OT: Guitar / Guitarist Appreciation Thread

[mildone]

Ah....the memories. I can remember 50 years ago having the same argument with some friends about Ringo's drumming.. I am not a drummer. And I hope I've heard my last drum solo. And I agree with mildone on this one.
BTW, the last drum solo I enjoyed was indeed by Carter Beauford.

Ironically, as a drummer, I generally like guitar solos, or keyboard solos, more than drum solos. Not a huge fan of drum solos, in general.

If there has to be a solo, I like trading fours a little better that true drum solo. Been some great Weather Report or Zawinul Project trading fours exchanges between Joe Zawinul and his various drummers over the years.

 

[SC1221]

I've been playing on and off for close to 20 years but have stopped playing until I recently started picking it back up. New modern, guitarists like Tim Henson have really inspired me lately because traditional rock, metal, blues, and even R&B guitar playing just felt stale to me. I have a 1980's Japanese Strat that has always been my main guitar and an early 2000's Schecter Diamond Series that I bought my freshman year of high school and still play a little bit to this day.

Currently, I'm shopping around for a new guitar. I'm. thinking either an S2 or CE PRS (maybe Core if I can find a deal) or AZ series Ibanez at the moment, but I'm kind of all over the place and figuring out what would make the most sense.

This is the type of stuff that has me interested in guitar again.

 

[Bleem Phuppert]

I've been playing on and off for close to 20 years but have stopped playing until I recently started picking it back up. New modern, guitarists like Tim Henson have really inspired me lately because traditional rock, metal, blues, and even R&B guitar playing just felt stale to me. I have a 1980's Japanese Strat that has always been my main guitar and an early 2000's Schecter Diamond Series that I bought my freshman year of high school and still play a little bit to this day.

Currently, I'm shopping around for a new guitar. I'm. thinking either an S2 or CE PRS (maybe Core if I can find a deal) or AZ series Ibanez at the moment, but I'm kind of all over the place and figuring out what would make the most sense.

This is the type of stuff that has me interested in guitar again.

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There's a LOT of support for the PRS S2 series being great guitars. I played one about a year ago and while I wasn't really up to the instrument, so to speak, it was pretty easy for me to tell that it felt and sounded great.

 

[RUevolution36]

I've been playing on and off for close to 20 years but have stopped playing until I recently started picking it back up. New modern, guitarists like Tim Henson have really inspired me lately because traditional rock, metal, blues, and even R&B guitar playing just felt stale to me. I have a 1980's Japanese Strat that has always been my main guitar and an early 2000's Schecter Diamond Series that I bought my freshman year of high school and still play a little bit to this day.

Currently, I'm shopping around for a new guitar. I'm. thinking either an S2 or CE PRS (maybe Core if I can find a deal) or AZ series Ibanez at the moment, but I'm kind of all over the place and figuring out what would make the most sense.

This is the type of stuff that has me interested in guitar again.

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Tim Henson, Scott LePage, Tobin Abasi, and Jason Richardson are doing really really cool things from a modern guitar metal/post-metal standpoint.

 

[phs73rc77gsm83]

First guitar was a Gibson LGO, a good trainer. While at RU I picked up a ‘ 56 Les Paul which was an incredible guitar, but I had to sell it as I went broke in Oregon my first few months there. I refuse to discuss what I sold it for. Eventually got a nice Takamine which I still own.

Following retirement I bought a used Gibson ES 335, and then upgraded my acoustic to a Martin HD 28.

Still Waiting for my execution to catch up with the quality of my guitars!

Congratulations on your Martin! I plan on taking the tour of the Martin Factory and museum in Nazareth PA when it reopens, I think they’ve been closed due to Covid. I’ve been meaning to do that for more than a decade but finally getting to it.

 

[Bleem Phuppert]

I've been playing on and off for close to 20 years but have stopped playing until I recently started picking it back up. New modern, guitarists like Tim Henson have really inspired me lately because traditional rock, metal, blues, and even R&B guitar playing just felt stale to me. I have a 1980's Japanese Strat that has always been my main guitar and an early 2000's Schecter Diamond Series that I bought my freshman year of high school and still play a little bit to this day.

Currently, I'm shopping around for a new guitar. I'm. thinking either an S2 or CE PRS (maybe Core if I can find a deal) or AZ series Ibanez at the moment, but I'm kind of all over the place and figuring out what would make the most sense.

This is the type of stuff that has me interested in guitar again.

View embedded media

There's a LOT of support for the PRS S2 series being great guitars. I played one about a year ago and while I wasn't really up to the instrument, so to speak, it was pretty easy for me to tell that it felt great.

 

[RUGuitarMan]

Too much techno stuff , I have to bring it back to some organic straightforward playing, Tommy Emmanuel and Billy Strings playing Guitar Boogie and Working Man’s Blues:

 

[Bleem Phuppert]

Too much techno stuff , I have to bring it back to some organic straightforward playing, Tommy Emmanuel and Billy Strings playing Guitar Boogie and Working Man’s Blues:

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I have a hard time listening to acoustic blues. I get that it's genuinely the organic root of the genre, but... It just doesn't resonate with me. The introduction of overdriven electric guitars was, IMO, a watershed moment for the blues.

I always found it really interesting that B.B. King, who I like, played an ES-335 but Albert King, who I REALLY like, played a Flying V.

 

[SC1221]

Tim Henson, Scott LePage, Tobin Abasi, and Jason Richardson are doing really really cool things from a modern guitar metal/post-metal standpoint.

Yep big fans of all four. And Manuel Gardner-Fernandes might be my favorite overall out of the newer progressive guitarists.

 

[RUGuitarMan]

I have a hard time listening to acoustic blues. I get that it's genuinely the organic root of the genre, but... It just doesn't resonate with me. The introduction of overdriven electric guitars was, IMO, a watershed moment for the blues.

I always found it really interesting that B.B. King, who I like, played an ES-335 but Albert King, who I REALLY like, played a Flying V.

I can listen to good acoustic playing all day. I have a harder time with much of the heavier rock stuff , metal whatever you want to call it. Much of it doesn’t move me. Once heavier rock started to get disconnected from the blues, country, folk influences I started to lose interest, although there are some contemporary harder edge bands that I enjoy. As far as traditional electric blues players go, I like BB King, Freddy King. Elmore James is a personal favorite. Not only is he a top guitarist but his singing voice is awesome.

 

[RU848789]

I have a hard time listening to acoustic blues. I get that it's genuinely the organic root of the genre, but... It just doesn't resonate with me. The introduction of overdriven electric guitars was, IMO, a watershed moment for the blues.

I always found it really interesting that B.B. King, who I like, played an ES-335 but Albert King, who I REALLY like, played a Flying V.

Agree 100% - early electric blues still sounds fresh and more than a wee bit rebellious underneath it all, even today (or maybe especially today).

 

[RU848789]

Sorry 'bout that - here ya go:

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Good stuff, thanks. For my ear, none of the reconstructed "Hard Days Night" opening chords sounds like a perfect match, including this one. I have no idea where the truth is, but regardless, for my money that's still the most amazing opening chord in any song. Ever. I also chuckle at a few friends I have who say they're "not Beatles fans" and I always tell them they're simply being contrarian for reasons I'll never figure out, as it just doesn't compute for me how someone could love R&R and not love the Beatles. Best band ever and it's not really even that close when looking at the total body of work IMO. Doesn't mean every song was perfect, but damn a ton were.

 

[RedTeam1994]

Nels cline

Johnny marr

 

[BillyC80]

Saw him at the Bottom Line many years back. More recently with G3 at NJPAC.

I like players who make use of finger picks. Jorma, Bromberg, Knoffler.

Glad you mentioned Mark Knopfler, one of my favorites, and Jorma Kaukonen, who played in the Rose Room at Rutgers in 1979. I set up the stage for him and worked the spotlight.

Guy sat on a stool and played a 12-string like you wouldn’t believe. About 90 minutes of finger picking and no lyrics, no band, just him and his guitar. Very cool.

 

[AZBlues]

I have a hard time listening to acoustic blues. I get that it's genuinely the organic root of the genre, but... It just doesn't resonate with me. The introduction of overdriven electric guitars was, IMO, a watershed moment for the blues.

I always found it really interesting that B.B. King, who I like, played an ES-335 but Albert King, who I REALLY like, played a Flying V.

Always liked Albert King's work... My favorite Albert King video:



But I also really like the clean natural sound and resonance of acoustic strings for blues too, like below... Sometimes I just feel like acoustic, no power needed.

 

[AZBlues]

Glad you mentioned Mark Knopfler, one of my favorites, and Jorma Kaukonen, who played in the Rose Room at Rutgers in 1979. I set up the stage for him and worked the spotlight.

Guy sat on a stool and played a 12-string like you wouldn’t believe. About 90 minutes of finger picking and no lyrics, no band, just him and his guitar. Very cool.

Jorma has always been one of my favorites, especially his acoustic work, and his album Quah, from 1974, is still among my favorite acoustic albums.

I always liked Mark Knopfler's style too. I like relatively clean electric guitar where the notes seem to snap and pop off the instrument... One of my biggest disappointments in a concert was when I saw Clapton and Knopfler together, around 1988 or '89... At the time those two, along with Stevie Ray Vaughan, were my favorite 3 guitarists. (I didn't start to appreciate the decades of American Blues music until about 2 years later..) The concert was great, but for some reason Knopfler's guitar was mixed at a much lower volume than Clapton's, so it was more like he was a background player, and it was hard to hear his playing clearly, even when he soloed.... It was Clapton's band though, so I guess the headliner isn't supposed to be upstaged...

 

[ashokan]

I've been playing on and off for close to 20 years but have stopped playing until I recently started picking it back up. New modern, guitarists like Tim Henson have really inspired me lately because traditional rock, metal, blues, and even R&B guitar playing just felt stale to me.

Amen. I picked up a Epiphone LP pretty as a lark to learn about the instrument itself because I'm not big into music (plus I have brutal fine motor skills). I actually started to be able to play a bit but realized I had no desire to learn decades old stuff (plus I realized playing guitar was a perishable skill). I mean I like a lot of older players (like Eddie Hazel, David Gilmour, Johnny Marr etc) ) but not to study. I liked rising star Gary Clark but his best performances were covers of "Hey Jude." Guitar seemed stuck in amber.

Then I stumbled across a young Aussie bird named Tash Sultana. She can walk the line between reality and rabbit holes, but she's a prodigy who plays 20 instruments. Guitar is #1 for her, and Fender just issued a Tash model. She's heavy into layers and aims for a "flow state." Her songs run long (laying tracks live) and aren't quite played the same way twice. Watching her is as fun as listening (if you're into her style). She's trying to create art and not just shredding etc. I cant listen to the technical maestros for long.

“I always think there is never enough guitar on records to be honest. For a period of time I was just hearing stuff on the radio that doesn’t have guitar in it. I found that really strange. I’m all for the guitar layering and layering and layering...” https://www.guitarworld.com/features/tash-sultana-terra-firma

This is one of her longer bits with guitar but not about guitar

 

[RUGuitarMan]

Eric Gales covering Hendrix, Beethoven, Led Zeppelin and AC/DC:

 

[rutger80]

Beck, Page, Hendrix, Clapton, Walsh. Another name who's playing I like is Mick Ronson.

 

[RUevolution36]

Yep big fans of all four. And Manuel Gardner-Fernandes might be my favorite overall out of the newer progressive guitarists.

 

[Knight Shift]

Have played Tool songs in my party playlists many times - perhaps you were doing too much blow with the hookers to notice. Love Tool and they're very good live, too.

Coming to Newark in February. Saw them before the world changed forever in Atlantic City in November 2019, and they were fantastic. Prog rock geniuses.

 

[Knight Shift]

Mentioned Prince and Leslie West earlier.

Umm, and I had a post with several videos of Prince. 🤴

 

[Knight Shift]

For aspiring rock guitarists, I have not seen any respect for one of my influences who I consider one of the best technical and melodic rock guitarists of his time and today, Michael Schenker (UFO, MSG, etc.). Check this out if you are not familiar with him. Also, Joe Bonamassa is incredible, especially if you lean towards the blues. (which I don't).
As an aside, I had the opportunity to see Michael Schenker with MSG at Birch Hill and positioned myself right in front of him, as he was one of my guitar idols and had never seen him before live. He came out with his trademark Gibson Flying V and simply plugged directly into his wall of Marshalls. I said, Michael, no effect board? He answered me back in his German accent, "Nah, effects are for pussies". He certainly uses delay via the board, however, that says a lot about his kick ass guitar attitude.

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Michael Schenker played on the debut Scorpion album in 1972 when he was only 16 years old. Eddie Trunk (the DJ) never shuts up about UFO (his next and perhaps most famous group).

 

[Knight Shift]

Don't know if he has been mentioned, but here's a video of Dave Mustaine explaining how to play the guitar parts in one of Megadeath's more popular songs Symphony of Destruction.
Do not see many mentions of metal guitarists. Any fans of Kirk Hammett from Metallica?

 

[RUevolution36]

Don't know if he has been mentioned, but here's a video of Dave Mustaine explaining how to play the guitar parts in one of Megadeath's more popular songs Symphony of Destruction.
Do not see many mentions of metal guitarists. Any fans of Kirk Hammett from Metallica?

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Symphony is one of the first songs I tried to learn this summer. Was rather unsuccessful. Mustaine is a great guitarist. But as I grow older, his vocals grate on me more and more.

 

[29PAS]

To whoever posted the video of Prince at the RnRHOF, thanks - that was just incredible. Same to whoever mentioned Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer". I've been a fan of his since the '60's but somehow missed this song. Amazing. I generally like more uptempo stuff so that may account for it but his playing on that song is just terrific.

 

[Bleem Phuppert]

To whoever posted the video of Prince at the RnRHOF, thanks - that was just incredible. Same to whoever mentioned Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer". I've been a fan of his since the '60's but somehow missed this song. Amazing. I generally like more uptempo stuff so that may account for it but his playing on that song is just terrific.

If you like "Cortez", reach out and give a listen to the Gov't Mule version off the "With a Little Help From Our Friends" LP. It's excellent.

 

[Kbee3]

If you like "Cortez", reach out and give a listen to the Gov't Mule version off the "With a Little Help From Our Friends" LP. It's excellent.

Dave Matthews Band also did a nice cover of "Cortez".

 

[Bababooey_Class'80]

Since this is a guitar thread...Curious if any fellow guitarists experience douche chills when the crowd does Metallica air guitar power chord on third downs?

 

[Bleem Phuppert]

Since this is a guitar thread...Curious if any fellow guitarists experience douche chills when the crowd does Metallica air guitar power chord on third downs?

It's annoying.

 

[Lerxst72]

Great topic and thread. I agree with those that say there really are no "greatest" guitarists. Having said that, here are some of my favorites -

- James Taylor
- Alex Lifeson (of course, doesn't get the accolades Neil or Geddy did but more than held his own in Rush)
- Eddie VH
- Doc Watson ( masterful flat-picker )
- Steve Howe ( big ASIA and a Yes fan )
- Larry Carlton ( his playing on Steely Dan's "Royal Scam"... holy shit )
- John Jorgenson ( multi-instrumentalist, so talented can play just about anything has played with Desert Rose Band 80's - 90's country with Chris Hillman of Bryds fame, toured with Elton John, plays Jdango Rinehardt gypsy style jazz )
- Billy Strings ('saw' him from the boardwalk in Asbury during Summerstage)

and a ton others who I can't think of, off the top of my head.

I own:
- An Alvarez Yiari DY-57 (was my father's guitar, it's at least 50+ years old)
- A Yamaha jumbo body acoustic (don't know the model) that was my HS graduation present 32 years ago. Has a Martin thinline pickup in it, if I feel the need to plug it in.
- An Ibanez semi-hollow body electric (don't know the model as it's at my daughter's)
- Small Fishman mini amp and a Zoon G1Xon for effects if the mood strikes.

@CHOP - I'm going to see Tool for the 1st time at the Newark show next month. Girlfriend is a HUGE fan of the band. (Yes - Mildone, I edited it! LOL ). Words matter.
@mildone - As a Rush fan- my love for Neil's work, as a drummer, is obvious. Also love Phil Collins' work. His drumming on Genesis' Duke is awesome.

I could go on and on and on... lol. Great discussion.

 

[mildone]

I'm going to see Tool for the 1st time at the Newark show next month. Girlfriend is a HUGE Tool fan.

I had a GF that was a huge tool fan, but she left me the day after. 😟

 

[phs73rc77gsm83]

Glad you mentioned Mark Knopfler, one of my favorites, and Jorma Kaukonen, who played in the Rose Room at Rutgers in 1979. I set up the stage for him and worked the spotlight.

Guy sat on a stool and played a 12-string like you wouldn’t believe. About 90 minutes of finger picking and no lyrics, no band, just him and his guitar. Very cool.

I have the utmost respect for a guitarist who plays solo without loops or effects. No where to hide so to speak.

 

[Lerxst72]

I had a GF that was a huge tool fan, but she left me the day after. 😟

edited my post. lol.

 

[mildone]

edited my post. lol.

You should'a left it as there was nothing at all wrong with how you wrote it.

Is just that I find innuendo one of the many joys of life and am too childish too repress it. 😀

 

[Lerxst72]

You should'a left it as there was nothing at all wrong with how you wrote it.

Is just that I find innuendo one of the many joys of live and am too childish too repress it. 😀

LOL. I am the same exact way when it comes innuendos AND childishness.

 

[mildone]

LOL. I am the same exact way when it comes innuendos AND childishness.

I actually taught my kids to grow responsible but never grow up. For me, it means trying to retain our child-like enthusiasm for stuff while being responsible about working hard, being healthy, and being considerate of others.

 

[SC1221]

Since this is a guitar thread...Curious if any fellow guitarists experience douche chills when the crowd does Metallica air guitar power chord on third downs?

Yes, I always found it incredibly cringy.

 

[Bleem Phuppert]

I have the utmost respect for a guitarist who plays solo without loops or effects. No where to hide so to speak.

It's also good to hear guys who understand how to leverage space.

Just this morning I heard Marvin Taylor & The Slack Band's "Tin Pan Alley" and it occurred to me that Taylor is one of those guys who thinks that every soft spot in a phrase has to be filled with 8ths and 16ths. To me, it harkens of Eric Clapton's train wreck "Stormy Monday", as mentioned previously in the thread. I'd much rather listen to a guy like David Gilmour, who is such a master of making the spaces between the notes work for him just as well as the notes themselves.

 

[29PAS]

If you like "Cortez", reach out and give a listen to the Gov't Mule version off the "With a Little Help From Our Friends" LP. It's excellent.

Just heard the iTunes snippet of the Gov't Mule version - excellent is right. The Neil Young live version is too.