Who's the best rock guitarist?

[KiwiCoromandel]

why isn`t frank zappa on there????

:reallymad:

[DudeAsInCool]

why isn`t frank zappa on there????

:reallymad:

I would certainly rank him above Joe Perry Angus Young and Alex Lifeson--I dont even know who they are..

[alliercollins]

why isn`t frank zappa on there????

  :reallymad:

I would certainly rank him above Joe Perry Angus Young and Alex Lifeson--I dont even know who they are..

Perry is in Aerosmith, Young is in AC/DC, and Lifeson is in Rush

[rickio]

ahh Hendrix is definately the best with zappa nipping at his heals. lol

but you should make a poll asking who you enjoy as a guitarist, as best is best and songs you like the most many times another thing. ;-p

Hendrix just blows everyone away. Most likely many folks have not heard all his work as well.

peace

[DudeAsInCool]

Perry is in Aerosmith, Young is in AC/DC, and Lifeson is in Rush

Solid but not extraordinary guitarists in my opinion

[alliercollins]

Out of curiosity dude... Who do you consider the best guitarist who started out in the 90s or 2000s?

[DudeAsInCool]

Out of curiosity dude... Who do you consider the best guitarist who started out in the 90s or 2000s?

Off the top of my head, I like Jack White and Johnny Lang...but Im sure there are a couple other virutosos I missed. It seems to me that the 90s was more about the total group sound than individuals, as opposed to say the 60s and 70s... I might look at it differently if I was you, cause you know more about today's bands than i probably do

[alliercollins]

I think those were good choices actually. If I picked though, I would go with Tom Morello slightly over Jack White. I mean no one has been able to imitate Morello's solos and I have a couple of copies of him doing Seven Nation Army live and he copied Jack White perfectly, but then broke out and did some insane Rage like solos.

[DudeAsInCool]

I also like this guy Henry Frayne from Lanterna - this guy is mostly a rhythm guitarist, but the sounds he gets out of that thing are extraordinary. I would probably add Dave Navarro to your addition...James Iha of The Smashing Pumpkins...

We should probably start a 90s/2000s guitarist thread..

[KiwiCoromandel]

ahh Hendrix is definately the best with zappa nipping at his heals. lol

but you should make a poll asking who you enjoy as a guitarist, as best is best and songs you like the most many times another thing. ;-p

Hendrix just blows everyone away. Most likely many folks have not heard all his work as well.

peace

we`ll have to agree to disagree my friend...different styles, different techiques ....

[KiwiCoromandel]

i`ve been listening to george lynch again (a lot of the old dokken stuff ) after reading your news article dudeasincool and have also managed to snag most of " precious george " today and tonite...brilliant stuff..his version of " all along the watchtower " is dynamite, and " he ain`t heavy " is very cool..i`ve listened to some of his acoustic stuff as well (" tierra del fuego ")..he certainly has many styles of playing and he would have to be right up there near the top of the list ...i`ve been reading up on him and he really is regarded as a " guitarists guitarist " by his peers.....

pic of " george lynch flame baritone "

Edited July 1, 2004 by kiwibank

[rickio]

i`ve been listening to george lynch again (a lot of the old dokken stuff ) after reading your news article dudeasincool and have also managed to snag most of " precious george " today and tonite...brilliant stuff..his version of " all along the watchtower " is dynamite, and " he ain`t heavy " is very cool..i`ve listened to some of his acoustic stuff as well (" tierra del fuego ")..he certainly has many styles of playing and he would have to be right up there  near the top of the list ...i`ve been reading up on him and he really is regarded as a " guitarists guitarist " by his peers.....

pic of " george lynch flame baritone "

Actually I was just thinking before I logged in here that Zappa was more of a technician, he was a perfectionist and lot of his work was out there and not as accessable as some other great guitatists. Though he recorded so much, he does cover all the bases and has some accessable material. And in the scheme of things second best is nothing to sneeze at lol...

Yes different styles but we were asked who was best and I think Hendrix was technically better but just my opinion and after all it's only the ears and heart that can make the final points lol.

I was also thinking that a lot of great meterial is so far in the past now, only real avid music fans would dig it up to listen to all of it. So we lose some of the impact of greatness because of time.

Also I was gonna mention a few other great guitarsit I did not see mentioned.

Jeff Beck,Johnny Winter, Steve Vai and Joe Satriani off the top of my head.

But I am only basing my ideas on technical ability and music itself is another matter I believe.

Some of the best music of all time is written and played by good but not the best musicians.

I'm gonna check out some more George Lynch now because you mentioned him.

:-)

peace

Edited July 1, 2004 by rickio

[DudeAsInCool]

Yep, Jeff Beck is another must be on the list

[KiwiCoromandel]

i`ve been listening to george lynch again (a lot of the old dokken stuff ) after reading your news article dudeasincool and have also managed to snag most of " precious george " today and tonite...brilliant stuff..his version of " all along the watchtower " is dynamite, and " he ain`t heavy " is very cool..i`ve listened to some of his acoustic stuff as well (" tierra del fuego ")..he certainly has many styles of playing and he would have to be right up there  near the top of the list ...i`ve been reading up on him and he really is regarded as a " guitarists guitarist " by his peers.....

pic of " george lynch flame baritone "

Actually I was just thinking before I logged in here that Zappa was more of a technician, he was a perfectionist and lot of his work was out there and not as accessable as some other great guitatists. Though he recorded so much, he does cover all the bases and has some accessable material. And in the scheme of things second best is nothing to sneeze at lol...

Yes different styles but we were asked who was best and I think Hendrix was technically better but just my opinion and after all it's only the ears and heart that can make the final points lol.

I was also thinking that a lot of great meterial is so far in the past now, only real avid music fans would dig it up to listen to all of it. So we lose some of the impact of greatness because of time.

Also I was gonna mention a few other great guitarsit I did not see mentioned.

Jeff Beck,Johnny Winter, Steve Vai and Joe Satriani off the top of my head.

But I am only basing my ideas on technical ability and music itself is another matter I believe.

Some of the best music of all time is written and played by good but not the best musicians.

I'm gonna check out some more George Lynch now because you mentioned him.

:-)

peace

choice debate rickio......i would have to say that i feel that zappa was technically more proficient than hendrix,...hendrix MOVED a lot when he played, in my view giving the APPEARANCE of superior technical virtuosity via gymnastics...zappa pretty much remained in a static stage situation, just PLAYING, if you get my drift....i also feel that hendrix looked and sounded ahead of his time, because, quite frankly,nothing like hendrix had been seen before...that doesn`t, in my view, make him the best. zappa PLAYED...hendrix did a combination of things on stage that included playing...don`t forget that a lot of hendrix`s arranging and writing and the developement of sound effects like the fuzz box was done in tandem with sound and engineering experts such as eddie kramer who already had these groundbreaking thoughts and developments going on in their collective imaginations...zappa was known for doing all that stuff himself, almost to the point of obsessiveness. that is not say that hendrix wasn`t way ahead of his time, and technically the most proficient of his time and the most dazzling on stage of his time (because he was)......he just isn`t the best.....

totally agree with you dudeasincool, on the inclusion of jeff beck on the list......out of the 3 original yardbirds guitarists i`d have to say that i feel that jeff beck wipes the floor with the other 2 guitarists who, at this point will remain nameless..

fav jeff beck album..." you had it coming "

_____________________________________________

Beck still pushing forward

You Had it Coming

By Jeff Beck

Epic; New York, N.Y.: 2001

" Eric Clapton and Robin Trower revert ever deeper into the blues, Eddie Van Halen tours the oldies circuit reliving a heyday longer and longer in the tooth, and both Aerosmith's Joe Perry and the Stones' Keith Richards seem content to churn out the same tired riffs.

And yet here's Jeff Beck — who came up in the early '60s with both Clapton and Richards, a hero to Van Halen and Perry — still exploring new sounds, still pushing the boundaries, still exploring that mysterious territory somewhere between rock and jazz.

Among top-rank rock guitarists, only Carlos Santana has stayed relevant anywhere near as long as Beck — and even Santana hasn't changed gears nearly as often nor as radically.

While Santana scored multiple Grammys for his cross-over laden "Supernatural" two years ago, Beck is way beyond the safe territory in which Grammys are awarded. Continuing to push boundaries both stylistic and structural, Beck is becoming a senior mentor much like Miles Davis in the latter parts of his career — someone so respected and idolized that the younger musicians don't even bother trying to keep up anymore, and content themselves with simply following where he leads.

After a quiet period in the '90s, Beck seems intent on making up for lost time with a series of albums released in quick succession, each of which is a little more daring, a little more assured.

Of course, nothing is ever easy with Beck. Despite the heightened confidence apparent in his playing, Beck seems more musically impatient now even than in the '70s, when his incessant curiosity often gave his music far more energy than focus.

One can't really compare "You Had it Coming" to any other Beck release, not even 1999's "Who Else," which featured fellow guitarist Jennifer Batten. "You Had it Coming" is far edgier than the previous release, and maintains a higher energy level.

"You Had it Coming" is an incredible melding of industrial rock, electronica and jazz that creates a buzz-saw sound that's both grating and melodic, free-flowing and intricately structured. On a cover of the old blues standard "Rollin' and Tumblin'" Beck and Co. even turn in an acid blues performance reminiscent of Little Axe. (Imogene Heap turns in a haunting vocal not unlike blues guitarist Joanna Connor's singing.)

This is not only Beck's most daring album in a career delineated by ground-breaking releases, it also contains some of his best playing yet. "

find it...listen to it....

Edited July 1, 2004 by kiwibank

[DudeAsInCool]

As I sadi in the other thread, John McLaughlin is a pretty amazing guitarist...on a given day, he could spin circles around most... i wonder where john cippolina of quicksilver could have done if he had stuck with it

[sicness]

actually i'm more of a metal head, but i liked what slash did in guns and roses

[moonglow]

Dave Gilmour....

now hand over the prize for getting it right please :bigsmile:

:bigsmile: I had to go with David Gilmour too :bigsmile: after all, when anyone asks who my very favorite band of all time is, it is a given that I will say Pink Floyd :bigsmile: no question :bigsmile:

but, I have to say, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana are right up there :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

[Waste]

Adam Jones isn't on this list. :(

[Lord_of_the_Dense]

Adam Jones isn't on this list. :(

Some of us may know, but for those who don't, Adam Jones is the guitarist for Tool.

[Waste]

Sorry, I should have clarified.

[wilza]

I put slash, coz he is my fav of them

[Amber]

Mine vote isn't there but I'd vote Vai... he's the man :bigsmile:

[wilza]

yeah, via is good :bigsmile:

[KiwiCoromandel]

yeah, via is good :bigsmile:

steve vai and frank zappa...a brilliant guitar duo......try vai and zappa`s 8 minute version of " fuck yourself "

__________________________________

Steve Vai started working for Frank Zappa as a music transcriber in September 1979. Some of Steve's transcriptions were published in 'The Frank Zappa Guitar Book' (Munchkin Music, 1982). Shortly after Steve joined as a transcriber, '[Frank] asked me if I'd do some overdubs for 'You Are What You Is'. So I ended up redoing about 80% of the guitars on the album. He had me down to rehearsal, and I got the gig.'

'Going on the road with Frank Zappa at such a young age [20] was a bit traumatic...', remembers Steve. Tommy Mars recalled a particularly traumatic incident for Radio 1's 'Air Sculpture', the first part of a two part Frank Zappa documentary broadcast on 20 November 1994. Tommy: 'I remember one time that we were finishing up rehearsal; it was the second or last day of rehearsal when everything had to be memorized and it was a particularly difficult body of material that we were doing. And the show 'Entertainment Tonight' was filming us at the same time and Steve Vai was in the band and this was his first tour [the autumn 1980 US tour, from October to December]. I forget the tune we were doing but it was [an] incredibly difficult tune and we all had to have our music memorized. Well, they were up on Steve's hands and, you know, with the camera, and I don't think he had ever had the film crew next to him before. And it's - if you haven't had it - it's a little bit unnerving sometime and rather violating. Let alone the fact that this was his like first or second time he'd ever done it straight from memory and we're going out on the road in three days and we have this Halloween show that we're going to be doing live on MTV and so... Steve started to like forget some parts and he made a few clams.

'And Frank got really pissed at him and, like, devastated him and said, you know, "I don't even know if you're roadable" and, you know, "If you clam up on this little thing imagine what you're gonna do on 'Saturday Night Live'." And poor Steve revered Frank so intensely... And he didn't really screw up, he just made a couple of little clams. And I think maybe Frank was just feeling weird about something and he lashed out. And, I mean, it really was terrible on Steve. He, like, lost it and he said, "Frank, I'm sorry, I didn't want to disappoint you." And Frank, his retort to that was, "You know, I don't know if you're roadable." And this is like the kiss of death to Steve. To me, it was just like, "Well, paps [sic] isn't in a very good mood, Steve." So, you know, I talked to Frank after that. I says, "What were you doing? Do you want this kid to have a nervous breakdown tonight?" He says, "Why? Do you think he took it that hard?"'

Steve toured with Zappa and played on several albums including 'Shut Up 'N' Play Yer Guitar' (1981), 'Tinsel Town Rebellion' (1981), 'You Are What You Is' (1981), Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch' (1982) and 'The Man From Utopia' (1983). Shortly after leaving Zappa Steve released two eclectic solo albums, 'Flex-Able' (1984) and 'Flex-Able Leftovers' (1984). Steve then replaced Yngwie Malmsteen in Alcatrazz, recording an album entitled 'Disturbing The Peace' (1985), then made his infamous appearance in the film 'Crossroads' (1986). After leaving Alcatrazz Steve recorded two albums with ex-Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth, 'Eat 'Em And Smile' (1986) and 'Skyscraper' (1988) then joined Whitesnake for the 'Slip Of The Tongue' (1989) album. Steve then released his solo instrumental album 'Passion And Warfare' (1990) and formed his own band, Vai, who released one album, 'Sex And Religion' (1993), before disbanding. Steve's latest release is a solo instrumental EP called 'Alien Love Secrets' (1995).

Steve made a guest appearance on the first night of the 'Zappa's Universe' concerts on 7 November 1991 which led to another concert of Zappa compositions in April 1995. 'Conductor Joel Thome had originally put 'Zappa's Universe' together in New York, and those shows were the basis for the record. I played several pieces on that, and received a Grammy for playing on 'Sofa'. Anyway, Joel has been trying to put it together again, and we have been working on five or six pieces of my own. When he arranged to do the Zappa music with the Seattle Symphony, I was really excited to do it.'

DJN: Do you think your technique is at its peak now [shortly after the release of 'Alien Love Secrets'] or were your chops sharpest when you were playing with Zappa? SV: Well, my technique with Frank was not nearly as good as it is now. Although I may have had more chops, you know... I mean they were sloppy chops. Maybe back with David Lee Roth during 'Eat 'Em and Smile' (1986) my chops were maybe at their height but right now my taste factor is so much better. My maturity as a musician and a guitar player are at their peak. DJN: There's a rumour that you transcribed the solo in 'Inca Roads' from memory while you were on the tour bus. SV: Oh, huh, huh. Where did you hear that? DJN: It was in a guitar magazine - 'Guitar World' from last year [April 1994, page 54]. SV: Oh, that's funny! I thought I only mentioned [it] to somebody once. But yeah, I did. I love that solo so much. DJN: Would you say it was your favourite Frank Zappa guitar solo then? SV: I'd say that's probably my favourite. It's between that, 'Watermelon In Easter Hay', 'Zoot Allures' or 'Black Napkins'.

DJN: What are your favourite musical memories of playing with Zappa? SV: We were doing 'Zoot Allures'... We were playing in New York and it was the soundcheck and we were doing it in the soundcheck and Frank did one of the most incredible solos I've ever seen him do, ever. He was just... He was just on and he was connected and he went for it and it was the most incredible solo I ever saw him perform. And believe me, I've seen and heard more than probably anyone else, you know. DJN: Was it recorded? SV: No. No. And I remember I had a dream once that it was recorded and we listened back to it. But it was just a dream [laughs].

DJN: What was the most challenging guitar playing that you did with Zappa? SV: Oh boy - I could write a book about that... Just songs that were really hard to play on the guitar execution-wise. You know - they weren't made for the guitar. Songs like, um, 'Moggio', and 'Envelopes' and 'Drowning Witch', umm, 'Sinister Footwear', uh, 'The Black Page'... Stuff like that was just like - woah! Stuff I really loved too like 'RDNZL' - we have this incredible version of 'RDNZL' [steve plays on 'RDNZL' from 'You Can't Do That Onstage Anymore Vol 5' (1992)] and 'Sofa' - he used to let me really, really play. DJN: You've said that you've had some of your most profound musical experiences playing with Zappa. Could you explain what you meant by that? SV: Well, with Frank, I mean...[sighs] I didn't realize it until afterwards when I saw how difficult it is to create and come up with inspiring things. I would flashback on Frank and like soundchecks and stuff where he would just sit there or stand there in front of the band with a smile on his face or breaking into laughter... He would just compose the wildest stuff right there on the spot. Really beautiful stuff and then throw these weird twists and turns in it. And the way that he manipulated the forces of music to do his bidding was quite a spectacle. There's your quote [laughs]!

DJN: The title of your 'Alien Love Secrets' album (1995) is almost the same as your widely misunderstood Guitar Player column from a few years ago ['Martian Love Secrets']. SV: Yeah [laughs]. Widely misunderstood, yeah. DJN: Is that where the title comes from? SV: Pretty much. I always liked 'Martian Love Secrets' and I wanted to use it some place else with more significance. But the word 'Martian' sounds so confining. You know, 'Alien' sort of gives it a bigger picture. But the actual phrase came from... It was written on the wall... 'Martian Love Secrets' - it was written on the wall of a toilet in the men's bathroom at the Record Plant in 1970 that Frank Zappa read. So there you have it!

http://www.vai.com/AllAboutSteve/discography_full.html

[dvdpark]

Steve Vai is a God ((ROCKON))