Your favourite guitarists

[AndrewTait]

darronwall said:

nils lofgren

Just seen him on the Docu. about Neil Young on BBC2, I've liked him ever since he joined the E-Street band, and get blown away whenever I've seen him. Particularly when you see him do this (albeit in the UK)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lzX8htevUI

Doesn't even miss a note!

Edited by AndrewTait on Saturday 25th July 00:05

[Driller]

Ron Thal.

[Steve748]

I agree with quite a lot of the names but after seeing Clapton live at Leeds Harewood house last year I have really gone off him. His performance was lacklustre, tired and I got the feeling he was bored with playing for his pension. A waste of money.
Went to see BB King in Manchester last month and for a fella of 87 he was brilliant. I saw him in Harrogate in 98 and again just superb.
Another not mentioned but is superb live (3 times) is JJ Cale. He enjoys playing live and improvises a lot on the songs and his band have played a lot with him so they just play along til he goes back to the song if you know what I mean.
Another who is superb live is Jeff Beck and his album and DVD of Ronnie Scotts is just sublime.

[anonymous-user]

onomatopoeia said:

Richard Thompson. Acoustic or electric.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lCH5JgWCZY

If you haven't got it already, find a dvd copy of Live from Austin, with Michael Jerome on drums and Danny Thompson on upright bass, it's simply wonderful. Richard Thompson will always have a place in my top 10 guitarists list.

[RegMolehusband]

David Gilmour for me BUT what's so wrong with ranking Steve Vai highly. Like Gilmour he puts so much feeling into playing the guitar though you can see it more in his interaction with the instrument such as in my favourite video of Vai playing Tender Surrender. If you haven't seen it, stick with it and see how it develops.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIahlvUu8Nw

and then, there's Bad Horsie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxkwLUKYwQ0

Edited by RegMolehusband on Saturday 25th July 17:50

[JaymzDead]

RegMolehusband said:

David Gilmour for me BUT what's so wrong with ranking Steve Vai highly. Like Gilmour he puts so much feeling into playing the guitar though you can see it more in his interaction with the instrument such as in my favourite video of Vai playing Tender Surrender. If you haven't seen it, stick with it and see how it develops.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIahlvUu8Nw

and then, there's Bad Horsie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxkwLUKYwQ0

Edited by RegMolehusband on Saturday 25th July 17:50

Agreed, the amount of feeling that Vai puts into For The Love Of God when he played it live for the first time at the '92 Expo in Sevilla is amazing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXUk6T7J1os , my jaw hit the floor the first time I saw it and it still gives me shivers, especially the improv at the end.

[kiteless]

JaymzDead said:

Agreed, the amount of feeling that Vai puts into For The Love Of God when he played it live for the first time at the '92 Expo in Sevilla is amazing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXUk6T7J1os , my jaw hit the floor the first time I saw it and it still gives me shivers, especially the improv at the end.

I taped it, and still have it, and will treasure it.

[Airbag]

Joe Pass
Ben Monder
Bill Frisell
Jim Hall
Lenny Breau
too many other giants to name!

[snowy slopes]

Just found some old tapes in the loft, one of which included the album power supply by Budgie, and john thomas can grind the riffs out on a les paul!!

[SaliMali]

Saw Reeves Gabrels in Boston, MA last Tuesday. Amazing player.

[paulrhodes]

Has anyone mentioned Mark Tremonti? Having seen him live, he's incredibly good.

[RichB]

Dave Gilmore and Carlos Santana for me, agree about Clapton he's lost the passion.

[ratbane]

kiteless said:

JaymzDead said:

Agreed, the amount of feeling that Vai puts into For The Love Of God when he played it live for the first time at the '92 Expo in Sevilla is amazing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXUk6T7J1os , my jaw hit the floor the first time I saw it and it still gives me shivers, especially the improv at the end.

I taped it, and still have it, and will treasure it.

[/quote

My favourite Vai bits:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbCQVRdUMCA&fea...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKf0y2ujXmU

[tuscaneer]

i still prefer satriani the teacher than vai or scholnik the pupils

[Nadyenka]

Jimi Hendrix
John Frusciante
Kirk Hammett
Billy Corgan
Jimmy Page

[percy]

Had a quick scan and couldn't find any mention of Nick Harper (Roy's son)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VchUvOjxt9g&fea...

and Gordon Giltrap
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_mVo9056ZU&fea...

Both are worth catching live...

[ratbane]

percy said:

Had a quick scan and couldn't find any mention of Nick Harper (Roy's son)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VchUvOjxt9g&fea...

and Gordon Giltrap
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_mVo9056ZU&fea...

Both are worth catching live...

Saw Nick on stage with Roy several times in the early '90s. Love his style.

[MrOnTheRopes]

Steve748 said:

I agree with quite a lot of the names but after seeing Clapton live at Leeds Harewood house last year I have really gone off him. His performance was lacklustre, tired and I got the feeling he was bored with playing for his pension.

You can't really make that sort of decision from one show. I have pretty much all the bootleg recordings available from shows since 1990, and hundreds from previous years. It's true that since 2001 there has been more than the fair share of 'autopilot shows', but then there are plenty full of fire too - especially if he's sharing the billing with someone else to challenge him. Listen to the Cream 2005 shows - no autopilot there. The Steve Winwood shows in 2008 & 2009 - awesome, again no autopilot. The Allman Blues Brothers shows in 2009 - again, playing with fire.

[ratbane]

Steve Howe been mentioned? Great Yes performance from Loftus Road 1975.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQBT7jInKgk

Edited by ratbane on Thursday 30th July 09:47

[nonplussed]

MrOnTheRopes said:

Steve748 said:

I agree with quite a lot of the names but after seeing Clapton live at Leeds Harewood house last year I have really gone off him. His performance was lacklustre, tired and I got the feeling he was bored with playing for his pension.

You can't really make that sort of decision from one show. I have pretty much all the bootleg recordings available from shows since 1990, and hundreds from previous years. It's true that since 2001 there has been more than the fair share of 'autopilot shows', but then there are plenty full of fire too - especially if he's sharing the billing with someone else to challenge him. Listen to the Cream 2005 shows - no autopilot there. The Steve Winwood shows in 2008 & 2009 - awesome, again no autopilot. The Allman Blues Brothers shows in 2009 - again, playing with fire.

Eric Clapton is my all-time hero and what inspired me to pic up the guitar 22 years ago, and continues to inspire me today. When he's on, he's untouchable.

However....

I agree with both of the above statements. I've seen and heard him so many times on autopilot it's unreal, and it's so utterly disappointing every time. Hyde Park 2008 was particularly crap, but Skanderborg Festival, Denmark, also in 2008, was pretty good. I agree too with the "playing for his pension" comment, as much as I like him - it's unforgivable.

There are many good examples of him playing with absolute passion and fire even in latter years though, as MrOnTheRopes says. Cream 2005 is a great example, I haven't hear the Winwood stuff properly yet.

All in all I'll still go to him 'cause I'm a sucker like that, but the big performances are few and far between these days.