Best Guitarist?

[Stainless]

Eddie Van Halen


CH3NO2

[wannabe]

The problem is that playing guitar is not an olympic sport. So much is style, sound, genre', writing and always the guy that blazed the trail and did it first. Eddie is certainly in that realm. (as would be Jimi.) He created the room for all of the 80's and early 90's guitarists and guitar based pop/rock/hair metal. I would think that Paul Gilbert is much more refined and technical than Eddie, and can play more types of music to perfection. The best sound on a guitar is Andy Timmons. And what a player he is. You are not going to find anyone that uses odd full chords to perfection as good as he does. When you get to the likes of Vai, it is hard to say that anyone on the planet plays the instrument more like it is an extension of his actual body. When you get to finger picking, Chet and Doyle Dykes are the men! Hard to beat the blues of Albert and BB. Slow hand ain't bad. In recent releases, no one is churning out more tracks pleasing to the ears on guitar than George Lynch. Hard to find someone that plays with the feel of the groove more than a Nuno Bettencourt. The technical players like Chris Broderick of Megadeth and Petrucci of Dream Theater are blowing our minds with new territories in playing.
I think for Eddie to be back in the current discussion he needs to get back to basics and write some mindblowing stuff like he was from 1975 till Cherone left.

[2manymustangs]

For me the guitarist has to tell a story, he/she has to have something to say... Not just play notes...

AND it's not just playing all the right notes in a song, it's how you get to that chord/note... The path you take...

I have MUCHO respect for someone like Satriani but for me, he is just playing and not talking to me...

RObert Cray, Johnny Lang, Jimi, SRV, and many others talk to me when they play...

Again, I have MUCHO respect for someone that can play like Satriani... I have tried to play and I SUCK...

Johnny Lang talks to me, but that is just me... Take all of this with a grain of salt:


http://youtu.be/rs9EOl6lSt4

http://youtu.be/pYOdE5IYU_c

http://youtu.be/1U_ncWYsxFs

[SBS933]

This argument has been going on what seems like forever, all those guys fall into best. I like em all, but for me a little of any of them goes all long way, except for the old Van Halen. My favorite is Jimmy Page, that's because Led Zeppelin is my favorite band.

[nowski]

Best Guitarist? I think it depends a lot on who your favorite band is. My favorite band "Pink Floyd" who in my opinion was one of the best shows to ever hit the stage, with that being said David Gilmour would be my favorite guitarist...

[thatguy]

For me, there is no one "best" guitarist.

There ARE those in their genres that ARE masters of their trades.
When I watch videos of SRV (RIP) doing sound checks and improvising its hard to imagine anyone better.
Then I see clips of him, Albert, and BB take it over the edge every time they ever did Texas Flood.

Flash back to Pagey just dismantling everything you ever thought you knew about playing guitar, then he "goes to the bow" and ices the cake.

I remember the first time I heard Edward's lead in on VH first album. Thought my head would explode.

I can listen to any of those guys, plus beck, jack White, all the way back to Robert Johnson.
These are men whom the guitar has no secrets.
The genre does not matter to me when I listen to guys at that level.

[2manymustangs]

For me, there is no one "best" guitarist.

There ARE those in their genres that ARE masters of their trades.
When I watch videos of SRV (RIP) doing sound checks and improvising its hard to imagine anyone better.
Then I see clips of him, Albert, and BB take it over the edge every time they ever did Texas Flood.

Flash back to Pagey just dismantling everything you ever thought you knew about playing guitar, then he "goes to the bow" and ices the cake.

I remember the first time I heard Edward's lead in on VH first album. Thought my head would explode.

I can listen to any of those guys, plus beck, jack White, all the way back to Robert Johnson.
These are men whom the guitar has no secrets.
The genre does not matter to me when I listen to guys at that level.

:thumb:

I remember a few of my music teachers saying to me "there are lots of guys that can play fast... BUT if you dont have anything to say (with what your playing) it's just noise... IT's not about playing fast, it's the progressions, the bent notes, the approach to each chord... The pathways...

It probably sounds odd to some folks but it's as if these guitar greats (like SRV) are talking to me in a language that is....... I dunno... It's a different language...

[HB Vic]

SRV hands down

[Eli]

I'm a fan of the Spanish guitar. Not anyone in particular.


Sent from my Bat Cave

[Sharp shooter]

Michael Schenker and Adrian Smith are my favorites.

[go4broke]

Randy Rhoads is my over all favorite. Solo's were interesting to listen too, riffs awsome. Rick Emmet also had something to say with his solos. Yngwie the fastest. Via is just dumfounding, but gets boring. Tons of amazing players. Rodrigo & Gabriella are the newest to facinate me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_4uhY6i7zY

[bb88]

How about some bass..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9KLfRIrGXs&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[SBS933]

Can't forget Eric Johnson, Dude can put it down.

[niceguyeddie]

29300:
SRV hands down

Hands down one of my favorites.

Allen collins. C'mon! Who else as playing anything remotely like him at this time!:thumbup::bowdown:
http://youtu.be/CkTQUtx818w


Then there's James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett from Metallica. Say what you want, but if your still playing a song that you wrote when you where 18 years old infront of thousands of people then your pretty bad ass.

http://youtu.be/2f1Ny74_ou0


It's not easy to say who's best. Besides I highly doubt any of these guys cared about being the best. They just wanted to play.

[ptc]

I saw a movie with a song in it called "Bari Improv" by Kaki King.... she is an amazing guitarist that makes sounds come out of this instrument like no other. When I heard it the first time I thought is was a multi-tracked sequence done with over dubbing and all kinds of trick work.... but it was done one time, with one guitar and one person.

Here is another rendition of a kid that mastered it.

I SUGGEST you crank up the volume ALL THE WAY for best effects


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfaWuHQ1sfk&feature=player_detailpage


And here is the lady herself - doing what she does best.... improv


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4ulGP8RIRY&feature=player_detailpage

[2manymustangs]

I know this is cheating a bit BUT I really liked Robert Randolph & The Family Band, they were opening for the Black Crows some years ago and I was in the pit... Killer sounds, I was amazed at the sounds coming out of Roberts electrified pedal steel guitar!!! He grew up playing gospel music in a church...


http://youtu.be/gt5BVuIv4t8

http://youtu.be/8F8PLsV2dVk