Best Guitarists

[Saint Johnny]

Anyone mention Lefty Frizzell? Or Paul Kossoff of Free and Backstreet Crawler?
And how can we forget Charlie Christian,Chuck Berry, Bo Diddely and Scotty Moore?

 

[VinylRob]

Another or three, Paco de Lucia, Ray and Dave Davies (The Kinks), Mark Bolan (T-Rex), Wes Montgomery, David Roback (Mazzy Star)...

Happy Listening!

 

[Saint Johnny]

Do you have a live rec? I have the first RHCH and love the tone and texture he gives it.

Carl

IIRC it's Hillel Slovak on the first RHCP record, John Frusciante replaced Hillel after Hillel passed away.

 

[Saint Johnny]

I see Tom Verlaine has been mentioned a few times, and while I agree Tom is great, Richard Lloyd is just as good!

 

[VinylRob]

Dave Evans... The edge of U2.

 

[WhiteSE]

The Edge? he might be adequate, but thinking of him along the likes of Steve Howe, John McLaughlin, Steve Hackett, Andy Lattimer, DiMeola, just doesnt ad up to me...

Sorry to be mean on the guy...but I always hear 4 to 5 chords or structures repeated ad nauseum...

 

[Mystic]

IIRC it's Hillel Slovak was on the first RHCP record, John Frusciante replaced Hillel after Hillel passed away.

Yes, that was Hillel.

 

[Mystic]

I see Tom Verlaine has been mentioned a few times, and while I agree Tom is great, Richard Lloyd is just as good!

Yep, it's easy to forget Richard when thinking of Television, I guess that's the power of being the guitarist who sang the songs, too.

 

[Excumbrian]

I would recommend:
Nils Lofgren
Richard Thompson
Rory Gallagher
Rory Block
Paul Kossoff
...and the best 'new' guitarist I've heard in years, Harry Manx

 

[Mystic]

Maybe there's room for three slide specialists? One living, two not.

One living:

Bob Brozman

Two not:

Chris Whitley
Sam Mitchell (heard all over Stewart's Every Picture Tells A Story album)

 

[Saint Johnny]

Maybe there's room for three slide specialists? One living, two not.

One living:

Bob Brozman

Two not:

Chris Whitley
Sam Mitchell (heard all over Stewart's Every Picture Tells A Story album)

May I add one, George Harrison MBE, to the 'non-living slide specialists' category? :scratch2:

 

[Windwalker]

tsk, tsk , tsk my my my

How have we manged to overlook John Mayall
(I skimmed back through and don't recall seeing his name)

Anyone recall seeing Brian May's name on this list?

 

[VinylRob]

What, Edge?!

The Edge? he might be adequate, but thinking of him along the likes of Steve Howe, John McLaughlin, Steve Hackett, Andy Lattimer, DiMeola, just doesnt ad up to me...

Sorry to be mean on the guy...but I always hear 4 to 5 chords or structures repeated ad nauseum...

I guess I was looking at this as more of an inclusive rather than exclusive list. “Greatest” seems a bit vague, kind of Rollingstone(ish). For me, the Edge adds an involvement, energy, and emotion to U2's palette that would be otherwise missed (Bullet the Blue Sky or Van Dieman's Land). He’s on my list and one of my fav’s. If you don't feel he stacks up with some of the others you mentioned, as a technical virtuoso enough, maybe we aught to reevaluate adding say... Muddy Waters, Son House, Lead Belly or any of the other blues folks who's simple but heart felt playing influenced Rock music indelibly and your beloved Steve Howe, etc... Is the next requirement of this pantheon to be, playing “fast”? So lets say for argument sake we replace J.J. Cale (the true, slow hand) with say, Steve Vai??? Please!

Happy (technical) Listening!?

 

[Excumbrian]

I guess I was looking at this as more of an inclusive rather than exclusive list. “Greatest” seems a bit vague, kind of Rollingstone(ish). For me, the Edge adds an involvement, energy, and emotion to U2's palette that would be otherwise missed (Bullet the Blue Sky or Van Dieman's Land). He’s on my list and one of my fav’s. If you don't feel he stacks up with some of the others you mentioned, as a technical virtuoso enough, maybe we aught to reevaluate adding say... Muddy Waters, Son House, Lead Belly or any of the other blues folks who's simple but heart felt playing influenced Rock music indelibly and your beloved Steve Howe, etc... Is the next requirement of this pantheon to be, playing “fast”? So lets say for argument sake we replace J.J. Cale (the true, slow hand) with say, Steve Vai??? Please!

Happy (technical) Listening!?

People like Paul Kossoff, Nils Lofgren, Richard Thompson, Chris Rea and Peter Green can say more with 5 notes than the likes of Vai, Satriani, Van Halen or Malmsteen say with 500. But hey, who gives a f*** what I think?

 

[WhiteSE]

People like Paul Kossoff, Nils Lofgren, Richard Thompson, Chris Rea and Peter Green can say more with 5 notes than the likes of Vai, Satriani, Van Halen or Malmsteen say with 500. But hey, who gives a f*** what I think?

I dont like the likes of Satriani, Van Halen, Malmsteen and that kind of player...all flash really.

But players like Richard Thompson (who in my eyes is one of the best) are students of the guitar squeezing it with tremendous skill time and time again, while being excellent in what they compose for the guitar. Thats why in my eyes, guys like Steve Howe, Thompson, Hackett, Mike Oldfield and other elevate the guitar to higher and higher levels of musicianship and inventivenss that most rock guitarrists can only dream of.

It doesnt mean you need to like their music, but their role in the history of guitar music speaks for itself. You can ad Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew to my list...but guitarrists like Edge, the GnR guy, and many others are just riding a middle of the road in my opinion.

 

[VinylRob]

People like Paul Kossoff, Nils Lofgren, Richard Thompson, Chris Rea and Peter Green can say more with 5 notes than the likes of Vai, Satriani, Van Halen or Malmsteen say with 500. But hey, who gives a f*** what I think?

I'm pickin' up what your putting down
and couldn't agree more.

Richard Thompson is a perfect example and one that I have driven over six-hundred miles round trip to see in an evening and worth every mile!

Happy Listening!

 

[Excumbrian]

I dont like the likes of Satriani, Van Halen, Malmsteen and that kind of player...all flash really.

Thats why in my eyes, guys like Steve Howe, Thompson, Hackett, Mike Oldfield and other elevate the guitar to higher and higher levels of musicianship and inventivenss that most rock guitarrists can only dream of.

Agree with you there. Oldfield is a vastly under-rated guitarist. Ditto Hackett.

 

[Windwalker]

Another fine one that's been missed on here, that deserves a STRONG- STRONG mention

"Steady Rollin Bob" (Margolin)-hell if he was good enough for Muddy, he's good enough for me)

 

[ridog]

Check out KRB

Hmmmm......:yes::yes:Hey Chuckey!

Check out www.kellyrichey.com

or more succinctly:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fltzZNnR-I8

 

[jackwoz]

adding to the roll call ... Martin Barre and peter buck