Best gutiar player ever

[Vlad D Impeller]

Re: Best gutiar player ever

I'm into the Blues, so John Lee Hooker, Chuck Berry, Muddy, et al...also

Did you forget Albert Collins?
And juuust a little further back in time were the phenomenal Robert Johnson and Lead Belly.

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: Best gutiar player ever

I might be showing my age but I have always been fastinated with Roy Clark and his abilities. If it had strings on it he could play it and play it very well.

 

[treedancer]

Re: Best gutiar player ever

Chuck Berry's still rockin,he plays every month at the blueberry hill in St.Louis.

 

[Bass Man Bruce]

Re: Best gutiar player ever

Well I don't see any clunkers in the list so far. I have to throw in George Harrison just because his work was always so tastefull and was played only to fit the song, in particular his work on Abbey Road.
And how can you skip Charro!!!!!

 

[oddjob]

Re: Best gutiar player ever

Alot of good guitarist are mentioned here. Pointer mentioned the man that comes to my mind....

If you can play a guitar .....and have a good understanding of what is diffecult and what is not then it would be my opinion that Chet Atkins is the best of all time to date.

He can pick ( crisply ),more notes per minute ( while playing the rythm simotaneusly ) than any man dead or alive....Blues and rock and roll is easy IMO. If you dont play guitar I wouldnt expect most folks to agree.

 

[OldMercsRule]

Re: Best gutiar player ever

Alot of good guitarist are mentioned here. Pointer mentioned the man that comes to my mind....

If you can play a guitar .....and have a good understanding of what is diffecult and what is not then it would be my opinion that Chet Atkins is the best of all time to date.

He can pick ( crisply ),more notes per minute ( while playing the rythm simotaneusly ) than any man dead or alive....Blues and rock and roll is easy IMO. If you dont play guitar I wouldnt expect most folks to agree.

Yes, I agree: he is very very good, (world class fer sure): OJ. That said: Hendrix n' SRV n' Alvin Lee, n' Clapton were or are at least as good in different ways. Some of the other mentions here are also "world class". Pound fer pound, dollar fer dollar, (due to the preferences of a guy with the limitations of a single brain cell), my choice if I had ta choose one would be SRV (as Eric stated here at the start). That guy was flat amazing at the different and unique sounds he could get from his 'gitfiddle', just like Charley Daniels can get from his real fiddle, IMHO. JR

 

[snapperbait]

Re: Best gutiar player ever

All around Best.. Speed, techique, tone..... Chet Atkins...

Honorable mentions...
Les Paul... (The man is a musical Genius.. Invented multi-track recording, many effects, ect.)
Rory Gallageher.
Clapton.
Brian Setzer. (incredible knowledge of music, and he keeps rockabilly alive)
Roy Clark. (shocking 12 string versions of Malaguena)
Albert Collins. (master of the telecaster)

 

[Scaaty]

Re: Best gutiar player ever

Did you forget Albert Collins?
And juuust a little further back in time were the phenomenal Robert Johnson and Lead Belly.

phenomenal Robert Johnson and Lead Belly
Yep, have 2 RJ albums

 

[Parrott_head]

Re: Best gutiar player ever

There is a flamenco player by the name of Ottmar Liebert that I really like.

Carlos Santana is a favorite of mine as well.

 

[mattttt25]

Re: Best gutiar player ever

How about Slash from GNR? Sounds funny, but he's damn good.

Love Dave Matthews, have heard from several that playing his music is hard for even the best out there.

Hendrix is probably #1 in my book.

 

[stevieray]

Re: Best gutiar player ever

Wow - 50 replies in this thread & nobody brought up Steve Howe from Yes. He's gotta be somewhere in the top 10, IMHO. He can just do so many different things so well & has amazing composing skills.

Ditto on all the others previously mentioned as well.

Really impossible to pick a "best ever" for all the same reasons everybody else said.

 

[QC]

Re: Best gutiar player ever

Stevie,

You and I think alike on a lot of this, but Steve Howe is too sloppy for me. Love Yes, love Steve Howe, but for me he's too often on the ragged edge . . . I agree best is tough, and I am seriously impressed that someone mentioned Charro . . . I got laughed at for bringing her up on a music list I post on, but she's fantastic. Also saw Glen Campbell. My mother got us tickets a few years ago to see him with the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. On the ticket it said "One of America's Most Renowned Guitarists". I laughed all of the way there. I stopped laughing about 30 minutes later . . . The guy is awesome.

My vote would be for someone like John Goodsall (early Brand X) or Alan Holdsworth (Jean Luc Ponty, Bill Bruford solo stuff, UK, Gong etc.)

 

[stevieray]

Re: Best gutiar player ever

Kevin - I can see what you're saying about sloppy - especially live. He can have a hard time reproducing what he does in the studio on stage (but then, doesn't everybody). Listen to Starship Trooper on The Yes Album - that sounds pretty clean to me - but it doesn't always come off live.

I like Glen Campbell's work as well - just didn't like those ugly Ovation electrics he used to play on TV...bleah!

 

[Hoss the Hermit]

Re: Best gutiar player ever

Toss - up between Jimmy Paige and Mark Knopfler

 

[OldMercsRule]

Re: Best gutiar player ever

Kevin - I can see what you're saying about sloppy - especially live. He can have a hard time reproducing what he does in the studio on stage (but then, doesn't everybody). Listen to Starship Trooper on The Yes Album - that sounds pretty clean to me - but it doesn't always come off live.

I like Glen Campbell's work as well - just didn't like those ugly Ovation electrics he used to play on TV...bleah!

SRV is as good, maybe better live then he is recorded. Ever heard ANYONE copy that particular master with ANY degree of success? Kinda like tryin' ta copy Hendrix, same deal: Can't be done. If they are as good live as they are recorded that is the sign of a true master. Hard to mimick is a sign as well. My $.02. JR

 

[stevieray]

Re: Best gutiar player ever

Good point, JR. I guess it really depended on how "hopped up" SRV was at the time of the show. I saw some stuff on YouTube of him that was out of tune, out of time & struggling vocals - I guess even the masters could have a bad day, though.

 

[OldMercsRule]

Re: Best gutiar player ever

Good point, JR. I guess it really depended on how "hopped up" SRV was at the time of the show. I saw some stuff on YouTube of him that was out of tune, out of time & struggling vocals - I guess even the masters could have a bad day, though.

Yah, druggies may not be cornsistent. But he usually was VERY inspiring when he played live, (I have not seen the bad gigs). That said: he certianly struggled with his chemical problems. JR

 

[ozzydude]

Re: Best gutiar player ever

Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Paige,& Slash are the first 3 to pop in my head but there are several greats!

 

[Waffle]

Re: Best gutiar player ever

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5ORGWfJiTI&mode=related&search=

Take your pick.

Too many excellent guitar players that may have been heard on the radio or in some deep cut of an album. Just because a person isn't famous doesn't mean they might not be the best. And it is all subjective anyway.

 

[wncrjb]

Re: Best gutiar player ever

Alex Lifeson from Rush.........

I have to agree with this one. He plays as good in person as he does in the studio.

wncrjb