa that most other rock guitarists get to the point in a long solo where they are simply flailing. I am not a fan of Vai's "freeze dried'' sound as FZ liked to call it but I respect his view on this point.

Tanager · April-21st-2003, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by JBW
Moreover, his 'style'evolved unlike most who seem to get stuck in a big rut and sound the same for years. Eric Clapton is one who is definitely in this category - what a fucking bore he is.

I'll agree with you 100% on Clapton. Like I said, the last album he put out that I gave a damn about was 461 OB.

Vai and Satriani and their ilk are only slightly more interesting than the speed-bach players to me, which is to say, hardly at all. I tried to listen to Satriani once, what a bunch of self-indulgent crap.

Alex, what do you think of Steve Morse, especially with the Dixie Dregs? I like their stuff lots, but I'd be curious to hear your take...

April-21st-2003, 10:52 AM

Zappa was great, so were all the guitarists who worked in Beefheart's Magic band, especially Zoot Horn Rollo.

Joe Strummer, a hero of mine, was neither technically superb or very expressive as a guitarist--a great songwriter, and truly expressive singer.
Keith Richards was a much better riff-maker than Joe.

Stephen Malkmus is a current guy who should be mentioned, as well as Doug Martsch from Built to Spill--everytime I've gone to see shows with Pavement or Malkmus or BTS, there are always a lot of guitar heads standing close to the stage taking it in in their weird guitar worship way....

Tanager · April-21st-2003, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by achilles
Keith Richards was a much better riff-maker than Joe.

And I'd put Mick Taylor yet ahead of Keith, although he's a very different player.

Chris D · April-21st-2003, 11:00 AM

And Mick Jones was the real guitar player in the Clash.

Root Doctor · April-21st-2003, 11:09 AM

Hardly definitive, but here are a few off the top of my head:

Scotty Moore
James Burton
Cliff Gallup
Robbie Robertson
Chuck Berry
Bo Diddley
Steve Cropper
Keith Richards
Eddie Cochran
Paul Burlison
Big Al Anderson
Lowman Pauling
Link Wray
Cal Green
Pop Staples
Dave Edmunds
Brinsley Schwarz
Jimmy Vaughan