Favorite and/or most influential guitarists (for you as a player or in general)

[Se ky bengal]

(07-10-2015, 03:59 PM)Bryan Wrote: It took 34 posts before someone mentioned Kirk Hammet. For shame people. For shame. 
Y'know, if someone wanted to be a troll they could remove the g from your post. 

Lol

[XenoMorph]

(07-10-2015, 03:59 PM)Bryan Wrote: It took 34 posts before someone mentioned Kirk Hammet. For shame people. For shame. 
Y'know, if someone wanted to be a troll they could remove the g from your post. 

Yeah sorry i was late to the thread.

[jmccracky]

Most influential guitar players on my playing? Hmmmmmm, so many. I do have a top 2, which is Randy Rhoads and Jimmy Page. I immersed myself in their music so much when I first started playing. Randy Rhoads influenced my lead playing. Page made me love chords of all kind. I am also heavily influenced by his lead playing too. Here are some of my favorite guitar players, ones that influenced me. In no particular order-

Chet Atkins
Angus Young (I can hear one note, and tell it's him)
Dave Mustaine
Jeff Hanneman
John Frusciante and Hillel
Yngwie
Jimmy Nolan (James Brown)
Prince (Jesus, is there any instrument he can't do?)
EVH
Mick Mars (Most don't like him, but I like his style a lot)
Joe Walsh (Love his slow ascending bends)
Frank Zappa (so underrated)
Tony Iommi (riff master!!!)
George Lynch
Warren DeMartini
Jake E Lee (might be my 3rd biggest influence)
Frank Hannon (would have been huge in the 70s, even over his 80s success)
Joe Perry (I think his solo style is very unique)
Johnny Ramone (basic, but sounded so cool)


I can list so much more.

[fredtoast]

(07-10-2015, 12:32 PM)GodFather Wrote: Mike Stern

Saw Mike play live with the Brecker Brothers at this little jazz festival at University of Northern Colorado.

Amazing range.  From smooth jazz to shredding metal.

[fredtoast]

(07-07-2015, 01:26 AM)Wyche Wrote:  a nod to the impeccable Junior Brown from the *real* country music scene.

Here is a guy a lot of people have not heard of, but he is a freak talent.  Plays a double neck guitar with one for playing slide.  He is like a clown cowboy playing hendrixesque solos.  If you just hear him it sound like two guys playing.

Haven't seen him in many years, but he used to come through here every other year or so. I would drive to Chattanooga or Johnson City to catch him if he did not play in Knoxville.

[fredtoast]

Bonnie Raitt doesn't get enough credit for her guitar skills. She can play nasty blues guitar. Especially slide.

Here is a decent tune, but she is overshadowed by another genius many people have not heard of....Roy Rogers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpTOVnd-9gA

[fredtoast]

African blues legend Ali Farka Toure

Live at Segou festival, Mali, February 2005
Featuring Bassekou Kouyate on the ngoni.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSWuzp_0hn4

Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabati

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6ajFEKfaZA

[BengalsRocker]

(07-10-2015, 03:09 PM)jason Wrote: He's (Urban) a pretty good guitarist I just can't get past how shitty and poppy his songs are.  I don't overly like Brad Paisley (or modern country in general), but he is pretty sick on a Telecaster.  When Zac Brown (who I do like) plays live, he will shred.

I left Steve Cropper off of my list on accident...

Yeah Paisley is really good and so is Steve Wariner.  They are pretty genre specific.  That's why I like Urban's playing.  He's a hybrid rock/country player.

The thing amazing about Paisley is how he sings and just throws those licks out like they are nothing.  Effortless.

Like I said before.  Most current rock player's are pretty bland and boring.  You have Avenged Sevenfold and Dragonforce and a slew of Killswitch Engage knock-offs.

The guy from Black Tide is very talented.

Really none of the new players do very much for me.

Joe Bonamassa is talented but he just comes off as an arrogant ass to me.  He's songs are meh.

[BengalsRocker]

(07-10-2015, 12:43 AM)rfaulk34 Wrote: Correct. I just wanted people to post players that were influential to them, whether it be as a player or just a music lover. Figured we'd get a lot of different styles and genres. It's pretty cool because even though you may not be a fan of a particular type of music or band, it's still possible to enjoy listening to someone that 'speak to you' in a musical way. 

(07-10-2015, 04:58 PM)CharvelPlaya Wrote: Most influential guitar players on my playing? Hmmmmmm, so many. I do have a top 2, which is Randy Rhoads and Jimmy Page. I immersed myself in their music so much when I first started playing. Randy Rhoads influenced my lead playing. Page made me love chords of all kind. I am also heavily influenced by his lead playing too. Here are some of my favorite guitar players, ones that influenced me. In no particular order-

Chet Atkins
Angus Young (I can hear one note, and tell it's him)
Dave Mustaine
Jeff Hanneman
John Frusciante and Hillel
Yngwie
Jimmy Nolan (James Brown)
Prince (Jesus, is there any instrument he can't do?)
EVH
Mick Mars (Most don't like him, but I like his style a lot)
Joe Walsh (Love his slow ascending bends)
Frank Zappa (so underrated)
Tony Iommi (riff master!!!)
George Lynch
Warren DeMartini
Jake E Lee (might be my 3rd biggest influence)
Frank Hannon (would have been huge in the 70s, even over his 80s success)
Joe Perry (I think his solo style is very unique)
Johnny Ramone (basic, but sounded so cool)


I can list so much more.

There is one guy's playing I really admire and most hard rock/metal people have never heard if him.

It was Kendall Bechtel of Fifth Angel.

I had a chance to meet up with the singer of FA to talk about putting a project together in the early 90s when I lived in Seattle.

The album Kendall plays on was produced by Terry Brown of Rush fame. 

I thought the mix was done very well and the guitar leads and tones they got were outstanding.

If you listen to it you can hear clearly influences of Lynch/Jake E Lee/Michael Schenker which is and awesome mix.

The vocals are okay but the writing reminds me a lot of Dokken.

Check out this song.

[BengalsRocker]

Another great guitar player that I enjoyed was Akira Takasaki of Japanese metal band Loudness.  That guy was awesome!

[BengalsRocker]

(07-09-2015, 11:55 PM)rfaulk34 Wrote: Yep. Good stuff.

Another couple guys i catch myself watching videos of for hours on end...

Tony MacAlpine

Ah hells yeah... you betta not forget Vinnie Moore if you mention Tony!

[Tiger Teeth]

Frank Hannon shouldn't be left off this list. Great guitarist.

[Bengalholic]

Man, a lot of great talents mentioned in this thread. A couple of people brought up Buckethead (Brian Carroll). I love his work. I'll put on my Bose headphones and just let his music take me to another place.

Another guy I really dig along the same line is Ewan Dobson. The guy is insanely talented, IMO. Here's one of my favorites from him...

[MoneyCityManiac]

Just did a quick browse of the thread, but these are two of my fave guitarists that I didn't see listed:

Brian May from Queen
Alex Lifeson from Rush

[mano de dios]

I think You have to distinguish bewteen 'technical ' and 'musical' greatness.

I cannot say a lot about the former part, but I guess people like Malmsteen, Vai or this Dragonforce weirdo fit in that category though I think their music is mostly hideous (Vai may be the exception).

Musical greatness for me is - besides a decent technique - a personal and/or new sound of guitar playing, which - obviously - is much more a question of taste.

With that said my list goes:

1. Josh Homme (Kyuss/Queens of the Stone Age):
Warmth and brilliance, ass kicking and sexy. GOAT

2. Jack White

3. Tom Morello

and to name a metal guy:

4. Chuck Schuldiner

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(07-10-2015, 03:09 PM)jason Wrote: He's (Urban) a pretty good guitarist I just can't get past how shitty and poppy his songs are.  I don't overly like Brad Paisley (or modern country in general), but he is pretty sick on a Telecaster.  When Zac Brown (who I do like) plays live, he will shred.

I left Steve Cropper off of my list on accident...

Colonel Cropper!

[coachmcneil71]

(07-11-2015, 12:47 AM)BengalsRocker Wrote: Yeah Paisley is really good and so is Steve Wariner.  They are pretty genre specific.  That's why I like Urban's playing.  He's a hybrid rock/country player.

The thing amazing about Paisley is how he sings and just throws those licks out like they are nothing.  Effortless.

Like I said before.  Most current rock player's are pretty bland and boring.  You have Avenged Sevenfold and Dragonforce and a slew of Killswitch Engage knock-offs.

The guy from Black Tide is very talented.

Really none of the new players do very much for me.

Joe Bonamassa is talented but he just comes off as an arrogant ass to me.  He's songs are meh.

   Interesting story about Paisley, when he came to Nash he wouldn't show how good of guitar player that he was for fear of the industry trying to pigeonhole him as a studio player. Which is exactly what they would have tried to do. He wanted to be accepted as a singer first. It was only after he got his first real deal that he actually pulled back the curtain to reveal that he is a monster guitar player. He has a cd that is exclusively dedicated to just guitar playing of several different styles. There are a couple of songs on it where he sings but it's mostly guitar work. Anyone that thinks he can only play specifically in the country genre would be mislead.
   As for Bonamassa coming off as "an arrogant ass", nine out of ten gifted guitar players seem to come off this way. That's like saying the sky is blue. I've yet to meet an uber talented GP that's willing to admit that another player is better than themselves. Dude's a beast and every musician worth his salt knows this.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(07-14-2015, 04:24 AM)coachmcneil71 Wrote:    Interesting story about Paisley, when he came to Nash he wouldn't show how good of guitar player that he was for fear of the industry trying to pigeonhole him as a studio player. Which is exactly what they would have tried to do. He wanted to be accepted as a singer first. It was only after he got his first real deal that he actually pulled back the curtain to reveal that he is a monster guitar player. He has a cd that is exclusively dedicated to just guitar playing of several different styles. There are a couple of songs on it where he sings but it's mostly guitar work. Anyone that thinks he can only play specifically in the country genre would be mislead.
   As for Bonamassa coming of as "an arrogant ass", nine out of ten gifted guitar players seem to come off this way. That's like saying the sky is blue. I've yet to meet an uber talented GP that's willing to admit that another player is better than themselves. Dude's a beast and every musician worth his salt knows this.

You ever catch JD Simo down at Robert's when he played with Don Kelly?

[SteelCitySouth]

I bet some pleb comes in here and says Dimebag Darrell. :snark:

[BengalsRocker]

(07-14-2015, 04:24 AM)coachmcneil71 Wrote:    Interesting story about Paisley, when he came to Nash he wouldn't show how good of guitar player that he was for fear of the industry trying to pigeonhole him as a studio player. Which is exactly what they would have tried to do. He wanted to be accepted as a singer first. It was only after he got his first real deal that he actually pulled back the curtain to reveal that he is a monster guitar player. He has a cd that is exclusively dedicated to just guitar playing of several different styles. There are a couple of songs on it where he sings but it's mostly guitar work. Anyone that thinks he can only play specifically in the country genre would be mislead.
   As for Bonamassa coming off as "an arrogant ass", nine out of ten gifted guitar players seem to come off this way. That's like saying the sky is blue. I've yet to meet an uber talented GP that's willing to admit that another player is better than themselves. Dude's a beast and every musician worth his salt knows this.

There are plenty talented and yes even famous guitar players who claim others to be better than themselves.

Bonamassa is extremely talented but so is Eric Johnson(also a legend).  Neither or those guys do anything for me.

You're missing the whole point.  This is personal feelings.  Not who is a "beast"in the world of playing guitar.  I don't like his songs and I don't care for EJ's super-mellow guitar tones.

I really enjoy Paisley and his playful phrasing too.  I can relate more to Urban's usual playing style(which is hyrbrid rock.country)that is performed in the majority of his songs.

I could easily put Andy Timmons or Gary Moore up against Bonamassa/EJ and tell you why I like their style/tone/phrasing and writing better.

That would be strictly opinion and my taste though. 

How can you condescend about that?  You make me sound like a misinformed hack. LOL